the Inferno [TT. MH]

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 01.


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Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.

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She had known that this was going to be an unusual day. Although it had started off as a plain, normal, boring day, she had somehow sensed that something was going on. Something wrong.
Of course, she didn't want to tell the others about her feelings-Beast Boy would make fun of her again, calling her 'weakling' or 'over-reacting'. ...Well, that is, until he gets smashed by her telekinesis, of course.

"Azrath...Metrion...Zinthos."

Instead, Raven sat with her feet crossed in midair, trying to concentrate on meditation. But somehow, just somehow, she couldn't. Somehow, there was this feeling inside her, that something was going wrong, something weird...

...When, loud noise came from his door-apparently someone knocking. Cyborg, by the sound of it.

"Yes?"
"Patrol time."

She sighed, putting on her hood. Patrol time. Of course, of course. The usual pointless, time-consuming job. She sighed once again when she arrived at meeting room, looking around at her friends. Robin, the masked wonder boy, the leader of this team. Star Fire, bright, friendly alien girl from Tamaran. Cyborg, half-machine, half-man, Robin's sidekick. Beast Boy, the easy-going witty one, whose jokes often ignored by her.

And Raven, herself. The dark one, the mysterious one, the cold one.

She rubbed her temple, sighing again. Beast Boy grinned, opening his mouth to make a witty comment; but she shot a look before he could and he closed his mouth with a grumpy look.

"All right, team. As always."

With that simple command of Robin, they were all off; off to where they were responsible-Raven to the east part.


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"Nothing special in west part."
"South is as usual."
"North, same."
"Downtown is just perfect. How's east, Raven?"
"Pretty normal."

She answered shortly, bored beyond imagination. With Slade and Brother Blood gone, the city was pretty normal, pretty safe, in fact so safe that people were beginning to think such things as 'do we really need Teen Titans?', later showing their thoughts by their actions. The Titans, too, knew the city was safe; they knew when they were patrolling every day they wouldn't find any crime except maybe some older kids bullying younger ones or bank robbing. She put Titans communicator away, trying to think about what shall she do after she went back from this boring, boring job, to her own, comfortable darkness.

Actually, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice somebody coming up beside her.

"Hello."

She was back to reality when, after a few minutes, the person spoke out, impatience. That 'somebody' chuckled at her startled look, clearly enjoying it.
Meanwhile, Raven was trying to figure out the identity of this...guy.
He was tall, with slim but muscular body; his hair was bright orange like that of sunset, and his eyes were warm brown.
All right. She had never seen this guy before.
So she asked straight away.

"Who are you?"
"I'm Jet."
"All right. And...why are you here? I mean, how come you're here?"

She looked around herself; she was flying in midair, quite high up from the city. And yet this guy-Jet, who she had never seen nor heard of before, was flying right beside her, grinning.

"I'm flying. With my engines, you see."

He pointed at his feet, and yes, she could see two jets of flame shooting out of his feet.

"You're...a cyborg?"
"Yup."
"No. Wait. Look. I mean...why are you here?"
"Saw you flying. Never seen somebody flying before, I mean, in this city, so I thougt I might come and talk with you for a sec."

He grinned at her look of puzzlement.

"Don't worry. I'm not a bad guy. At least, not now."
"It doesn't matter. Not now, anyway. How come you're a cyborg? And how come I've never heard of you before?"
"I'm new here. That's why."
"...That doesn't explain why you're a cyborg."
"Had this major accident, you see. It was either being a cyborg or lose my legs forever so I chose to be a cyborg. Simple, eh?"

Yeh, like that explains everything. She cocked an eyebrow at him, then turned around to keep patrolling.
It was not long before Jet began to talk again.

"So, who're you?"
"I'm Raven."
"Nice name."

Raven, catching the sarcastic tone of his comment, closed her mouth and didn't answer to him anymore.

"You've got friends?"
"...Why are you asking that?"
"Well, because, I've seen you talking with somebody with a small round thingy."

She sighed, ignoring him, silently thanking Beast Boy for making her so good at ignoring people. However, this Jet guy didn't give up.

"So. I see you're like patrolling this city...after this, would you like to go and have a cup of tea or something at my home?"

Despite herself, she whipped around to stare at him, so utterly shocked that she couldn't make any sound out of her throat. He shrugged, seeing her astonished expression.

"Well, you know. Get to know each other, so on and so forth. Besides, I'd like to meet your friends, too. Quite a bit of a loner here."
"But...but my friends are waiting."
"Call them that you're gonna be late."
"Look-"
"Please?"

She sighed, looking away. She didn't quite know what to do; should she just ignore him, abandon him and go back to T-Tower? But then, she was sure that this guy would follow her, never giving up.
Then should she go with him? No, definitely not. Can't be, no, no...
...But then, he might leave her in peace after she did what he wanted to do.

She shrugged, taking out the communicator. As soon as she opened it, Star Fire's voice came through it;

"RAVEN-! My friend, why are you so late at coming back to our home? Oh, I was so worried, Raven-"
"All right, Star Fire. Look, tell the others that I am going to be late because of an...annoying stalker."
"Would you be all right? Are you sure you don't need my help?"
"No, it'll be fine. Don't worry, Star Fire. I'll go back as soon as I can."

Star Fire's face on the monitor still looked worried, but she simply closed it and put it away. Jet, looking at her with funny expression, asked;

"Annoying stalker, huh?"
"Couldn't think of any other things to say."

This time, it was he who sighed-before he dragged her to a particular building, holding her hand tightly.


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Hey guys, I'm Death's lash, and I'm new here. Nice to meet you guys!

Comments are very welcome:D

[Matt A]

Nice to meet you too.:anime:

Well, this looks like a promising opening. Perhaps a bit brief, but then again, how much description do you really need? In the same way, it kinda feels like Jet gave away too much information too fast too early on, but that also seems kinda in keeping with what we've seen of his personality thus far: cheerful and anxious to make friends in this new place. Though how he'll take to the real Raven will be interesting to see...especially how she regards him as just an "annoying stalker". Very in-character for her (though maybe you should've had her refuse a bit more openly before giving in, but that doesn't matter).

Like I said, this looks promising. The only thing you need to make sure of is that Jet doesn't turn into a Mary Sue: give him some flaws, make sure people take a while to gel with him, that kind of thing. I don't necessarily see that happening, but it's something to keep in mind.;)

Besides, a story that references Dante is worth keeping an eye on.;) :anime:

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Seems pretty interesting so far.

I pretty much agree with all of Matt A.'s points. Just the standard things to watch out for.

I just wonder why the heck this Jet guy seems so cheerful after this "accident".

And I think Raven gave in a bit too easily.

Besides that though, it's a very good start and I wonder where you're going to go with this.

Nice job. Keep it up!

[Death_lash]

The Inferno, Chapter 02.


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Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Coffee?"
"No."
"Good, I don't drink coffee either. Coke?"
"No."
"Beer?"
"No."
"Harsh. How ‘bout black tea?"
"Herbal tea, if you have some."
"Nah. Green tea or black tea only, ma’am."
"Green tea, then."

Jet grinned, putting a kettle on the stove. Then he took out a can of beer from the fridge, casually taking a sip.

"So...tell me. Who's this girl named 'Star' the one who you informed me as an 'annoying stalker'?"
"She's my...friend."
"Uh huh, thought so. Is she pretty?"

She merely cocked an eyebrow, but nodded after a moment.

"How about you?"
"I don't really get you."
"Are you pretty? I mean, you know. You're like covering your entire face with that hood."

Finding the question not worthy to answer, she ignored him, looking away. He sighed.

"Okay. Forget it. Do you have any other friends?"
"There're Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg. All boys."
"Cyborg, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Is he a cyborg?"
"Yes, as you can easily guess."

Jet merely grinned sheepishly at that.

"I think I've heard of Robin before. Something connected with Batman."
"I'm not really sure about that."
"Okay. Hey, you've said there're three boys and two girls including yourself. Any other girls?"
"...Well...there was..."

She left her words trailing off, looking away again, thinking of Terra. She didn’t have to tell him about her friend who deserted them so soon, so she decided not to answer. He got the message straight away.

"If you don't want to answer it, then that's fine. Well, just thought it was weird, you know. Like, you only having four friends. I had heaps."
"There aren't many heroes, to be honest."
"Aah. So you're one of the Titans, huh?"
"Yes."

She answered, quite surprised that he knew about the Teen Titans, since he was new and all.

"Cool. Wanted to be a hero when I was little. Gave up on that when I found out I was just a plain normal person."
"Well, since you can fly, maybe you can join us now."

She instantly regretted saying that, thinking he would be acting like 'Hey, that's cool man! So, can I go and join you guys now?', perhaps dragging her to the T-Tower so she can introduce him to the others.
But surprisingly, he didn't.

Instead, he simply grinned, this time his grin looking somewhat empty and sad.

"Nah. ...I'm not good enough to be a hero."

To her surprise, she felt greatly relieved, yet confused at his reaction. So far, he looked like a guy who was easygoing, cheerful, casual, perhaps carefree, a bit like Beast Boy who grew up to be six feet tall, dyed his hair to orange and with normal skin. He acted and talked as if he never experienced any tragedy. Or was it just acting? Like Beast Boy, who always tries to lift up the mood of his fellow team mates whenever bad things happen, even though he himself is hurt? When she snapped out of her thoughts, she found themselves in awkward silence. Jet didn’t start talking, which was astonishing for her, but it was clear that he didn’t want to start any conversation first.
So she changed the subject.
Desperately trying to find anything to ask-half wondering why on earth was she doing it-then, following his example, she asked:

"Well. Do you have any friends?"

He looked taken aback at her question.

"No. No. Not in this city, I mean."
"Then what about where you used to live?"
"No...not anymore. I guess."

He gave her that sad smile again.

"What do you mean?"

She couldn't help asking, though she felt as if she was being a bit too nosy, a bit out of herself. Oh, what the heck, she thought, rolling her eyes inside her mind; he was being nosy, too, so why not me? Jet shrugged, and took another sip of beer.

"They're…well, you know. Split up, broke up, had some fights, stuff like that. Just the usual thing friends always go through. No biggie. Yeah."
"...Okay."

Large hissing sounds interrupted their conversation. When Raven, surprised, looked up, Jet hurried over to the stove and came back again with the kettle in his hand. She hadn’t noticed it was boiling, and she didn’t think he had, either. He poured hot water into her cup, and handed her a few green tea leaves.

"After I finish this, I'll have to take off. My friends..."
"Sure. I can fly you there."
"No, I can fly, too, you know-"
"Trust me, Rae."

He grinned, looking at annoyed Raven.

"I'll be faster than you. Way faster."


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And yes, indeed he was. For a brief moment they were flying, she had tightly shut her eyes and clung to his shirt, desperate not to let it go. She just had enough consciousness to control herself from whining.
It was just too fast.

"C'mon. 'Tis your home, Rae."

She opened her eyes slowly, then got down on her feet with Jet's help. She felt dizzy, her legs were visibly shaking-after recovering from shock of the flight, she blushed of embarrassment, and covered them with her cloak. Jet laughed, and she felt a thud on her back twice. He was patting her.

"It's okay, you know. You'll get used to it later. Once you do, it’s really fun."

Yeh, like I'll see you ever again, she thought, gritting her teeth while the other Titans rushed out to welcome their long lost friend.

"Raven! Are you okay?"

Star Fire was first to come and check every part of her arms, her legs, her face, making Raven feel pretty annoyed. But she knew Star Fire was doing it for good, so she just let it be. Meanwhile, the boys, who were examining Jet with curious and suspicious looks, made remarks such as;

"Looks more like your boyfriend than a stalker, Raven."
"Yeh. I thought it'd be somebody like wrinkled and stuff you know, when you said stalker."
"Hey, nice to meet you, Raven's lover."
"...He is NOT my boyfriend."

She answered coolly, her clenched fists shaking with anger. God, boyfriend? Him? JET?!

"Okay, okay, Raven. But don't be so shy, you know."
"Raven, is this young male really your boyfriend?"

...Star Fire. Not you, too.

"HE IS NOT!"

She finally lost it; she shrieked at them, stormed into the Tower, and shot a last warning look behind her just before she was going in. All the other Titans were looking at her with eyes that were half-shocked and half-apologizing, but Jet, he was smiling at her, his smile friendly and bright.

She frowned, stomped inside then slammed the door behind her.


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[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 03.


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Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Okay…I guess I’d better get going. It was nice to meet you guys. Sorry. Bye."

After suffering some fatal hugs from Star Fire and mind numbing questions-which were mostly about him and Raven’s relationship which didn’t really exist- from the boys, Jet took off with ‘one more hug-slash-question and I’ll go all nuts’ written all over his face. Robin, suddenly back to his normal state of serious and responsible leader, began to shout out some questions that really mattered when Jet cut him off.

"Wait! We don’t even know your name. Who are you…"
"Maybe later. See ya."

Then, with a mighty whoosh of wind, he was nowhere to be seen.


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When the Titans came back to their operation centre discussing about Jet, Raven was on the sofa reading. Beast Boy, with a glint in his eyes, got over there by her in a fraction of second to ask;

"Okay, who was that guy? Raven, mind explaining a few things to us?"
"To be honest, Beast Boy, I only met him today. All I know about him is that his name is Jet, he wants to make some friends and he’s a cyborg who can fly."
"I wonder if he’s got any other power. According to my scanner, he was an aerial soldier type of cyborg…thus being able to fly. Fast, too."
"Em, duh, Cy, we could all see that."
"Yeah, and I bet you can see that if you don’t shut up soon, I’m gonna kick your butt."

Efficiently shutting Beast Boy up, Cyborg frowned as he looked at the long trail of smoke Jet had left behind.

"I wonder…"


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"Boy, those guys. Almost got me going crazy."

Jet muttered under his breath, still trying to get his mind back on track. The questions, varying from ‘how did you meet her?’ to ‘are you planning on marrying her?’ which obviously came from Star Fire and was answered with angry grunts at not only from him but the fellow Titans, were truly making him go nuts. He needed a break. Seriously. Landing on a nearby roof top, he slumped down on the cool concrete floor and sighed.

"Maybe I shouldn’t have messed with them. After all, I’m…"

That was when the whole building shook, cutting his words off. Oh man, can’t a poor tired cyborg get a rest in peace for just five minutes? Am I asking too much? Extremely annoyed and righteously furious, he stomped over to the edge of the roof top.

And what he saw there didn’t exactly cheer him up.

"Oh boy."

He breathed as he saw three girls, each dressed in identical costumes, were seen laughing like maniacs and destroying the building. One’s hair and garments were blue; the others each red and green. Jet sighed again, but this time of pure annoyance rather than exhaustion.

"Look who’s here. The Elemental Sisters."

With a soft groan out of irritation, he took off only to land directly below, where the girls were standing.


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The Titans other than Robin and Raven were still talking about Jet and Raven’s so called ‘relationship’-making Raven extremely annoyed- when red lights began to flash all around the Tower. Robin, who quickly went over to the computer, turned around and yelled;

"Titans, trouble!"

With one last eager swing of their impatience leader’s arm, the Titans leaped through the door to the city.


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"Okay, Robin. Tell us where the trouble is."
"I don’t think we’ll need it, Raven. Just look at the smoke. Don’t you think it’s easy enough to track down?"

Raven didn’t reply at Beast Boy’s comment, only rolled her eyes. When they did arrive where the smoke was and got ready for battle, they found not only the criminals but another person, or rather a cyborg, fighting off the troublemakers. With a small gasp out of surprise, they all hid in a narrow corner, making sure Jet didn’t notice them. Beast Boy asked while with an eyebrow cocked;

"Isn’t it that Jet guy?"
"When he said ‘see you’ I didn’t think it meant this soon."
"Looks like you’ve got your question answered, Cyborg."

He only observed the scene, not answering Robin’s words. The Titans leader didn’t seem to mind, though. He, too, joined his team mate and watched closely as Jet threw the blue haired girl at her green haired twin sister. Both fell, unconscious as the last one leaped at him with a furious yell.

"He’s putting up quite a fight. Even though his opponents are girls. No offence to my team mates. But then he’s out numbered by three to one."
"Yeah, but I don’t really get it. His technology, his engine, it’s as good as that tiny butt Gizmo’s one. Maybe even better. But who equips a cyborg with engines only and not a defensive system to go with it? I mean, he’s good at hand-to-hand combat, sure. But he’s bound to have something else. Like me having my sonic cannon. He still has something hidden. I’m sure of that."
"Well, we’re about to find out."

Cyborg nodded at Raven’s comment. Meanwhile Jet, completely unaware of the fact that he was being watched by five super heroes, twisted the red haired twin’s arm when she struck him with the other. It was covered in red flame. Jet groaned in pain, released her and retreated a few metres. They both stood there, glaring at each other when the flame-surrounded girl first spoke out.

"So, Jet. I guess you’re continuing with your job outside the Hell, huh."
"Yeah, Fransar. And I see you’re continuing with yours. Being a nuisance. Don’t you and your sisters ever get tired of that?"
"Never. There’s nothing I enjoy more than roasting you, to be honest."

She shot out a jet of flame at her opponent, who missed it by an inch.

"I’m actually quite surprised to see you again, Jet. Here in Jump City."
"Same. I’m kinda shocked to see you out of the Hell, Fransar. How did you manage that? Did Jonathan let you go on purpose to annoy me? He’s made a perfect choice, then. You’re doing a good job."
"Now now, if I were you, I would be careful at saying the name, Jettie. Who knows, when the beloved Executioner sees you, I bet he’s going to chop you into pieces."
"Isn’t it such a lovely description by such a lovely lady. Thanks a lot for the warning. That sure did cheer me up. Now go, be a good girl and take care of your sisters or I’ll have to give you the blast of your life time."

The Titans narrowed their eyes at this.

"Okay. Not only they seem to know each other, I say they are the worst enemies in the world to each other. Just listen to what they’re saying, dude, those sarcastic menace evil tones of…and I thought Raven was bad enough."

The officially chosen ‘sarcastic one’ merely rolled her eyes at the green joker.

"The ‘blast’, eh. I think we’re about to find out what our lil’ Rae’s boyfriend is capable of, guys."
"For the last time, he is NOT my boyfriend."
"He seems like a whole new different person. When we saw him at the Tower with Raven, he looked like someone new who would very welcome our company. He looked like a nice person. But now, all I can see from him is…rage."

Raven, glancing back at Star Fire, considered her words for a second. Perhaps she was right. No, not perhaps. She was right. She watched Jet closely. There was no sign of smile on his face now…it was emotionless, impassive. His movements, too. They were almost automatic. Not wasting his energy. Efficient. Then she turned her focus to Fransar. It looked like she chose to ignore Jet’s suggestion, apparently; she was shooting off fire balls at practically everywhere. Jet, dodging every one of them swiftly, tackled her with full speed, causing her to fall off her feet then punched her in the solar plexus.

"Sorry about that. There’ll be a bruise on there for at least one week. But no need to worry, Fransar. You won’t feel a thing after a few seconds."

He laid the groaning flame-controller carefully on top of her sisters, and then quickly beckoned a few feet.

"You’re not the Guard any more. You can’t punish us. You’re a Runaway, like us. You’re not the Guard. You are…"

Jet’s eyes narrowed a bit at Fransar’s words, who was talking in a voice choked and dry. He smiled casually, closed his eyes for a second then opened them. When he did, there was a hint of bloodlust inside them.

"Then what do you think I am?"
"A…traitor."

She finished her sentence with a cruel grin playing on her lips. Jet froze momentarily, glaring at her with eyes only full of hatred. With a fierce yell, he swung and pointed his right arm at her and her sisters, from which a bright gold energy ball of a size about volley ball shot out. She was ready. She shot out her orange-glowing hand to block it, which caused a wall of flame to instantly form around her to protect its master. But it wasn’t strong enough-the energy ball just ripped the flame apart. Her eyes wide, Fransar’s mouth fell open to let out a last scream.

Too late.

The golden light struck her before she could let out a single sound.


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[Starrysky]

Wow, it's getting very interesting. The descriptions are very well done. Jet's character is pretty well developed, but Raven does seem to be tilting a little uncharacteristically. I'm getting curious with this golden power thing. I loved it and I can't wait for more!

[Death_lash]

Thanks, Starrysky and Matt A! I'll try to keep Raven in her character, but it's getting kind of hard. Then I'm afraid Robin might be too 'cold' in latter chapters. Then I'm afraid this time it'll be Raven who'll be too cold then too soft...okay, I gotta watch the whole TT episodes and learn from it.

Thanks for the comments anyway, I really did appreciate it:D I do hope I can do a job good enough.



...And please do forgive me if my grammars or vocab isn't correct-English isn't my first language.

[Matt A]

To be honest, the English is fine. Don't worry about it.

You know, this story could've just been yet another "fan-created character joins the Titans" thing - the kind of fan-fiction that gives fan-fiction a bad name - but on the basis of these three chapters, I'd say it's quite a bit more than that. Jet already seems to be a well-rounded character, with his relaxed cheerfulness more of a mask for the anger and sadness and modesty befitting a teenager: he's tougher than your average, as a Titans character needs to be, but he also feels very human. Raven, often a mis-judged character in fan-fics, also feels pretty on-key here, doing the logical thing of questioning her more uncharacteristic actions (and if that made sense...). These are both areas I've had trouble with in the past - and even now - so I give you kudos for that.:anime:

Like I said before, this looks promising. Not least because of the mythology you've just started to throw in...;)

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 04.


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Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


The Titans stood there, dumbstruck, gaping at the sight they were seeing. But they didn’t have much time for this. Almost simultaneously, when the ball hit the three victims, blinding light accompanied by large explosion came through. When they were finally gone, the Titans were thrown away by huge shock wave. Beast Boy, who maintained his place by turning into a hippo, stared at Jet standing exactly where he was before motionlessly.

"Dude. Just look at that."

His fellow team mates, who recovered from the shock one by one, looked at where Beast Boy was pointing. After a few seconds taken to absorb the sight they were seeing, they all breathed either an exclamation full of shock, horror or both.

In front of them, where there used to be a big street with lots of traffic and shops, were now a smoking big hole of radius about four metres. It looked as if a bomb had hit it, and Fransar and her sisters’ sign was nowhere to be seen.

"No way."
"Whoa."
"That’s…simply…"
"…dangerous. Come on! We have to get him."

It was Robin who finished Star Fire’s sentence, running out to where this new comer was standing. Jet sensed the danger at the last moment. He turned around with an astonished expression, saw the Titans’ leader charging at him at full speed then took off instantly. In a fraction of a second, he was nothing but a tiny spec on the blue sky.

"Raven."

With an understanding nod at Robin, she, too, took off, followed by Star Fire and hawk-form Beast Boy.


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"Okay, this can only be the worst day of my life."

Jet muttered under his breath as he tilted right, drawing a huge circle of smoke. He couldn’t believe he acted so stupidly and carelessly. No, he couldn’t believe he went down there to fight the Elemental Sisters in the first place. Why did he do it? He had no reason to. Now, because he acted so clumsily the Titans know what kind of weapon he was, no doubt arresting him. He was hoping to get to be friends with them, not to be some other criminal. He gave a nervous glance at the three Titans who were chasing him, but thanks to his super-fast engines they weren’t any closer to him than they were ten minutes ago-perhaps even further. He sighed with relief, thinking he might be able to lose them when a huge bird claw made of dark energy surrounded him and tightened its grip.

"…What the…?."

He winced when he heard a loud crack on his arm.

"You’re coming with us. We’re sorry, but you don’t have any choice."
"Great. Look, Raven, for old time’s sake, any chance of you just letting me go? All I ever did was fighting those annoying little girlies and save you guys the trouble. Besides, you do owe me a cup of tea."
"You destroyed the city. You have great power, which can be dangerous to us. And it was you who invited me to your little tea party. Sorry, no can do. You have to come with us."

Raven shot a last warning look at him as she surrounded his legs with her power.

"And don’t try to run away, Jet, or I’ll have to take your engines apart. Literally."
"…I promise I wouldn’t, ma’am."

He answered with a single drop of sweat on back of his head.


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"Sorry for our welcoming ceremony. But, well, you know. We had no choice, with you shooting off like that."
"Yeah, it’s okay, it’s cool. So could you please release me from this thing, Raven, please?"

Raven released him reluctantly. Jet sighed of relief, then massaged his arms for a brief moment. It wasn’t long before Cyborg began the questions.

"So, little lovebird of Raven. Tell us why you’ve done it."
"Done what? No. Wait, whose lovebird?!"
"Fighting whoever those three girls were, destroying half the downtown for finishing touch. Any of this rings a bell?"

Jet looked around at the Titans, all demanding answer. He sighed, exhausted, annoyed perhaps, then gave a few short answers.

"Okay. Why I’ve done it? Because it’s my job, and because I know her. Most importantly, Fransar was annoying me."
"That doesn’t mean you can just go kill them."
"Er…I didn’t really mean to…okay, maybe I did. But really, if I knew you guys were there, I wouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you guys by accident…so, can I go now?"

Three different scowls from Robin, Cyborg and Raven were enough for answer. Jet sighed again, this time a bit more heavily, clearly giving up on the thought of going back to his home without giving away anything they wanted. He glanced up at the towering Titans with tired eyes.

"Right. Let’s get on with the point. What do you want from me?"
"We want to get a full background information about you, and those three girls you have…killed. And what you meant by ‘your job’ was killing the girls. Then we want you to go and have a full test with Cyborg."

He let out a moan at Robin’s commands. Rolling his eyes, he sprawled over the couch, thinking about where to start. Finally he sat up again.

"Okay, the background story. I’m Jet. I’m from a place called the Hell. Actually I was born in New York, was a leader of a street gang, with two of my best pals and one girl pal. We lived in peace, then boom; we had a major vehicle accident. It was me and another pal named Jonathan who was injured worst. I was driving, and Jonathan was sitting on the front seat. The other two in the back seat, the other pal of mine, Sam, and his girlfriend who is a friend of mine-now that’s what you call ‘lovebirds’, not some innocent kids like me and Raven who don’t even go out- I doubt they even got a broken limb. Well anyway, we must have been lying there unconscious when those crazy scientist psychos came picking us up.

"When I woke up, they were all up and ready to turn me into a cyborg. All they needed was my permission. Yeah, like they weren’t going to turn me into a cyborg if I did object the idea. They smiled ever-so-sweetly at me, even offered a candy, which I gladly took, then asked me this. Do you want to be a cyborg, or lose your legs forever? I guess I injured my legs pretty badly at the accident. Well, owing a candy to those crazed maniacs, I said okey dokey, turn me into a cyborg or whatever, that’ll be cool, and, well, they did. That’s how I got my engine and these cannons. Apparently they didn’t do any mutating thing to my two friends that weren’t injured, but they did mutate Jonathan pretty much. If you guys don’t mind, I don’t want to talk about it.

"That was the Hell. And boy, is there any more matching name than that. I’m not sure exactly where it is located, but it’s pretty close to this city. It’s hidden deep inside the woods, and if you don’t know that existed, you wouldn’t find it. It’s a hell, literally. You guys wouldn’t believe it even if I did tell you. You asked me what I meant by my job? Well, there are three important rolls played by mutants, or as we call them, the Demons in the Hell. The Guard, the Executioner and the Watcher. I suppose you can guess what their responsibilities are from the names. I was the Guard. Jonathan was the Executioner, and Sam was the Watcher. Being the Guard, I had to make sure none of the Demons got away, but I think those higher ones in the Hell did want some of them to run away. That’s what I think, anyway. Well, the Guard’s job was to make sure none got away, and hunt them down if they did. Kill, if necessary. If they were out of the Hell’s boundary, well, then it’s up to guys like you. The heroes.

"The thing is, in the Hell, the best way to get rid of your opponent or troublemakers were to kill them. Sometimes those Runaways would fight back pretty harshly, and I would have no choice but to kill them. Do that for three years, and you’ll soon find yourself blasting people off and not even thinking about it. I guess I was just so used to it that I forgot I wasn’t in the Hell anymore. Sorry.

"You asked about Fransar and her sisters, right? Well, they were pretty good kids. Never made any trouble, except trying to break out of the Hell with some crazy plans. They once tried to burn the whole place down. Other than that, they were pretty nice, yeah. But they turned into total losers a few months before I ran away. They’re not really special. Just three out of few thousands. Now that I’m gone, there’re gonna be a lot more coming into this city. Don’t stress too much about the Elemental Sisters. They’re gone. You should be more worried about who will come next."

The Titans’ expression became grim at this, and Beast Boy cocked an eyebrow at this.

"The Elemental Sisters?"
"Yeah. Stupid, I know. They chose the name. Fransar could control fire. That blue haired girl, whatever her name is, could control water. Green hair could control air. There was one who could control land, but she died. A failure."
"I suppose she had blond hair, huh."
"You bet. But we never really saw her. Sorry again. Well, anyway, as I was saying, the Elemental Sisters are gone. Don’t worry about them. Okay, that’s my background story. Now, what was the next thing?"
"You’re coming with me to have a full system scan. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt a bit. He’s just interested."

Jet gulped as he looked up nervously at the half-machine Titan cracking knuckles eerily.

"I’m…looking forward to that."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Hope you guys have enjoyed this...it's the fourth chappie, and so far I've got til Chappie 7. Gotta write some more before I forget all the stories*sighs*

Thanks to Matt A and Starrysky again-I love you guys!:D And Matt A, I really thank you for your wonderful complements.(beginning to talk like Star Fire here) I really do hope I could keep up...

Thanks again to everybody who's read this, and comments are VERY welcome!:D

[Matt A]

Well, this is interesting. We already got the impression that Jet wasn't a clean-cut heroic type, but having him be a killer was a bit of a surprise for me: even for fan-fics, this is looking like original territory. Not least because The Hell sounds like such a deliciously demented place: a ready-made loony factory, if you like. I get the feeling we'll be seeing plenty more trouble coming out of there...:anime:

One criticism, though: it was good that the Titans didn't immediately warm to this new-look Jet, but a group of heroes should've objected a bit more strongly to having a murderer in their midst. There should've been more of a face-off, at the very least. Still, we got the point with what we got, so I suppose it doesn't matter.:shrug:

Oh, and I noted the following line:

There was one who could control land, but she died. A failure."
"I suppose she had blond hair, huh."
"You bet. But we never really saw her.
Were you trying to hint at something, perchance?;)

As you seem to doubt, I reckon you can keep this up.;) :anime:

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Yeah, the whole killer thing was interesting...I'd definately like to learn what kind of morals he has.

I think the Titans would have been a bit more stand-offish with the murderer thing, but that little detail's not too important.

I'm very curious to see how the other demons were mutated power-wise. Endless possibilities there.

I'd also like some glimpses into the mutants psyche. Being in Hell has got to twist your mental stability just a little bit...:evil:

Are you implying something with the blond-haired earth elemental? :D Very nice way to do it if you are.

So far, it's very nice with descriptions, the plotline is very original, and it hold my interest very well. I love it and I can't wait for more! :anime:

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 05.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"My cannons are located inside my body. More specifically, my arms. You see these holes on my palms? Whenever I want to, small metal pipe thing will pop out of here, and from there the energy ball is generated."
"Can you show me?"
"Sure."

Cyborg closely examined Jet’s cannon, then noted down a few things. Then he asked;

"Your power is far too dangerous. Can you control the intensity of your energy ball?"
"Nah."
"Would you like to have some control over it? I can make you one."
"Yeah. That’ll be cool."

Cyborg typed in some codes on his computer, and turned around to face Jet who was sitting on the bed. He was looking around at the medical room with great curiosity. The big Titan sighed, then put a hand on his fellow cyborg’s shoulder to get his attention.

"I’ll have to make a blue print first. Of you, and of the controller. If we get on with it tomorrow, it should be finished by end of this week."
"Cool. Thanks a lot."
"Don’t mention it."

Cyborg grinned and touched fists with Jet. Jet, sighing, threw himself over the bed, and glanced up at the Titan.

"Full body scan, being questioned as if I’m a big criminal…though I must admit destroying the city was bad…this wasn’t exactly the way I thought of as the first day of meeting the Teen Titans."
"Have you heard of us in that place?…The Hell?"
"Not really. We’re really out of touch with outer words in the Hell. But I’ve heard of you guys when I was moving around, you know. Gotham city and stuff. Well, most of all, I heard a lot about you guys when I moved here. Wanted to meet you guys someday."
"Hmm. Is that why you invited Raven to have tea with you today?"
"Nah. I didn’t really know she was a Titan, but I guessed anybody wearing a cloak and flying must be some kind of a super hero or a villain. So I just decided to go talk to her. No biggie."
"What do you think of her, eh?"
"…I don’t like that look on your face, man. Well, at first, I thought that she’s just cool, nice but a bit cold and stuff, you know."
"Now?"
"I decided that she’s a merciless ruthless little evil girl when she threatened to take my engines apart literally."

Cyborg laughed heartedly at this, and Jet grinned, too. They stood up then walked over to the operation centre together.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


When they got out of the medical room, the sky was already dark-many hours had passed since Jet walked into the medical room with Cyborg. The Titans still looked pretty grim and serious when the two walked into the operation centre.

"Em…what’s…up…? Look, sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. I wish you guys would understand that I never meant any of this, and I only want to be friends with you. So…"

None answered to his words. Uneasy, Jet looked around at them, then gave Cyborg a ‘please-help-me-out’ look. He gave Jet am assuring grin and a pat in return.

"All done, guys. We’re gonna put a controller over his cannon, and then he wouldn’t destroy any public property again. Right, Jet?"
"Yes sir."

Smile slowly broke into Beast Boy and Star Fire’s faces. Robin, still looking a bit suspicious, glanced over at Cyborg to hint they still needed to talk about this new comer. Raven just went back to reading her book.
As soon as the mood was brightened, Jet was soon attacked by Star Fire and Beast Boy.

"Dude, wanna stay for dinner?"
"Yes, that will be glamorous! Please, Jet, do accept our invitation!"
"Okay…if the others don’t mind."

Cyborg gave him a thumbs-up with broad grin, and Robin managed a smile. Now all five pairs of eyes were locked on Raven, who didn’t even raise her head from her book. After a few minutes, however, it seemed even she couldn’t ignore it any longer; she looked up, gave a short nod, then looked down again. Before Jet could let out a word of gratitude, Star Fire jumped right in front of him and shouted out the same questions she asked to Terra long time ago.

"I am very curious about you. Please. Where do you come from; how did you get here; what is your favourite colour, and do you wish to be my friend?"

He looked back at her blankly for a moment, lost for words. Star Fire, waiting for his answer eagerly, leaned in closer and closer with light shining in her eyes. Finally, after arranging the questions inside his head, and his back was about parallel with the floor, Jet answered;

"I’m from New York, and the Hell, I got here by my engines, my personal favourite colour is orange, green, navy blue and black. Grey’s cool too. And do I want to be your friend? Heck, are you kidding? Of course I do."
"Glorious! Let me prepare a Tamaranean feast for you, dear new friend!"
"NO!"

Jet, who was about to smile and agree without any idea what was Tamaranean feast, startled and turned around to face the other Titans who just let out a chorus of protest. He glanced back at Star Fire, who looked hurt, grinned awkwardly and said;

"Come on, guys. I mean, how bad can it be? I’m sure it’s just like some French or Chinese food. Just a little different."

Nobody replied. Now extremely nervous, Jet gulped and asked once more.

"…Right?"

It was Beast Boy who stood up to offer Jet something else, although Jet noticed the ‘voice of experienced’ didn’t answer his question.

"Okay. You’re the guest here, so you get to choose the menu. Here it is. A, tofu, or B, Star’s Tamaranean food. Which one would you prefer?"

Jet thought hard, tapping his chin with a finger.

"Tough choices. Toe food or a weird country’s food which I’ve never heard of before. I guess you guys are way weirder than I thought you guys would be."

A throbbing vein popped out of Beast Boy’s forehead.

"DUDE! TOFU is so not TOE FOOD!"
"Huh? They sound the same."
"Tofu is a vegetarian food used as a substitute for meat. They are made of beans. If you choose that, you’d get soy bean milk for drink, tofu waffle or tofu dog for dinner and tofu ice cream for dessert."

Jet was clearly unimpressed by Raven’s explanation, or Cyborg’s disgusted face. Unnerved, he looked around at Star Fire.

"Does your food have any meat in it?"
"Most certainly!"
"Great. I’m going with Star."

He seemed to instantly regret his choice when he saw not only Cyborg but all other Titans-that is, excluding Star Fire-groaned of displeasure. However Star Fire, unaware of that fact, leaped of joy then began to claw through those stuffs that are best unknown left in the fridge.
Jet, afraid beyond himself, watched her for a few minutes when Cyborg tapped his shoulder, and gave his final words.

"We’re so doomed."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 06.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Er, Cyborg?"
"Yeah?"
"Would sorry be enough?"

Cyborg, being understanding and sympathetic, gave Jet a long pitying look before he answered.

"No."

They were sitting in front of the table along with other Titans, with various steaming hot Tamaranean food laid in front of them. Jet, the one-to-be-blamed, sat there holding his knife and fork, his eyes bewildered at the consequence of his choice. A quick glance around the table showed the Titans just as equally gloomy as Cyborg. Nobody didn’t even do so much as touching their plates. Star Fire, curious, walked around here and there to make sure her friends were fine. They were fine all right, except the Tamaranean feast which lied in front of them hissing threateningly.

"Okay, here we go."

Jet, his hands visibly shaking, dared to put some of Star Fire’s homemade glorg on his plate, those grey jelly pudding like things with grey wormlike things in it. With the other four Titans watching with great worries, and Star Fire filled with great anticipation, he took a forkful and swallowed it.

"…Emm…this is actually okay."

The cook let out a gasp of joy, while the others stared at him disbelievingly. In an instance he wolfed down the entire plate, then reached out for some other weird-looking food with claws, shells and tentacles all around it. After wasting a few minutes trying to open whatever-that-is with knife and folk putting all strength he’s got, Jet looked up at Star Fire, requiring help. With an angelic smile, the beautiful Tamaranean ripped it open with bare hands without so much as a groan.

"Looks aren’t everything."

Beast Boy chuckled at Jet’s astonished expression. Shuddering at this newly found threat, the guest slowly dropped the brown slimy content of that ‘thing’ into his mouth. In an instant, he was clutching his neck and rolling over the floor, his face blue, making choking sounds. Since then, he didn’t dare touch anything on the table.

After they were done either eating the food or being scared by them, Cyborg looked over at Jet and gave a challenge.

"So, Jet. What do you say about a cyborg-versus-cyborg video game match?"
"Dude, that’ll be fun! I’ll be the referee."
"Nah, sorry guys. It’s a bit late, and I wanna go back home. I think I said this a few hours ago."
"Why don’t you stay for this night? It’ll be fun. I promise."

Jet seemed to consider this offer very carefully. Then, with the most regretful expression one could make, he turned it down.

"Sorry. But I got my own place, and I don’t wanna be a burden. Besides, it seems like you guys are still…er…dunno, kinda wary at me for you-know-what."
"NO! That is certainly not most true! Please, new friend, if you really did feel that way, I assure you that we did not feel wary or uncomfortable at having you around!"
"Yeah, dude, where did you get that idea?"
"Man, I can’t believe you guys thought of us as some jerks who prejudge people by their first impression!"

Jet’s eyes lingered on the two Titans who hadn’t spoken out. Sighing, he shook his head, then stepped outside to the corridor.

"I’ll come back tomorrow. We can have the video game match, Cy. Deal?"
"Deal."

His usual bright, friendly smile was the last thing they saw as the door closed behind him.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"I just hope all this wouldn’t go to fat."

Jet muttered as he chewed on the cheese burger he bought on the way. He was terribly starving, and he was afraid that if he did stay at the Titans Tower, he might starve to death. Whatever that toe food or tofu was, it didn’t really sound much better than Star Fire’s ‘things’, and Beast Boy was so certain he would cook breakfast the next day. He had to escape for the sake of his life.
Taking a large gulp of soda, Jet began to walk up the stairs. He would’ve liked to use his engines, since his flat was on the fifth floor, but he didn’t want to get too suspicious. Heck, whatever, he thought as he threw away the paper cup. I already blew my cover today.

He finished his chips and the last bit of his burger when he arrived at his floor. Without thinking too much about what he was doing, he crumbled the paper back and threw it behind his back, forgetting all about etiquette. Then he reached deep inside his pocket for his key.

"Come on, come on…oh, there you are."

Placing the small silver key inside the key hole, he turned it to right to open the door…when the whole thing fell on him.

"What the…?!"

He quickly beckoned a few feet, shielding himself with arms. After the dust cleared up, he stepped over the completely wrecked door and got inside.

"…oh man…"

He groaned softly as he looked around his place. Nearly everything was broken or ripped apart. His clothes, CDs, TV, cups…everything. The only thing that was fine was a small, simple picture frame with a photo in it. His face grim, he looked at it for a moment, then picked it up.

"I really did make a stupid mistake today."

It was no burglary. He knew that. It was rather a warning, a sign that was deliberately left there to show they were after him, and very close. All because he used his cannon that day, clearly indicating where he was. His hands visibly shaking, he packed up a few things, then left the place without even looking back. The picture frame was still in his hands.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Robin yawned as he reached the door. After Jet headed back home, the Titans went to bed, too. They were all tired beyond imagination due to suffering from Star Fire’s ‘feast’, and Star Fire herself looked exhausted, too. And then, when it felt like in the middle of the night, a visitor came ringing the doorbell. Better be something good. Maybe they should be glad it wasn’t a trouble, for no trouble would come to them ringing the doorbell.

"Yes?…Jet?"

It was shocking enough to take away Robin’s tiredness, and his team mates’ too. The other Titans, who came after him all groaning, stood there shocked too. The guest grinned sheepishly at their expression.

"I…guess I changed my mind."
"What’s that back pack?"
"I…okay, I’ll be honest with you guys. My place got trashed. Some kind of burglary, I guess. I needed somewhere to stay, but I didn’t know anywhere else I could go to except here. Well, if you guys don’t want me to, then I guess I can go and find some other flat…"

Cyborg cut him off before he could finish.

"It’s late, man. Come inside. You can stay here for a while. We’ve got plenty of rooms."
"Dude, this is so COOL!"
"Indeed! Though I do know we should not be celebrating over your unfortunate events, I can’t help feeling joyful for having a new friend to stay at our home! Glorious!"

Jet, still smiling nervously, got dragged in by the three Titans who were wide awake by now. Robin watched after them making noises and running around, then turned around to face Raven.

"…I don’t really trust this guy. I know I shouldn’t be too harsh on any new comers, but I don’t."
"Me neither. I sensed something wrong. Can’t tell what it is, but…"

The two calm and collected ones of the Teen Titans sighed simultaneously, now wide awake, too, but from a different reasons to their friends. Their minds were clear not of excitement but of worry.

"Let’s just give him a room. Let him rest. We’re having a meeting."

Raven nodded without saying a word, then disappeared.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Here's Chappie 5 and 6. Okay, I'm running out of ready-to-post chappies now. I only have chapter 7 left. Gotta start writing soon.


Thanks at Matt A and Starrysky again:D Well, when I watched Terra and Titan Rising, all the other Titans except Robin and Raven seemed to like Terra instantly.(especially Beast Boy) I guess I got the idea from there.

...Well then., of course, she wasn't a killer. Oops.


The blonde-haired land-controlling Elemental Sister, well, I wouldn't like to spoil my later story by telling you what it is now. It'll be revealed soon-about in Chappie 17 or so-and I'll tell you there:D


Thanks again to those who read this, and thanks again to Matt A and Starrysky for commenting on this.

Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

This is a nice little twist on the Titans-Newcomer thing: Robin and Raven aren't sure about Jet (as we also shouldn't be), and Jet just thinks the Titans are weird. Even with the Terra episodes, the mutual attraction was a little unrealistic, but the slight level of suspicion of all sides makes this scenario a little more believable. But for all that, I get the feeling Jet is bringing even more trouble than he knows...;)

Besides, all this gave you a good excuse for the Tamaranian "feast". Easily the best use of that gag I've ever seen.:anime:

Oh yes, and I dig this exchange:

"What do you think of her, eh?"
"…I don’t like that look on your face, man. Well, at first, I thought that she’s just cool, nice but a bit cold and stuff, you know."
"Now?"
"I decided that she’s a merciless ruthless little evil girl when she threatened to take my engines apart literally."

Not only was that very funny, but it's also nice to see there's a fan-made character that isn't attracted to Raven.;) :anime:

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Once again, those chapters were awesome.

This story is so much more believeable than most of the stories about fan made characters. I like that he can mske stupid mistakes like the rest of humanity, and Robin and Raven distrust was good to put in there.

I really like that use of the apartment trashing as a warning and I'm curious as to what the photograph was a picture of.

The feast was hilarious and so was Jet's description of Raven. I agree with Matt A., it's a nice change to see a new character not be smitten with her on sight.

Very, very nice. I loved it. Keep it up! :D

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 07.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Here. You can stay in this room."
"This is way cooler than my own room! Thanks a lot, guys."

Jet, his mouth stretched into a wide grin, looked around at his new-temporary-room. Its entire wall and ceiling was covered with pictures of golden-orange-red flames, and its floor was covered with soft red carpet. Beast Boy shook his head, Star Fire beamed hugely and Cyborg muttered ‘don’t mention it’, half-blushing, for he was the one who designed this room. Jet threw his few personal belongings on one corner of the room, walked over to the bed-which was also orange-then fell asleep instantly. Robin and Raven, who were watching them closely, pushed the other three Titans into the hallway and closed the door. They were heading to the operation centre.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"We shouldn’t trust this guy too much. We have to be careful with him. He’s new. And we don’t know anything about him yet."

The three Titans who were friendly with this new comer all narrowed eyes at their leader’s brief starting words.

"I think he’s cool, man. He’s an okay guy. Of course we don’t really trust him yet, but I think he’s got the thing inside him."
"Yeah, I agree with Cy. He looks a bit nervous, but then it’s all because of you two birdies being like that to him."
"And I agree with both Cyborg and Beast Boy. We must not forget that Jet is a new friend. I think we should give him a chance to prove who he really is."

They all shouted out protests at once, shaking their heads or fingers, telling the doubters not to be so harsh on the new guy. Robin sighed and held up a hand to stop them.

"I know we shouldn’t be too hard on him, and I know I’m probably wrong. But he has far too dangerous powers, and he’s not afraid to use it. You’ve seen the damage he has done. And that energy ball was just about the size of a volley ball. Think what he can do with a greater size of that energy ball."
"That’s why we’re making a controller over that cannon, Robin, remember? To control the power level? Besides, I think he’s actually a nice guy. He gotta learn to control himself, yeah, but other than that, he’s cool. Once he gets the controller, he’ll never kill anyone every again. I’m sure of it."

Robin couldn’t find anything to say against the Titans’ official mechanic’s point for a moment. So instead, Raven took over.

"What’s the use of a controller if the one who has it doesn’t want to use it? As Robin said, he’s not afraid to use his cannon now, even though he knows the power is far too disastrous and will cause a lot of destruction. We can’t afford him going around blasting off the whole city."
"But he was actually blasting the criminals off. And when he gets a controller, I’m sure he’ll use it so he wouldn’t do any harm to the good guys. Think of how useful his power can be when we’re fighting Cinderblock or Plasmus! One bang, and they’re gone. That’ll be so easy."
"We can’t just go killing the criminals. We’re not murderers. Even if it is for good, we can’t do it. We’re the heroes, remember. We don’t want a killer around here, whether he’s doing it for good or bad. We have to arrest him. Put him in jail."
"And what? Have the criminals killing the citizens instead? Let them be? Throw Jet, who trusts us completely, in jail and say ‘Ta-ta, Jet! Sorry, but we had no choice because you’re a bad bad killer’ then walk away? The countless robots we’ve crushed, if they were humans, we’re as bad as Jet. We’ve crushed them so brutally, and to Jet, those girls or the ‘Demons’ of the Hell might mean the same as the robots to him. Nothing but something to be crushed, something that gets in our way. He’s from a different circumstance from us, and if I lived in that kind of place for a long time, I’m sure the morals and stuff will all be like twisted. Forget about that now anyway. Think of what Jet said today. Those three girls he’d dealt with, they were only the first to come! Three of few thousands! And if all the ones in the Hell are as dangerous as those girls were…"
"Or as dangerous as Jet himself is…"
"We’ll be in great need of Jet’s power, and his knowledge. He did seem to know a lot about those guys in the Hell. We can worry about his problem later. It’s the least of our concerns now. I mean, he seems like a nice guy at least. He’s willing to help us. To be our friends. Unlike the others."
"He’s a murderer."
"We’ll still give him a chance. Everybody deserves a second chance. That was your saying, Robin. You gave her a chance even after she’d betrayed us. We gave you a chance when you were working for Slade. And in both cases, it worked out well. I mean, fairly well…You know what I’m talking about. It’s not Jet’s fault that he had to live in such an environment with such a power."
"Terra was different from Jet! She didn’t kill anybody."
"Jet is only doing it for good. He only needs to learn that this is NOT the Hell anymore. I mean, he wouldn’t have wanted to kill people! As soon as he gets the controller, it’ll be okay."

Robin seemed to be giving up on the thought of convincing the others not to trust this new comer so easily. However Raven wasn’t done yet. She did sense something different from him. Something was wrong. He was lying to them. She just couldn’t quite pick out what it was. As far as she knew, he wasn’t any less dangerous than Terra was when she was the apprentice of Slade, and yet here they were, her three friends, trusting this guy so easily. When are they going to learn the lesson?

"I still think…"
"Raven, you were the first one to meet him between us. You accepted his invitation, for goodness sake! You should know more about him than we do, and you should know that he’s actually an okay guy, not a suspicious criminal-to-be like you think. I know you don’t trust new people easily, but…"
"Sometimes, I think you’re too suspicious at everybody, honestly."

Beast Boy seemed to instantly regret saying it, so Raven decided to ignore his comment with just a warning shot at him even though it hadn’t left her unhurt. Why, and she meant WHY did they always trust a new comer more than her, who was with them for so long time? Jet could be a nice guy, no doubt. Terra was a nice girl, too. But his expression when he killed the girls…the girls, there were nothing left of them after the explosion. It was as if they burnt to crisps as soon as the energy ball hit them. She thought about Fransar’s face right before her death…it was horrifying, so terrible. While she was deep in her thoughts, Star Fire continued to convince her.

"Jet had told us everything about his past, even though he does not know anything about us. This must mean he trusts us. I am sure Jet is safe to trust, Raven."

That was it. His past. Raven tried to remember everything he said, the conversation they had. His past. He mentioned his friends to her, and said they weren’t his friends any more. Then he again mentioned them at the beginning of his background story, about how they had this accident and went to the Hell, but he didn’t tell them why he was all alone now and why didn’t his friends escape with him. Before she could share this newly found piece of information with the others, Robin ended the meeting.

"All I’m saying is, let’s just be careful. We don’t want the same thing as last time to happen. He does seem like a nice guy, but we can’t be sure. That’s all."

They all knew what he meant by ‘the last time’. Terra. Who had earned their trust, betrayed them and later sacrificed herself to save them. And who later appeared again miraculously, but without any memory of her friends. Even Cyborg, Star Fire and Beast Boy seemed to agree with his point. Especially Beast Boy, she thought as she saw the heavily hearted green joker slowly returning to his room. Especially him.

Terra.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Jet sighed heavily as he headed back to his room before the others could find out he was listening to every word they were saying. He could understand why they were being suspicious at him, and he knew if he was in Robin’s position he would have doubts about this new comer too. He was a killer, for goodness sake, and he had killed a lot of people either as a street gang or the Guard of the Hell. And he wouldn’t stay here for long, anyway, so he shouldn’t care about it. He didn’t trust them entirely either. But he also couldn’t help feeling a bit depressed. Just because he had this power, which he didn’t even want to have, and just because he made a mistake today, Robin and Raven didn’t trust him. Anybody can make a mistake, for goodness sake, he muttered angrily without making any sound. He just lost his temper at Fransar, that’s all. Of course he would use the controller if he ever gets one. He didn’t want to ruin the whole city. For goodness sake, Jump City wasn’t like the Hell, which he would have gladly blasted if given a chance. Why was Raven thinking I wouldn’t to use the controller, anyway? He thought angrily as he stomped inside his room. You can never be too careful, but that was too harsh. Okay, he knew it was just her personality, but still. Cyborg was right. She was the first to meet him. She should know better about him. She should have given him more credits than that. He breathed in a large gulp of air as he felt himself getting more and more frustrated at each thought. That calmed him down a bit. He should control himself. After all, he was just staying here until he gets a new place. Or maybe he should just go out of this city. That’ll be the only way to run away from those who were chasing him.

"…Yeah."

He looked down at the photo frame he was still holding. Inside the frame there was a photo of seven people, one of whom himself. It’s getting old, he thought solemnly as he put it away. It’s been ages since I’ve seen these guys, my…friends.
Of course, he would never be able to see four of them ever again. And the other two…

"Friends, eh."

His eyes lingered on the faces of his two best friends.

"…I guess there’s just no chance of us being friends again."

He smiled wryly, then pushed the frame to the table so the photo couldn’t be seen. He closed his eyes as he lied down on the bed and felt its softness surrounding him.

"…Never."

The smile fell.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


This is chapter 7. Okay, I'm out of ammo now!!!:( I gotta write s'more soon. EMERGENCY!!!:(

Thanks Matt A. and Starrysky! Yup, the Tamaranean feast. I set my mind on it when I read the transcripts of The End Pt I, where Raven completely messes up her pancakes but Star Fire loves them. Then I thought about those food of Tamaran in Betrothed episode, and I decided since Jet had no idea what in the heck is the 'Tamaranean Feast' he might give it a go. And suffer horribly:evil:

The question about the picture frame and the photo is answered in this chapter, I guess. It's a photo of Jet and his friends, total seven of them, but Jet had only mentioned three of them-Jonathan, Sam and Sam's girlfriend-to the Titans. None of the other Titans figured this out but Raven. Well done Rae*pat pat* Guess Robin wasn't concentrating.

I would've liked to make Jet fall in love with Raven in an instant-I'm a very good fan of Raven, to be honest- but at the last moment I thought about his personality, then about her personality, and decided Heck, no way. Those two fall in love in first sight? NOT gonna happen. They're rather gonna just fight and fight and fight, I suppose.

The thing is, I wrote Chapter 1 and 2 long time ago-like two months-and during that time Jet's characteristic had changed rather a lot. That cheerful easy going Jet might not exist any more:sweat: So please do forgive me if Jet seems like an entirely different person in later chapters.

Okay, that was a long gibberish. Thanks to all those who read this, and thanks to Matt A. and Starrysky again for commenting on this. THANKS!:D

[Matt A]

So the mutual distrust, at first just an interesting twist on an old story-type, has now become a source of drama in its own right. The Titan's mixed reactions to Jet's nature are understandable: sure, Jet isn't a manic like Robin and Raven fear, but he's clearly got a more flippant attitude to life and death than a professional hero should be comfortable with. In this case, I think bringing up Terra was a good strategy: it's pretty much a fact that Jet knows more than he's letting on, including things he hasn't even mentioned. Considering, as the Titans said, this'll be the least of their problems, it'll be interesting to see what you do with this good/evil dilemma.:anime:

Besides, it looks like we'll be getting to see Raven in full snarky mode. Sure, it might happen a lot, but it's always good fun.:evil:

-Matt A-

PS: Having characters change over time is a good thing.;)

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 08.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Hey, Jet. Wanna come to our training? We’d like to see what you can do without your cannon."

Jet looked up at the big half-machine Titan grimly, carefully holding his two hands up in the air. It’s been four days since he got here, and on his wrists were Cyborg’s new ‘controller’s which were shaped like a thick mechanic bracelet. Cyborg had warned him to never, never, NEVER to use the cannons until next week, and because there weren’t any more Demons coming from the Hell, he didn’t need to. Beast Boy, Star Fire and Cyborg all looked uneasy when treating him since the meeting of the Titans, and he was a bit hurt by that. But he knew they were doing their best. Surely nobody could trust any new comer instantly, especially not if the new comer had killed three people in a second. Of course, with them being uncomfortable while he was around, he couldn’t pretend not to be uncomfortable while they were around him either. So he avoided the Titans as much as possible, and so did the Titans. A case like this, where one of the Titans came looking for him, was extremely rare. And he didn’t want to just let it go.

"Okay."

He stood up heavily, stretched a few times then followed Robin. They headed outside the Tower, where Raven had already set up the obstacle course-the same course Terra had done long time ago. Beast Boy was sliding through the last door with a record of 2:05. Jet looked around at Cyborg, puzzled.

"It’s an obstacle course. You go through there as fast as you can. It’s your turn after Star Fire."
"Okay, I’m getting extremely nervous."
"You don’t need to. It’s only a practice. Remember not to use the cannons."
"I know. I’ll use this."

With that Jet pulled out a gun from his pocket. The Titans eyed it uneasily. Jet, noticing the mood changing rapidly, shrugged.

"It’s not a real gun. It’s just like a blast gun. Same energy ball as my cannon, but weaker power. I didn’t really use it much because using the ones on me is easier…but well, since I can’t use them now, might as well as use this."
"Just…make sure you don’t do too much damage."

Jet nodded curtly at Raven, looking slightly annoyed, then waited for Star Fire to come back. After she had, and after the timer set off, he took off straightaway.

"He’ll be too fast for most of the obstacles. There’s no point in this."

Raven muttered to Robin while busily controlling the machine. He nodded, but then added thoughtfully.

"But maybe…"

He let the words trail off, pressed a button and the flying disks started to shoot out at Jet. Jet, who had avoided the obstacles swiftly so far, stopped abruptly in midair and looked at the endless trail of disks almost despairingly. He dodged a dozen easily, but the next one went right past him, nearly slicing him open. Now he looked really annoyed. Flying in a big arc, he took out his gun and began shooting at the disks. Countless small golden energy ball similar to those of his shot out from his gun, but there were just too many of them. When that didn’t work, he shot at the machines that were spitting the disks. With a loud explosion, bits of the machines flew everywhere, some big ones crashing the other obstacles. He didn’t look back, headed straight to the doors-which were, of course, no problem for him.

"…Looks like we’ll be needing a new obstacle course. Again."

Raven complained, and Robin just smiled at her.

As Raven had predicted, the obstacle course was too easy for Jet. After he had completed with a record of 1:07, he looked around the course and thought about the training he used to have in the Hell. Compared to that, this was piece of cake. For instance, in this one, he didn’t have to fight to death.

"That’s the difference between a hero and a weapon, maybe."

He glanced down at his hands, at the endless pit of darkness on each palm. Smiling wryly, he clenched his fists so they can’t be seen.

"Wow, that’s a new record."
"I guess."

Jet smiled at the Titans proudly, his arms outstretched as Terra had done long time ago. He put the gun in his pocket again, then took off and did some almost impossible acrobatics in midair. The Titans watched with bewildered eyes for a moment, but Robin and Raven regained their cool soon. When he landed, it was the three other Titans who ran to him and congratulate. The Titans' leader watched after them with unreadable expression.

"Everything okay?"

He startled and turned around to look at his hooded team mate, who was watching him with concerned eyes. The leader of the Titans, after a moment, gave a reassuring smile and shrugged.

"I’m just worried. That’s all."
"I know. I don’t know why the others trust him so much."
"I guess they’re just naïve."
"No doubt about that."
"Do you think we should give him any chance?"
"We are already giving him a chance. Whether he takes it or not is his choice. To be truthful, I don’t really care. As long as he’s not a danger to us, and this city, he can live in the Tower, in this city, anywhere."
"He’s a murderer. Of course he’s dangerous. But it seems like the others don’t want to admit that. Maybe they’re right, and maybe he wouldn’t have killed anybody if he didn’t have his power. But who’s to know? When I saw his face when he was about to kill the Elemental Sisters, I swear I saw Slade for a moment on him. Well, but then we don’t really know him yet. I guess we’ll just have to watch him for a while. Decide whether he’s a good guy or not."
"There’s something else I wanted to talk about. Do you remember how he mentioned about the Elemental Sisters, and about the blond haired girl who could control earth?"
"Yeah. And I thought of Terra momentarily, if that’s where you’re getting."
"Do you think the Hell might have anything to do with it? I mean, with Terra coming back without any of her memory with us."
"Quite possibly, but then she would remember the Hell. But as far as I know from what Beast Boy had told us, she looked like a normal girl. She talked like a normal girl. She behaved like a normal girl. Maybe they had erased her memory and set her free, but seeing what they did to Jet, I don’t think that’s realistic. We can’t be sure, really. Maybe it’s just a bit of luck that they had a mutant with blond hair and power to control earth. Jet didn’t even mention the girl’s eye colour. Fransar and her sisters had the same eye colour as their hair. The earth Elemental Sister might have had golden eyes instead of blue eyes like Terra did."
"Jet said she was a failure. Maybe the colour difference counts as one, too. And considering the fact that Terra couldn’t control her power…they could have easily thought of her as a failure."
"Jet said she died."
"Then he said nobody really saw her."

Robin just shrugged. Raven, thinking there’s no point in continuing this discussion really, just shrugged too and looked away. Terra would never come back. As long as she couldn’t remember them, and was happy as the normal high school girl she was now, it wouldn’t matter whether she was from the Hell or not. But if the Hell did have something to do with her return and her loss of memory, well, they might have some potential problem. Although she didn’t like that idea, they would have to ask Jet.

They didn’t notice the other four were raising their voices louder and louder until Cyborg called out;

"Hey, you two over there! Want some pizzas for lunch?"
"Fine by me."
"I don’t mind."

Judging by the relived expression on the new comer’s face, it seemed like Star Fire had offered yet another Tamaranean feast-this time congratulating Jet’s success over the obstacle course-, which he turned down politely with dread. Smiling, Robin remembered the first breakfast they had with Jet. Beast Boy had cooked it, as he said the other night; Jet, still thinking it was toe food, or being wary at every meal that comes on the table after Star Fire’s feast, didn’t dare touch anything on the plate. When the cook explained to him what tofu is thoroughly with patience then did he tried some. He chewed it over, shared a meaningful glance with Cyborg, mumbled a few polite words of gratitude then went onto a hunger strike demanding proper food. When they bought him a pizza, he was too suspicious at what they ate he made the others to try it first and then ate some. Considering the first two meals he had with them were Star Fire’s and Beast Boy’s, it was perfectly understandable. Maybe he should have been glad that Raven wasn’t the one cooking the breakfast; when she had for the first and the last time, it was horrifying even though they were being too sympathetic and polite to say it out aloud.

Yes, having this guy around might be fun, he thought with a slight smile. Only if he wasn’t a murderer, and only if he was always this cheerful and funny, Robin might have welcomed him with open arms as he did at the first time they met. But there was no ‘if’ in this, and Jet did have those devastating power. He wasn’t afraid to use it; he wasn’t afraid to kill people. He didn’t know what difference the controllers Cyborg made would make, but he did hope it would stop Jet from killing people, and help Robin and Raven’s suspicion ease. That would be nice.

Really nice.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-






Thanks, Matt A! ...And although I am very curious about how come there are at least 10 people reading this and only Matt A and Starrysky do the comments, I still thank you to any of you who read this-sort of raise the confidence thingy.

Raven(and Jet) in full snarky mood coming up in next chappie-but I don't think I'll post it til I've written chapter 10. HAHAHAHA:evil:



Oh yeah, and I think I might put a pic of Jet on Chappie 10. Anybody tell me how to do it, please? I would've gladly used my blog and put it in the url tag, but this school has BLOCKED all blog and there's just no way I can go there let alone post anything.(lost a lot of valuable information, yep) I'm not sure what kind of help I am requesting, but anything would be nice, really:sweat:



Well, thanks to all you who've read this again-and have a good day!(Wait, what time is it over there? It's almost 9 p.m. in NZ)

[Matt A]

Here in the UK, you posted the chapter at exactly 9:48am. Some time difference.:eek:

Anyway, back to the chapter. Nice to see some more rumination on what seems to be the main theme of this story: even if you like them as a person, can you trust someone who does things you object to? Or, to put it in a more dramatic way, just how solid is the line between good and evil? Now that Terra might be having a bigger role than just a few mentions, it'll be interesting to see how this theme gets realised.:anime:

On a more down-to-earth note, Jet's taking-on/down of the assault course was pretty funny: it seems Jet has a different definition of "excess destruction" to every one else. And I liked the "hunger strike" skit as well: just OTT enough for the show's tone.:anime:

By the way...in order to post pictures, the best thing to do is register at photobucket.com. The basic service is free, and I can't imagine it counting as a blockable site. If it does, then I suggest just getting net access at home.;)

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Awesome chapters!

Loved the drama you're building and I can't wait to see what you've planned.

The picture should be awesome to see too.

Yeah, it's really sad when people read and don't review. Oh well, maybe most of them are guests and can't post or something.

I loved it and I can't wait for more! :D

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 09.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Go, Jet! You can do it!"

Jet gulped nervously as he held up his right hand towards the target. It was just a big rock about five hundred metres away from him, and today was the day he was trying out his controllers. If the controller didn’t work, the rock would burn to crisp in an instance, the small ones around it will explode and the pieces would fly all around. If it did work, well, the rock will just blow up but nothing else. In Cyborg’s words, his power would be the same as star bolts-maybe a bit stronger, but not strong enough to kill somebody.

Now one and a half week past since Jet’s arrival at the Titans Tower. Gradually he got used to Beast Boy’s tofu-even though he never got used to any of Starfire’s food-and him and the three Titans-Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg- began to hang out. He once even beat Cyborg in a cyborg-versus-cyborg video game match, the racing game Cyborg and Beast Boy so often played. The former champion was heart-crushed and Jet laughed heartedly over his victory, doing a little ceremony in midair. No trouble by the Demons had happened so far; there were only a couple of troubles, one just a plain bank robbery by Mumbo as he usually does, the other by Plasmus. Jet was bewildered by both of these now-familiar-enemies to the Titans; Mumbo at his possession of the same kind of mask as Robin-"I thought those were only for super heroes!"-and his perfect stage manner-"Bravo! I never got to see a real magician in my life…I mean, boo, he sucks."-. To Plasumus, he was more likely disgusted rather than bewildered. Plasmus just poured a lump of itself on top of Jet, making him look like a giant purple mudman. He lost his temper instantly when he tasted it-"I’ve had enough of awful tastes to ruin my senses for EVER, thank you very much!"-. Cyborg and Starfire, the two strongest one of the Titans, had to grab him to stop him from running into Plasumus and rip it apart alive.

The Titans were all surprised by his reaction to both of these crimes. He never showed the cold, emotionless expression again, and every time the three Titans who welcomed him since the very beginning made face like ‘See? I told you’ to the two doubters. Robin seemed to be reconsidering about Jet seriously, but Raven’s attitude towards Jet didn’t change at all. She was sure he wasn’t being all truthful to them. How could they trust somebody who wasn’t being truthful to them? But then she remembered with heartache that she didn’t tell everything about herself to her team mates at first either. But that was different, she thought. I didn’t want to harm them. I was caring about them, because they are my friends.

What if Jet wasn’t being honest with them because of the same reason as her? What danger could he be hiding from them? She felt this was getting more and more complicated as she watched him aiming at the rock. What danger could he bring other than himself? How dangerous can the Hell be? Will the history repeat itself? Would he be another Terra, a spy, a traitor? She didn’t like to think about it. Maybe that’s what kept her away from trusting him completely. The fear that he might betray them as well. The fear that she might be betrayed from somebody she trusted so completely again. Terra and Malchior. Two were enough to teach her the lesson. She didn’t need another traitor among them.

Jet fired.

BOOM!

The Titans watched with wide eyes of worry as the rock blew into pieces, but none other than that was even touched. Smile slowly spread across Jet and the others’ faces, except Raven, who was still deep in thought and took a bit of time to realize what had happened, and perhaps except Robin, too, who still seemed to be not entirely sure about this new comer. The controller was working fine. Jet did a high-five with Cyborg and Beast Boy, then dodged a brutal bear hug from Starfire. It seemed like he was more afraid of Starfire than anybody else.

"IT WORKED! IT WORKED!!! Yee-ha!"
"Well done, man!"

Jet grinned hugely, waved at the Titans and began to throw punches in the air. He then turned around to find Raven, looking at him suspiciously.
His smile got broader, if that’s possible. Smiling proudly, he whispered;

"See? I do use the controllers, whether you believe it or not."

Raven’s eyes widened with shock. So he’d been listening to what they were saying about him before. Eavesdropping. She whirled around to glare at him, who returned the glare with a bright smile.

"…we’ll have to see what you’ll do in the real thing. With the criminals."
"I can assure you it’ll be perfectly safe. You’ve seen what I was doing with that magician guy and that horrible disgustingly tasting thing. Nothing dangerous."
"We’ll see what you’ll be like when we’re fighting against the Demons."

Jet’s smile fell, and a look of pure annoyance and irritation took its place instead. The other Titans seemed to be noticing the tension between them, and had grown quiet; Robin took a step forward, thought better of it then retreated. She could handle this.

"With these controllers, I wouldn’t be able to kill them even if I wanted to."
"That’s a relief."
"What’s your problem? What, you’ve never hurt anybody before? You’re such a saint that you can’t bear having a murderer in your hair?"
"Quite right. I can’t, even though I’m not a saint. Hurting is quite different from killing. I have hurt many, yes, even though I didn’t mean it. I may have hurt many criminals, too-they deserved it. But you’re different. You wanted to kill the three girls, although you could’ve just knocked them out and send them to jail. That’s what they deserved. It was a much more peaceful solution, and it would’ve made it so much easier for us to trust you."
"Well, then why didn’t you pop up and stop me from killing them before it was too late? Too afraid that I might kill you too? Did I seem so blood crazed and lunatic that even your heroism couldn’t make you go out and stop me?"
"We didn’t know what your power was. We didn’t know it could’ve killed people."
"Uh huh, so you just watched it and let it happen, and once it did, you’re blaming me and me only for it even though you’ve done absolutely nothing to prevent it from happening. Look, I’ve already said I was sorry. I know it’s not enough for what’s happened, but what can I do about it now, huh? I can’t bring back dead. So instead I’m trying to be good here, got control over my power, see if I can be a good guy for once in my life. Well, if you think I deserve to be thrown in jail and stuff, go on, do it. I’m not gonna stop you."
"I’m not going to do it. Not yet. We’re giving you a last chance here. Don’t ruin it."
"I’m willing to take it if you quit being like that to me."
"This is my nature. Deal with it."
"Oh yeah? Well this is my nature so I suggest you stop being so annoying and start giving me a chance! A chance to prove that I’m not all a psycho ready-to-kill maniac, OK?"

Both glared at each for a moment without saying anything. It was Jet who first looked away, giving up. He shoved past her, walked past now frozen Titans, stormed into the Tower and slammed the door behind him. Starfire, looking concerned and terrified, flew beside Raven; the dark one of the Titans just pushed her away,
Did she have the right to say what she had said to Jet earlier on? She, too, hadn’t been all too truthful about her past to the Titans. Hoping Jet to be all honest and tell them everything as soon as he met them maybe was a bit too much.

But he was still a murderer.
He didn’t seem to be sorry for what he had done.

"…I don’t trust him."

She muttered without quite realizing it.

"I don’t think I ever will."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Chapter 9...the last of my ammo. O...kay...

As I've promised, Raven in a full snarky mood. Even worse than she was with Terra*laughs* I just love making my own character go through all this.

Thanks to Matt A and Starrysky again for the comments. Honestly, you guys are like my saviour. My own personal angels who keeps me from giving up on this story. Thanks a lot guys!:D

Thanks for the information on photobucket.com, Matt A! Thankfully the school DIDN'T ban it, so I guess I can post a pic of Jet pretty soon. That is, when I write Chapter 10...(I'm out of chapters:-( ) and when I finish the pic of Jet.


Thanks to those who read this, and have a nice day!:D


P.S. I've noticed that there're about 20 people who read this story and yet it's only Matt A and Starrysky commenting. I don't believe this. I'm not forcing, people, but please, just one word 'COOL' would do the magic! Well Starrysky may be right...most of the people who read this might be guests...but still...*hugs her knees and rocks backwards and forwards, making bambi eyes*


P.S.2.

Is it only me, or is Cross Country the most evil plan of adults to make kids suffer horribly?

[Matt A]

Raven + full-on unpleasantness = good fun all-round.:anime: :evil:

Once again, all is not well at Titans Tower. Jet may have gotten his controllers to work, but as Raven said, just how useful will they be? He seems to be a competent enough fighter so far - I liked the skit on Mumbo and Plasamus, by the way: my kind of dry humour:anime: - and, as he said, he isn't a cold-blooded psycho by nature, so maybe he can pull it off. On that note, it was nice to bring in Raven's self-doubt: she really doesn't have a right to criticise him. But I get the feeling that won't stop her...;)

I'm liking the way this story runs. It's much more intelligent creation than you might at first expect, and it looks set to be even more surprising. All I ask is for more snarky Raven.:evil:

Oh, and don't call me an angel. If you read my works, you'll know why I don't take kindly to that term.;) Besides, reading things is half of what I'm here for anyway.;)

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 10.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


It wasn’t hard for Robin to find out where Jet was. He thought of where he himself would like to be when he was feeling depressed, and that was the training room. Sure enough, when he got there, he found Jet pouncing on the punching bag with all his might. The poor bag swayed backwards and forwards so much he was afraid it might break right off from the ceiling. The angry cyborg didn’t seem to notice the Titans’ leader watching him for a while; when he did, he stopped what he was doing and raised one hand, not seeing the heavy bag coming flying back to him at full speed as if taking its revenge. When Robin tried to warn him, it was too late…With aloud SMACK!, it hit him right across the face, catching him when he was completely off guard. He held both of his hands across his face and stumbled back moaning. Robin couldn’t help but to show a faint hint of smile, although he was fairly certain that Jet made the mistake on purpose.

"Oh man, stop laughing! Like you don’t make stupid mistakes from time to time."
"I don’t remember making that kind of stupid mistakes in my whole life."
"Shut up."

Jet grumbled as he dodged another fatal blow from the flying punching bag although there was a playful smile on his lips. After the bag’s swaying had become steady, he looked up at Robin, demanding explanation for why he was here. So he gave what Jet wanted.

"I just wanted to tell you that…Raven doesn’t trust new people easily. She takes some time to get used to a new one around her."
"I know, she said it herself in a more direct way. Don’t worry. Besides, you’re not the one who should be talking about her like that."

Robin narrowed his eyes, which, regrettably, couldn’t be seen for they were hidden under the mask. Jet just shrugged when he saw, or rather, sensed his expression.

"I mean, you don’t trust me entirely either, do you?"
"No…I hope you do understand this situation is quite difficult for us. We do believe that you’re a nice guy, Jet, really. And it would be nice to have you as a part of our team. But…"
"I have killed people, I know. I know I’m a complicated problem to handle. No offence taken."

He casually smiled, throwing his hands up in the air to emphasize the point. Robin couldn’t help but keep staring at the two holes on his palms; at its endless depth of darkness and-possibly-destruction it caused. Jet, sensing his gaze, lowered his arms.
Awkward silence filled the gap between the two.

"So…anything else?"

Robin couldn’t think of anything to say. Shrugging, he turned around and closed the door behind him. The noise of Jet punching the bag began as soon as he walked out.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Raven?"

Raven opened her door just enough to show half of her hooded face. Starfire, standing there anxiously, smiled awkwardly and said;

"Please, would you like to venture the mall of shopping with me?"
"…if you want to talk about Jet, Starfire, just say it."
"Oh no! That is certainly not true! I just wanted to have fun and do the hanging out with my friend, for it has been such a long time since we did any enjoyable activity together! And, and…"

She was never a good liar.

"No."
"Please, Raven? I promise, it will be fun."

Annoyed, she shook her head no. Dropping her shoulders, the friendly Tamaranean slowly turned on her heels, dragging them across the floor. Raven watched until she disappeared around the corner, then closed the door. She turned around, playing an instant replay of her encounter with Jet earlier that day.

"Well, then why didn’t you pop up and stop me from killing them before it was too late? Too afraid that I might kill you too? Did I seem so blood crazed and lunatic that even your heroism couldn’t make you go out and stop me?"
"We didn’t know what your power was. We didn’t know it could’ve killed people."
"Uh huh, so you just watched it and let it happen, and once it did, you’re blaming me and me only for it even though you’ve done absolutely nothing to prevent it from happening."

She clenched her teeth as she remembered a part of the conversation-or rather an argument- she had with Jet just before. She felt annoyed at him for…for being so…right. She hated being wrong; she hated being corrected by someone who she didn’t trust even more. As much as she would have loved not to admit it, she knew what he said was true; the Titans did absolutely nothing to stop him from killing the girls. But she was right, too; how was she, how were they supposed to know he had such a great power? When she first met him, she thought he was no one but just an annoying new guy, ordinary and plain except the engines on his feet, so anxious to make new friends that he even tried to talk to her. However, now, when she got to know him more, it seemed like there was much more to him than the first impression.

A killer. Ruthless, merciless killer. A dangerous criminal. Why didn’t Robin put him in jail? She wondered for a brief moment, but instantly knew that it was a stupid question. Of course he wouldn’t. Jet’s power…that blaster. He could easily escape from the prison. But when he was here, with them, he was being watched by them; the Teen Titans, the protectors of the city. She didn’t know whether they could bring him down or not. Maybe they could, but maybe not. Without the controllers, one blast from his cannon will burn all five of them to crisps before she could form a shield out of her power. Nonetheless, they would stand much more of a chance against him rather than some ordinary people, the guards of the prison once he goes…completely off his head. In a way, they were guarding him in an invisible prison.

The Guard. It was Jet’s job in the Hell, wasn’t it?

What would be the Hell like? Was it like the prison, with bars and heavy iron doors? Considering it was a place containing thousands and thousands of mutants, it would have to be more than that. What was the place like? How did it change Jet so brutally? He said he wasn’t a psycho blood crazed maniac like she thought he was since he was born. She, too, couldn’t quite believe the cheerful, funny guy whom she met at the first time, who laughs and hangs around with Cyborg and Beast Boy, was the same guy who killed the Elemental Sisters without a hint of emotion.

She couldn’t trust him. She didn’t trust him. She was sure she would never, ever trust him. NEVER.

"He’s dangerous."

A criminal. A murderer. Who knows how many people had he killed. Who knows what dangers would he bring to them.

But you brought a greater danger to your friends than he ever will, whispered a voice inside her head. Her conscience? Her voice of reason? Whatever that was, it kept whispering to her. Far, far greater. You’re blaming him for killing people. But you, you could have destroyed the whole world. You don’t trust him for not being honest with you. But your friends, they trusted you even though you’ve told them absolutely nothing about yourself. Do you have the right to blame him? Do you honestly think you do?

"That was different. It was my destiny. I had no choice. I overcame it at last but I had no choice. He did. He could’ve saved the girls. He could have. I didn’t tell my friends about me because I wanted to protect them. I didn’t want to harm them. And I…I was afraid…I did my best. I was wishing that maybe I could make up for my destiny by doing good things."

This time, it wasn’t the voice, but Jet’s voice ringing inside her head.

"Look, I’ve already said I was sorry. I know it’s not enough for what’s happened, but what can I do about it now, huh? I can’t bring back dead. So instead I’m trying to be good here, got control over my power, see if I can be a good guy for once in my life."

She clenched her fists tight as she remembered his words. Trying to do good, to make up for whatever he had done, or whatever he might have to do. He was like her. He was similar to her. He was…

"No."

She whispered furiously.

"He and I are never alike. He’s dangerous criminal. I’m trying to protect the city. He’s hungry for blood, merciless killer. I…I’m different from him. I’m different. I am."

Without giving it any further thought, she crossed her legs, floating around in midair. With her eyes closed, she began to mutter softly;

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…"


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


OK, two chapters concentrating on Raven’s attitude towards Jet. I can’t help it, guys, I’m a HUGE fan of Raven!

This is also a story about Terra, too, not just Jet and the other Titans. Terra’s story would begin since next chapter; stay tuned. Or keep reading. Oh, whatever.

Oh yeah, and anybody please tell me this. Is Raven’s spell Azrath or Azarath? I thought it was Azrath, but then I read the transcripts and it said it was Azarath. Oh brother. Help me out, please!

Oh, and if anybody know Terra's name in Things Change, that'd be reaaally useful too.



No Jet's pic yet...maybe on Chapter 12 or 13, I guess.

Thanks to those who read it. Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

I don't blame you for being a Raven fan: in fact, most of us here fall into that category. Even I do, though perhaps not in the way the phrase "Raven fan" might lead you to expect.;)

Though this chapter dealt with the same subject matter as the previous one (and indeed a few of the ones before that), it was still very interesting. It showed the crucial difference between Robin and Raven: Robin is very rational, working to solve this problem before it becomes one; Raven is very irrational, hypocritically branding Jet as someone dangerous, and wanting to just avoid the problem rather than deal with it. In that respect, I get the feeling she'll just make things worse...and just who was she trying to convince, anyway?;)

And on the two questions you asked:

1. Azarath is indeed spelt with an "a". It's the name of Raven's home, so the word isn't hard to find.
2. Terra's name in "Things Change" was never stated. However, in the Titans comics, her real name is listed as Tara Markov, so that would be a good place to start.

On that note, I'm curious to see if you're bringing Terra into this in the way I think you are. Either way, this little molotov cocktail you've got brewing up is sure to get pretty hot...:anime:

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

I loved the focus on Raven's mental battle. It's very interesting to see how she tries to rationalize her condemning of Jet, even though she herself did similar things. Robin is being very like himself too, being extra careful because he doesn't want the same mistake to happen again.

I'm curious as to how you're using Tara as well.

The plot and descriptions are awsome as always. I loved it and I can't wait for more! :D

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 11.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


All was not well in the Titans Tower; Jet still tearing the punching bag apart, Raven still meditating in her room, and the other Titans trying to brighten the mood in various ways-only to result in pathetic failures. It seemed like each attempts were making both of the ones-to-be-blamed more and more annoyed; Raven just slammed the door when Beast Boy offered a match of the racing game for the fifteenth time; Jet beamed hugely then kicked the punching bag with enough force to break it right off the ceiling when Starfire suggested him to go to the mall with her, buy ‘various earthling hair ornaments’ and ‘decorate each other’s hair with them’. Perhaps it had something to do with offering wrong thing to the wrong person, but surprisingly, that simple common fact never struck to neither Beast Boy nor Starfire.

So, it wasn’t much of a surprise when the four suffering Titans let out a sigh of relief as red lights began to flash all around the Tower, indicating there was a trouble. Maybe, just maybe, after a match with villains Jet and Raven’s moods would get better. That’s what they hoped.

"Titans, trouble!"
"Is it only me, or am I hearing some hint of gladness in his voice?"

Beast Boy chuckled at Cyborg’s comment, and Robin shot him a look, but with a smile playing on his lips. When they were outside the Tower, and Starfire lowered her altitude to scoop Cyborg up…

A might whoosh of air went past her, and Cyborg was up, up and away, dangling under the dangerously fast cyborg. Jet looked back and shouted, “Get Robin instead! This thing is way too heavy for such beautiful young lady!” clearly forgetting the incident where Starfire just ripped apart some ‘thing’, without breaking a sweat, the some ‘thing’ being something he couldn’t even make a tiny slightest crack on its surface at his first, dreadful experience of Tamaranean feast. Starfire giggled, got Robin and took off. Beast Boy noticed Raven coming out of the Tower, grinned; Raven just brushed him off, being in an extremely dangerous mood.

On their way to where the trouble was, Cyborg asked;

"Any chance this trouble would be by the Demons, Jet?"
"God I hope not."
"If it is, who do you think it’d be?"

Jet looked down at him as if he was speaking some alien language, something he couldn’t quite understand. After a moment, he said in a flat voice;

"You mean what, not who. Besides, there’re countless of them; I can’t be sure until I see them."

Cyborg was too distressed at Jet’s earlier comment to notice the answer to his question.

"What? But…"
"They aren’t humans anymore, okay? They’re just some mutants, hideous distorted things. Once you’re in the Hell, and you’re mutated by the higher ones, you’re never a human again."
"That means…"
"Well, yeah. I’m not a human either."

This time Cyborg looked up in alarm.

"But you…you look like human! You have skin, hair…I can almost feel your body temperature. You talk, act like a human…I mean, man, you’re much more of a human than me. Just look at me. I’m half machine."

Jet shrugged, nearly dropping Cyborg on the process. After a while of silence, he replied in a dry voice;

"My skin is artificial. I don't have any flesh or bones or vein inside this skin. My body temperature, man, I don’t know, maybe it’s some kind of machinery. My brain is just an electronic computer designed to feel and think like the original me. Or I don't know, I have no idea what the original me would have been like. My memory could have been easily re-written, distorted. Maybe Sam and Jonathan aren't my real friends, but three mutants brought together with memory that’s re-written by someone else to be friends to make the most efficient team. My feelings, I can't tell whether they're just another software programmed to be typed inside my computer in right circumstances or real emotions, the sort of thing humans have. My senses are dull. I can't really feel whether it's cold or hot unless it's freezing cold or boiling hot. I look like a human, yeah. But I'm not sure whether I am one or not. There's nothing about me that's human. Maybe I'm just a robot. A.I. I look like a human but I'm actually a machine. You look half machine but you've managed to be a human still. That's you’re more human than me, Cy. That's why."

Cyborg couldn’t answer to this confession, only listening. He looked up at Jet, searching for any hint of emotion on his face; as for what was he expecting, he wasn’t sure. Grief? Bitterness? Fierce hatred at himself? But Jet’s face showed none of these, nor any other ones for that matter. It was impassive. Almost like Raven. No, more like a robot.

They didn’t talk during the rest of the flight, and it didn’t take long.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Okay, em, Tara?"

‘Tara’, a girl with long, straight blond hair and big blue eyes wearing a school uniform, turned around to face her red haired friend.

"Please tell me why we’re standing here, hiding on a random roof top, holding a camera and a video recorder, not running away like the rest of citizens do."
"I told you. We’re waiting for the Teen Titans."
"Yeah, and why?"

Tara, or as the Titans would have been familiar with, Terra, just shrugged and turned around again to watch three big giants spitting pieces of irons all around them. It was fortunate for the girls, Terra and her two friends, that the iron-spitting-three-big-bullies never looked up once; or they might have been torn into pieces by spit covered chunks of iron. Yuck. Terra flinched at the thought, disgusted.

"Don’t tell me you believe whatever that Brat Boy was telling you the other day."

Another friend of hers, this time a black girl with a pony tail, said with a cocked eyebrow. Terra, now annoyed, turned around once more to hiss furiously.

"I don’t, okay? I don’t believe whatever he was saying. I just wanna see…and besides, it’s Beast Boy, I told you. "

She corrected her friend without realizing it. Her friend rolled her eyes wearily, but she didn’t notice it either. Of course she didn’t believe what Beast Boy said. It was just stupid, she knew. But how many people wouldn’t be shaken when they heard a story like that?

"Do we have to?"
"Yes!"
"But Tara, honestly. It’s just the same everyday, you know. Some big stupid guys turn up and rob the bank or wreck the whole city and the Titans just turn up and beat them up. Same old plot. Stupid."
"Don’t say it’s stupid! They’re sacrificing themselves to save the city! To save us! I mean, showing appreciation is the least we can do."

And why did she care? Terra wondered as she heard the words that were forming themselves out of her mouth; I’ve got nothing to do with them.

"Uh huh, hiding on a roof top, record them fighting and give a few cheers when they beat those big fat ugly guys up. Big deal. So much for appreciation."

Terra shut her mouth, bit her lips angrily and just focused on the scene that was going on. With a trail of smoke behind them, two of them arrived; one a tall, orange haired guy who was the one flying; the other one, the original member of the team, Cyborg.

"That’s a new guy," said the black girl, pointing to Jet.
"He’s hot," red haired girl commented.

Terra’s frown got deeper as her friends giggled hysterically behind her. She liked her friends, yes, but she couldn’t believe them at a time like this. The Teen Titans, they were about to fight to death, to save this city. They were making a huge sacrifice here; they were giving up on their own lives for people like her, and her friends to have their own lives. Terra briefly wondered about what Beast Boy told her a few weeks ago; was that why she was so interested in the Titans lately? If, if that was true by any chance, was she trying to imagine what it would have been like for her, fighting as a member of the Titans, along with Raven, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy? No, can’t be, she couldn’t have been one of them. She was just so…ordinary. So normal. How could she have such power? And she was so selfish. There was no way she was a super hero. No way she would sacrifice herself for the others. She wouldn’t even give up the last slice of pizza in the school cafeteria, for goodness sake.

She could control the earth, according to Beast Boy. She turned her gaze slightly downwards at a small piece of concrete. She tried to move it, to float around her, to give any proofs that she actually was a Titan. It was stupid, but what had she got to lose? It wouldn’t hurt to try. The small concrete piece didn’t even rattle after five minutes of her hard concentration. Her heart half full with disappointment and the other half with relief, she watched as the rest of the Titans arrived at a point a few yards away from the villains.

"I guess Beast Boy made a mistake."

It was too bad, too bad that her full concentration was now on the Titans, and her friends were just lying there adoring the fine weather. For none of them saw the small piece of concrete Terra was trying to move was actually moving, rolling away a few metres slowly by itself before it came to a halt.

Slowly, but definitely moving by itself…driven by her power.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Chapter 11, with TERRA IN IT!!!! Oh my god I love Terra. Not as much as I love Raven but she's still my favourite character. Second-to-favourite but anyway.

Her name...yes, well I was thinking of Tara Makov too, wondering whether I should use it or not, and when I saw Matt A.'s answer I decided 'okay, since I can't think of any other matching names, might as well' and just used it.



Matt A / I'm not sure whether this is the way you thought I'd bring Terra in-but I definitely hope it is.Then I hope it's not, because that means this story's predictable; ah well, I'm not sure what I want either:shrug: Thanks for the comment, Matt A!:D


Starrysky / I like writing Raven's mental battle whenever I write TT fan fic-even though this is my first English one. Anyway*looks away*
How am I using Tara? The answer's in this chapter, I guess:D
Thanks for the wonderful compliment on the plot and description. Thanks so much!:D







Oh yeah, and Jet's pic, as promised.


http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h224/Death_lash/Jet021.jpg


A pic of Jet himself...(I was trying to draw him smiling, but didn't come out that way)(definitely NOT the best pic of him I've drawn...:()


http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h224/Death_lash/Jet023.jpg (http://[FONT=굴)

Some kind of a metallic necklace he's wearing. Don't worry about what's after Jet. It's SJDM45, some random code name the Hell had called Jet. Jet/SJDM45/The Guard is what's carved in the necklace.



Thanks for the comment to Matt A and Starrysky, and thanks to those who read this too.

Have a nice day!:D

[Starrysky]

Yes! I am so happy! Terra's coming back! I love the way this is going and I can't wait for the next chapter. I adore this story! :anime:

Anyways, that thing about Jet being completely cybernetic was an interesting twist. He's right too, what if his memories really were tampered with or just completely fake? What would have really happened? Or if they were true memories, that could create a lot of self-doubt and it would create a wide opening for some bad guy to manipulate him with. The plot you're making is just awesome.

I hope to read more soon! :D

[Matt A]

I agree. This story is looking more promising by the minute.:anime:

The thing about Jet's true "construction" was a great idea. Having him be all-machine has taken the idea so much further than I was expecting: as Starrysky said, just how human is he? I'd like to see if you do anything with the "Cyberman" nature of this (if you've seen Doctor Who, you'll know what I mean...and if you haven't, why on earth not?).;)

And no, I definitely wasn't expecting Terra to be brought in that way. The idea of how outsiders percieve the Titans is something I find very interesting (no less than four different future fics of mine will be based on that), so it's great to see you doing your own interpretation. I have one or two ideas on where this little sub-plot will be going (earth-moving endnote notwithstanding), and I get the feeling it'll be cool even I'm right.:anime:

Oh yes, and I liked your Jet drawing. He was a little more goth than I was expecting, but that ain't really a bad thing. Good stuff.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 12.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Well, that’ll be easy."

That was Jet’s first words when he saw the villains-three giant guys, chewing up lamp posts or pay phone and then spitting bits of them out all around themselves. Beast Boy, cocking an eyebrow, asked;

"So…you know who they are?"
"Not really."

The Titans stared at him disbelievingly at this. So he didn’t even know who they were, and yet he was saying it was going to be easy.
…Okay.

"Then…how did you know it’s going to be easy?"
"Because of their power. Seen a lot of them, dealt with a lot of them. They’re the basic of the basic. I bet they can’t even think. All that’s in their minds is destroy destroy destroy…without any actual goal. The worst kind of troublemakers, man. Most annoying. And, like all the Demons of the Hell, you just teach them their lesson in the hard way. Simple."

Jet seemed to be annoyed; not just ‘annoyed’ but extremely annoyed, as if he was in the Hell, he was still the Guard and he was facing three troublemakers. The other Titans exchanged nervous glances at each other; his attitude was totally different from when he was facing Plasmus or Mumbo. There was no hint of smile on his face; just cold, impassive. Just like when he was fighting-killing the Elemental Sisters.

"Jet, how about you stay out of this one…and just tell us what to do? We can handle this."
"Yeah, really. No offence, man, but…"

He shot a look behind his back, to the Titans, at their worried looks. Smile slowly spread across his face, but it was more like a sneer rather than a smile. His eyes cold, he replied;

"Don’t worry. I’m not gonna kill them."

Being completely off guard, Beast Boy stammered.

"Well, that’s a relief then, but…"
"I’ll control myself."

Before anybody could make a further argument, huge chunks of irons began flying at them with enough force to break their bones. It seemed like the criminals had finally spotted them. Jet was right; they couldn’t think. Those who can fly instantly took off, Jet holding Cyborg, Starfire holding Robin, Raven and Beast Boy with nobody.

Starfire dropped Robin on one of them, and he instantly clung to the iron-spitting guy. The one which he clung to shook hard, trying to get him off; no use. Meanwhile, Starfire was shooting starbolts at the chunks of irons flying at Robin and herself.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!"

Black wave spread out of Raven’s hands, surrounded the chunks and sent them straight back to where they came from. They crashed to the land with loud noises and clouds of dust; however, disappointingly, when the dust cleared out she found the Demon was still standing there, not even a scratch on its thick grey skin. Beast Boy, turning into a mammoth, charged into one of the three villains and knocked it right over; the next moment he was thrown away by that guy, a dejavu of him and Mammoth of the Hive when they first met. Jet, dropping Cyborg where he could safely attack without being attacked back, shot through the air higher and higher until he was level with an office building nearby-which happened to be the building where Terra and her two friends were hiding. Gasping, Terra ducked down quickly; for some reason, she didn’t want the Titans to find out that she was watching them. But she knew it was pointless-Jet wouldn’t notice her for he was too in to this fight, and even if he did, he didn’t know her anyway. She heard the friends tut-tutting behind her. Embarrassed, she slowly rose up just in time to see Jet generating a big golden energy ball out of his hand. It shot through; with a mighty explosion, the iron chunks that were flying at him were all gone. Satisfied, he lowered his altitude, and that was when Terra could breathe properly.

Cyborg shot his sonic beam which knocked one over. No use. It stood up straight away, spitting its big iron bullets at him. Moving surprisingly fast and swiftly considering his size, Cyborg dodged all of them and engaged himself in a hand-to-hand combat with the one he was attacking. With his left arm occupied with right hand of the villain, he rewired his right arm into his sonic cannon; however, before he could use it against the Demon, it blew chunks of irons in his face. He was thrown away; rubbing his face where it stung. He grimaced at the slimy feeling of its saliva.

"Cyborg! You okay?"

Robin, finally thrown away by the one who he was clinging, shouted out the question as he landed beside his team mate. Disgusted, the big Titan nodded; he dared not open his mouth.

"It’s not that their attack is hard to defeat…it’s just that they don’t care if we attack them or not. It’s as if they don’t have any pain sensors in their skin."

Raven, swiftly coming down on her feet, muttered; Robin and Cyborg both nodded. They knew what she meant.

"Then how shall we defeat them? No matter what we attack them with, they are not affected!"

Starfire exclaimed above them, starbolts charged and ready to fire at whatever was coming next. Beast Boy, now back in human form, nodded anxiously beside them rubbing his hurt leg. With one swift touch from Raven and the pain was gone.

"Simple."

It was Jet, who, like Starfire, was hovering in midair, two jets of flame shooting out of his feet, his energy ball charged. He glared at the three iron spitting machine-like-Demons, then turned his glance towards the Titans.

"If powers don’t do them any good…"

The energy ball flicked out; his hands were now clenched in fists.

"…we’ll just have to beat them up."

Without waiting for any reaction, he took off. Slamming one at full speed, he grabbed one’s ragged clothes before any of them could react. With astounding strength, he held it up, then slammed it back down to ground head first with enough force to crack the pavement open. The Demon toppled over, shivered violently a couple of times then went limp. A victorious smile now on his face, Jet turned around to face the Titans.

"See?"
"…Jet…"
"Don’t worry, it wouldn’t be dead…only fainted. The Demons, like me, are quite strong. Go for the neck and the head. Their weakness."

They couldn’t be sure where his confidence was coming from, since he only met the three villains that day for the first time, but considering he was the expert on the Demons, they decided to follow his example somewhat reluctantly.

Raven grabbed one by her power, and slammed it against another. Starfire took it down with a stream of starbolts and a high kick on the head. The one Jet took out was lying flat on the ground, not moving; Cyborg checked it, and his sensor said that yes, it was alive. Sighing with relief, he turned around to face the last one of the three.

"Wow."

Terra breathed, watching Beast Boy turning into a rhinoceros, marching at the last one fiercely; she was mesmerized by the scene that was going on in front of her, so mesmerized that she even wished she was one of them for a brief moment. She stomped on the thought as soon as she realized that it was lurking inside her mind. The video recorder was recording everything that was going on down there.

"Okay, Cyborg! Let him have it!"

Cyborg shot his sonic beam as Robin threw his grenades simultaneously. ‘The’ Sonic Boom. With a large boom, the last one of the three Demons was down, unconscious. They all sighed with relief, Beast Boy and Cyborg did a little victory ceremony. Raven glanced sharply at Jet; he was still wearing that cold look, but his eyes were much more relaxed now, and there was even a hint of smile on his lips. She turned away.

When they were done watching over the police taking those three Demons away, they headed home; it was the same as when they came. Jet first with Cyborg, followed by Starfire and Robin, then Raven and finally Beast Boy. The green Titan, however, didn’t leave instantly; somebody was watching them this whole time, he could feel it. He looked around, trying to find out who it was. A small movement caught his eyes. On the roof top of a tall glass office building nearby, a hand quickly grabbed a video camera, long blond hair swinging around as its owner turned around fast trying not to be discovered by the Titan. He knew that hand, he knew that hair, and most importantly, he knew to whom they belonged to.

"Terra," he whispered, his eyes wide; "Terra."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Thanks, Matt A and Starrysky! I haven't watched Doctor Who, no, but I promise I'll look it up.

Next chapter, Beast Boy in a full sad, gloomy, grim, angry, et cetra mood. I'll post it as soon as I can.



Oh, and did Jet look like a goth in the pic?:) That's nice, I LOVE GOTH:evil: Though he wasn't much of a gothic character when I first made him up. Ah well.

Thanks to Matt A and Starrysky again, and to those who read this. Have a nice day:D

[Matt A]

Cool fight scene, that. Perhaps not as visual as it could've been, but writing a 100% brilliant action set-piece is impossible even at the best of times. As it is, you could still sense the power of those giants (I suppose "automatons" would be the best word), and they were just about eccentric enough for a TT-based story. However, it's somewhat worrying that they're the basic Demons...;)

And it's also nice to see Jet proving his lack of kill-frenzy, though I can't imagine for once second that it'll make any difference to Raven. The state that Beast Boy will inevitably soon be in will also be worthy of note...:evil:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 13.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"It’s a bit late for you to be up, isn’t it?"

The green joker startled at the familiar voice. Grinning awkwardly, he slowly turned around to face the big mechanic of the Titans.

"Hey, Cy."
"What’re you doing out here anyway? I’m gonna lock the Tower soon, and I can’t do it if you’re still out here. Besides, it’s getting cold."

Beast Boy just shrugged, throwing another stone. It bounced a couple of times before sinking heavily into the water.

"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing. Why did you think there’s something wrong?"
"Because I know that whenever there’s something wrong, you come here throwing stones."

Cyborg was sitting down on a nearby rock now. Beast Boy stared down at the stone he was holding. He knew his friend was right; it was a habit of his since the day Terra left.

"…I saw Terra today."
"No big deal. She goes to a nearby high school, doesn’t she? I’ve seen her around."

Cyborg, still not aware of the serious tone in his friend’s voice, replied brightly.

"I mean, she was…hiding on a roof top, watching us fighting, even recording it."
"Guess she took some interest in us. That’s nice of her."

The heavy hearted green joker just threw the stone to the water. This time, it didn’t bounce at all; it just sank.

"Why did she want to leave us in the first place?"
"She left us three times. I’m not sure which one you mean by that."
"All of them! When she ran away from us, thinking I told Robin her secret, I told her it was going to be okay, I told her we would still like her, but she didn’t listen to me. Then, then when she betrayed us and went with Slade, she said she never meant any of that to happen, but she let it happen, she did, and I…I…"

His face crumpled as he remembered what he said to her. "Slade was right. You don’t have any friends." He always felt he was responsible for Terra leaving them; he was so cruel to her, so cruel, and didn’t he promise he would be her friend no matter what just before that? How could he do that? The stone in his hand crushed, and the crumbles fell down on the rock he was sitting on.

"It’s okay, B. I know how you feel."
"No you don’t! You…I…I really liked her. I really really REALLY liked her. I think I might have been in love with her. Heck, I think I may be in love with her still! But she…why did she want to forget everything? She…she came back, she must’ve known I was missing her, she must’ve known how happy I would be if she ever came back…but no, she decided to forget everything instead. Why did she want to do that? Why?"

Cyborg just sat there, unable to find any answer to Beast Boy’s sudden explosion of emotions. When he finally opened his mouth, the green one continued without giving him any chance to say anything.

"What did she think? Did she think that we would hate her, tell her to get lost, because she had betrayed us? Did she think we were some kind of jerks who would just…just brush her off? She was our friend, she knew that, she knew how much we loved her, but she didn’t care, hey, I don’t know, maybe she didn’t like us as much as we like her! What did we do wrong to make her feel rejected? What did we do to make her forget everything? Nothing. NOTHING! We gave her everything, and she…she…"
"Yo B, I think that’s too harsh on her. Terra was a nice girl. I’m sure she would’ve liked us really. Who’re we to guess what she thought anyway? We might never know what she was thinking when she just…erased everything in her memory. But I’m sure she liked us, maybe even more than we did."
"Then WHY did she do what she did!?"

The big Titan couldn’t find any answer to this question again. Beast Boy curled up on the rock he was sitting on and buried his face to his arm. It was too much. Why did she leave them? Why did she want to forget everything? Why? Why?

"Maybe she wanted to be normal."

It was Raven who saved Cyborg. She stood behind the two boys, her voice low and monotonous.

"Normal? But…she was normal! She was normal when she was with us!"
"I mean normal normal. An ordinary teenage girl who goes to a normal high school, hang around with her friends without having to worry about fighting Slade or Brother Blood or the Hell. And with her power…she would never be normal."
"She…then why did she…forget…"
"When you know the Titans personally, or once had been a part of this team, I don’t think you can say you’re normal. Maybe she didn’t want to forget us, but she didn’t have any choice. Or maybe when she came back, we weren’t there, and she might have thought that we were…gone. Or it might have been some kind of side effect, erasing everything inside her mind when she came back. We’ll never know."

Beast Boy shook his head.

"Terra is the bravest person I know. She would…she would face her fate if she has to. She will…"

The girl you want me to be is just a memory.

"She’s just a girl. Her power was…a bit too much for her. And what she’s been through…I’m sure she got sick of everything."
"But what about us? What about you, Raven? You’ve been through much more than her, haven’t you? But you’re still here, you’re still a Titan, you’re still…"
"I had you guys to help me out at the battle with Trigon. I was with my…friends. Even when I had to fight with Trigon inside my mind, you guys were there, encouraging me, helping me to get through it. And I must admit, I sometimes wish I was just a normal girl, even though I had you guys with me. But Terra…her fight with herself, her power, was a lonely fight. She had to figure out how by herself. Then when she was the apprentice of Slade, the only one who was on her side was Slade, and we know he’s not much of a company. And the last thing…when she stopped the volcanic eruption…"
"…she was the only one who could do it. She was the only one who did it. She was…always…alone."

His eyes filled with tears. He covered his eyes with his hands, his shoulders shaking. Cyborg slowly pat his arm, not sure what to do other than that. Raven just stood there, her voice still flat, in fact strangely flat, as if she was controlling her voice to not to show any hint of emotions.

"Hey, Cy, Raven?"

After a while, when he finally calmed down, he looked up at his two friends. Cyborg looked at him with surprise, and Raven just let out a short ‘Hmm?’ as an answer.

"Do you guys miss her?"
"Course, what did ya think?"
"I guess you can say that."
"Then do you want her to be back with us?"

Neither of them answered. After a moment of awkward silence, Cyborg replied with a choked voice.

"I think we should be happy for her if this is what she chose, man, and if she’s happy with it."
"I know we should be. I know we should be praying that she finally found some happiness. But…but…I know I shouldn’t, I know I’m being a really bad friend by this, but…I wish she was unhappy, guys. I wish she was really unhappy, I wish she was regretting what she had done, I wish her life now was miserable."

Cyborg and Raven exchanged anxious glances at this.

"Yo, B…"
"I wish she would cry everyday, and realize that it was for her best to be with us. I wish her life is full of sorrow. I wish she’s so sad now, so confused and so…so…ANYTHING! Anything to make her come back to us. I know I shouldn’t be wishing for this but I do! I want her to come back to us. I wish she would be back with us so badly that I’m even wishing for her to be miserable. I want her back. I want her back. I want her BACK! Am I asking too much? I don’t think so. I want Terra. I want her to be with us, laugh with us, fight with us, talk with us, with us, us, US!!! Not with any other stupid girls or boys, but with us, and us only. We’re her friends, she’s our friend, this shouldn’t be happening. She should be with us, not with the other ordinary people. She’s a Titan. She’s not just an ordinary school girl, she’s a TITAN! A TITAN!!!"

None of them could find an answer for this. Beast Boy continued, his eyes wearing some strange angry, sad, despaired look. When he saw her, when he talked with her the last time, she seemed so happy. How could she? How dared she? He was still here, his heart was broken because of her, and yet she was so happy. No. No. This…couldn’t be true.

You’re the Teen Titan. That’s who you are. That’s not me. I’m not a hero.

"She is a Titan. What did we do to make her leave us? Why did she want to leave us? I don’t understand it. I can’t understand it. She was happy here, wasn’t she? She could control her power fully, couldn’t she? She knew that we would welcome her with open arms if she ever came back, didn’t she? DIDN’T SHE?!"

Things were never the way you remember.

"Shut up, SHUT UP! That’s not true. She was happy. She was!"
"Beast Boy…"
"I want her to be back with us. I want her back. I want her back. I want Terra. Terra. Terra."

None of them were able to do anything. Whatever they did, whatever they said, they knew it wasn’t going to help their heart broken friend. So they only listened, Cyborg putting a reassuring arm on Beast Boy’s shoulder.

"I wish she was back. I know I shouldn’t but I wish she was. I want her back. I want her to be miserable now. I wish she would remember the happy memory we shared. I wish she realized what she had done to us. To me."

You’re the one who is hurting her. Let her go.

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"I can’t let her go. I want her back."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



As I said, BB in a gloomy, sad mood. I hope I'm not ruining the last episode of the show by this:(



Cool smile icons, by the way!!!:raven: :raven2: OMG Raven's face! I can't believe this! I'm so putting this on my signature! Any chance Terra's face's gonna be an icon?




...Well anyway, next chappie's gonna be on this time tomorrow.



Thanks Matt A for your compliment!:D Well, I'm not really good at writing action scenes, no:( I tried my best, I'm glad you liked it:D

and yes...the 'basic' Demons...SUFFER, TITANS!!! SUFFER!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA:evil:




Okay, I'll calm down now. Thanks to those who read thos again, and have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

That was without doubt one of the best full-on emotional breakdowns I've ever seen. You completely nailed Beast Boy's confused and distraught state, and, crucially, you made him completely understandable: with a guy like him, the begruding acceptance of "Things Change" wouldn't last long at all. I'm still unsure as to how this'll connect with the bigger story of Jet and the Hell, but when you've made something like this out of it, who really cares?:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 14.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Sometimes he was glad it was blasters he had.
One blast, and the Demons would be gone. Nowhere to be seen. Nothing left of them. He wouldn’t need to worry about getting rid of the body, nor shall he be wet with victims’ blood and guilt. Blood will only make the guilt heavier. He knew it from his experience, from seeing his friend, the Executioner, Jonathan Smith. Friend? Was Jonathan really his friend? Was Sam really his friend? Was his life, what her remembered, real? He didn’t remember much anyway. Did he really have that accident, or was he just raised in the Hell? Feeling this getting complex, he shut the thought down.

Sometimes, he wondered what would happen if he shot the blast at himself. He would burn to crisp like the rest of the Demons, no doubt. Then what would happen to the hand with the cannon? Would it be still there, still existing, while the owner himself was nothing but a fistful of ash? Or would it burn, too?

Sometimes, he wondered what would it feel like to be burnt to death by his blaster. Would it be too fast, too quick, for the victims to even feel the pain of being burnt alive? He would never know, for he would never use his blaster on himself.

But it wouldn’t hurt to imagine. If he did, would it be suicide? Would it be that he’s killing himself? Is he living now? Could he call himself a living thing? He was just a machine, wasn’t he?

Feeling confused and depressed, Jet threw the car magazine he was reading. Why was he worried about all this anyway? He could do nothing about it, could he? Worrying about something that had already happened wasn’t his nature. Maybe that’s another thing that made him good at being the Guard. No regretting. Not caring. And maybe the same thing was what kept Robin and Raven away from trusting him too.

"Well, I guess Robin and Raven could’ve changed their mind by now."

Sighing, he thought about today’s battle with the Demons. He didn’t kill them, he controlled himself like he promised to the Titans. But he knew that if he didn’t have the controllers, he would’ve blasted the Demons straight away. Saves him the trouble. I really gotta fix this way of thinking, he thought grimly.
He would have to prove that he can actually just let the Demons live a few more times before the last two of the Titans finally trust him. But it wasn’t Raven and Robin he was most worried about now. The Demons…They were new ones, no doubt; he didn’t even know their names. But they couldn’t think…they were like mere weapons, living, efficient weapons. They couldn’t have escaped from the Hell by themselves, he was sure of it. When they were fighting today, they didn’t even make a sound. Didn’t have enough brain to say anything. That was another thing that helped him to think of them as ‘it’ rather than ‘he’ or ‘she’.
But if they couldn’t escape by themselves, who would’ve done the thinking for them? He was the Guard, he was the one who made sure none got away. With him gone, for the first few weeks there was bound to be confusion; some of the smart ones would have escaped, such as the Elemental Sisters. But the three he-they fought today? It was far too late for them to take the chance of confusion; the Hell would’ve got a new Guard by now. And even if the Hell didn’t, there was still the Executioner. If the Guard was gone, the Executioner had to take his place, he was sure of it.

The Executioner.

His face pale, he slowly closed his eyes just to open them once more. Of course. Why diddn’t he think of it before?
He sighed, and rubbed his tired eyes a few times. Time for bed. An early night would be nice, actually. He yawned even though he didn’t feel a bit sleepy and just sprawled over the bed, trying to go to sleep. The light went out after a moment.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Terra watched the video she’d recorded that day over and over again, more and more fascinated at each play. With an almost mysterious longing, she touched the monitor with a trembling hand; but took it away hastily. At the last part, where Beast Boy looked up directly into the camera, she paused it and stared at his face for a long time.

"Beast Boy, I…"

Tearing her eyes away from him, she turned her glance to the floor, where small stones were spread all over in a mess. She concentrated on them, trying to move them, trying to levitate them from the wooden floor. Nothing happened. Sighing with disappointment, she looked away, unable to understand why she kept trying. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted; did she want herself to have the power or not? If Beast Boy was true, and if she did erase her memory, it must have been because she was unhappy. But Beast Boy, he really liked her, she knew it; she could almost feel it from the way he talked to her, the way he looked at her. Why wasn’t she happy with somebody who liked her so much?
Did she like him that much? She wasn’t sure about that, and she might never know. But the strange longing she was feeling at him…

"I’m not a Titan. I’m not Terra. I’m so…normal. I don’t have any power."

She muttered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut tightly with sheer desperation. It sounded so convincing she almost believed herself. No, she had to believe herself, right? What she was saying was true. She had no power, she was just an ordinary citizen under the protection of the Titans.

However, when she did open her eyes…

"No…this can’t…"

The stones, even the smallest crumbles, were floating around in front of her, leering at her, at her naïve self…she looked down at her hands quickly, at her hands which were lit with golden light.

"No, no…"

Tears rolled down on her face even though she didn’t want them to. The stones began to spin around her faster and faster, smashing things on the way. Three particularly big ones flung at the monitor and smashed it, smashed Beast Boy’s face. She screamed. Her eyes began to shine in gold.

"NO!"

Was she happy that she got her power back that she was now able to join the Titans and fight beside them? No, she felt more like cursing herself for keep trying to wake her power up, when she finally got she wanted; ordinary life with ordinary friends. Why did she ruin everything? Why did she have to?

She clutched her head, muttering don’t lose control, don’t lose control over and over again, just like she had when she first met the Titans. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing them to stop, wishing herself to stop…

When the stones crumbled and she finally got control over herself, she wiped away the tears and straightened her hair. She awakened her power by keep trying; maybe she can make it go back to sleep by the same way. Nobody saw her, she was sure of it; if she just went back to her life, and pretended it never happened, she might be able to lead a normal life still.
I’m sorry, Beast Boy, she whispered to him inside her mind; but I’m not ready for anything yet.

She was too weak to be a hero.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-





OK, to be truthful, I don't really like this chapter; I didn't put my full effort on it, and I think it's kinda clumsy. Neither do I like the next one*sighs* Chapter 16 is a bit better than 14 and 15, so that's a relief*sighs again*:(



Thanks, Matt A! How am I going to connect Terra's and Jet's story, is to be discovered:D You'll know soon enough...in Chapter 17, which I'm still writing.

Thanks to everybody who read this-and it'll be really really really really nice if any of you would please give a feedback-and have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

Just for the record, I liked that chapter. The level of effort you put into something doesn't always correspond with how it's recieved.;)

Head-bending philosophising is, it must be said, one of my favourite things. Those kinds of internal monologues are things only books can do, or at least do well, creating the kind of twisted, confusing prose that makes you want to try and figure it all out rather than just get bored and wander off. Jet's borderline-suicidal state (gotta dig the paragraph on his cannon hand) and Terra's emotional head-mess were intelligently revealed and perfectly in-character, yet also leaving things wide open as to where they'll go next. My kinda stuff.:anime:

On that note, I get the feeling the Executioner will be saying hello soon. That'll be an interesting one...:evil:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 15.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Good morning."

The first thing that greeted the sleepy Titans was the delicious smell of sausages and fried egg. Jet’s eyes popped open, and in a fraction of a second he was sitting in front of the table holding knife and folk chanting ‘I love sausage! I love sausage!’ Beast Boy, with a grim face, muttered ‘barbarians’ or something like that and took out a bowl of tofu from the fridge. Starfire landed beside Robin gracefully, and Raven sat beside her with a cup of herbal tea.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here comes the one and the only, the bestest food in the world, Cyborg’s sausage-and-egg special!"
"GO CYBORG!!!!"

The cook, Cyborg, beamed hugely as the wide eyed version of Jet cheered loudly. Six plates each full of sausage, toast and eggs were laid in front of the Titans. Beast Boy turned around, looking disgusted at the ‘ruthless massacre’. Cyborg himself sat beside the green joker, casually threw the bowl of tofu away and shoved a plate right underneath his nose.

"Dig in."

That’s what Jet did, literally; with his nose almost in the plate, he shoved the food inside his mouth. He finished the entire plate in approximately ten seconds, scooped up Beast Boy’s plate and threw the whole thing inside his mouth. The other Titans, bewildered at this amazing speed, stared at him as he sprawled over the coach humming softly. He smiled at the cook.

"Can I say one word to you, Cy?"
"Go ahead."
"You are the BEST cook in the world."

Cyborg smiled in return. Yawning, Jet stood up, took his two dishes to the sink and went outside the door. Starfire, who was still in shock of Jet’s almost impossible speed at eating, blinked a couple of times and asked;

"Em…please forgive my rudeness, friends, but what did just happen?"

Beast Boy shook his head, indicating he couldn’t believe it either.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Remember.

His face grim, Jet headed to his room, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

What happened?

The three Demons, the ones spitting irons, disgusting, disgusted, slammed its head on the asphalt, he wished it would die, but he didn’t wish at the same time because he wanted to earn the Titans’ trust…then the obstacle course, the photo, his place, trashed, everything destroyed, then the Elemental Sisters, Fransar’s last words…’A traitor.’ Anger, anger, anger…Raven, sitting in front of him, holding a cup of tea, asking him about his friends…friends…

What happened?[]

Screams, gunshots, his own breathing, short, sharp gasps, rush of the wind around him, someone yelling at him, yelling at him, his head, dizzy, spinning, the night sky, the stars, so beautiful, so beautiful, someone yelling at him, familiar voice, but he can’t look back, he can’t, he can’t…

What happened?

His foot kicking the door open, his voice, yelling SHUT UP!, yet not his own, strange, distorted, cold, emotionless, automatic, just like a robot, a face, sneering, his hand, the golden energy ball, huge explosion, but he just stood there, watching the blinding light, nothing left, nothing left, lousy trouble makers, they were gone, his job was done, everything was done…

What happened?

A figure, a giant figure. Half burn, half melted, making strange sounds, like it came from the real Hell, no, he didn’t do this, it couldn’t have been him, he didn’t want this…unfamiliar hands, unfamiliar voice, leave me alone! Shaking him, punching him, telling him to snap out of it, that it was okay because the Demons aren’t humans any more, he shouldn’t feel guilty, he shouldn’t feel sorry, because the higher ones, the Satan, ordered him to kill ‘it’ and so it’s okay, it’s okay…

What happened?

Agony. Blinding pain…blinding light…mirror…himself…his legs engines and flesh, mixed together, disgusting, disgusting, but he couldn’t even scream because it hurt too, he wanted to close his eyes and just die, but he couldn’t do it, because it hurt, it hurt, it hurt…

What happened?

Everything was a blur…Screech of the brake, somebody yelling, a big black truck coming up on them, spinning, spinning, his own hands, without any holes on their palms, gripping the handle tightly, so tightly that the knuckles were white, his feet without any engines in them pushing down on the brake…then a loud crashing noise, unbelievable pain, and then numbness, just numbness, as if the pain was too great that the body couldn’t feel it any more. Blood, his hands, people coming out of the other car, three people sprawled around him, bloody, unconscious, Jonathan, Sam, Kamael, his friends, his friends…blood, whose blood was it? Oh yes, it was his, his own blood, something that didn’t exist any more.

What happened?

Yelling. A lot of yelling, fists, kicking, fight…but he couldn’t be sure whether this was the Hell or the slum he lived in according to the Hell. It could easily be both; the faces were blurred, none were recognizable, the sounds were muffled, he couldn’t be sure, he couldn’t be…

Remember.

He couldn’t, he just couldn’t. He stopped, realizing he was way past his room. Sighing at his own stupidity, he started to walked back.

Remember.

Jonathan and Sam. It was them, right? Laughing, laughing, but again he couldn’t be sure whether it was the Hell or the slum, whether it was after he turned into a cyborg or before. Then, orange hair identical to his own…Kamael, Sam’s girlfriend…yes, that’s what he remembered, that’s what Sam and Kamael said, and Sam wasn’t mutated, Sam remembered everything, Sam was smart, so Sam had to be right. Oh, and the golden hair, and the golden eyes…a girl, but who was it?…someone very important…Iruel…her and Jonathan were laughing together, Jonathan, who looked so grim and depressed lately. It must be the Hell, because they met Iruel after they came to the Hell. Then a girl, raven hair with a faint glint of blue and silver eyes like the full moon…she never looked happy, never smiled. Raven? No, it was Reriel, so quiet, so irritated. Then Zadkiel…ruby red hair, sapphire blue eyes…always smiling, sometimes scary…but he was a good friend, that’s what he remembered. The people in the photo, his friends, who laughed with him, who shared the memory with him. That’s what the computer, inside his head, said.

The Executioner, the Guard and the Watcher…
The Executioner. The Guard. The Watcher.
Were happy.
Could’ve been happy.

"I…can…remember."

Only fragments of what would have really happened, of what he would have been like when he was a human…he couldn’t remember his parents, but the Satan said his parents abandoned him long ago, when he was two years old. How did the Satan know it? The Satan answered that Sam told him. How did Sam remember? Because he’s smart. Sam had to know everything, yes, he was smart, a genius. He was the only one who remembered everything that’s happened to himself, Jet, and Jonathan…he was a human, not a Demon, a living human, like Dante from the Divine Commedia, travelling through the Hell. How did he know that book? He never read it before. It must have been Sam, again, or Zadkiel, or Reriel, who knows, can’t remember…then that person said that the Demons were actually the suffering souls, not the demons…that the real demons were more likely the Satan and the higher ones, the scientists.

"Suffering soul."

Sinned, fell to the Hell to pay for what they had done when they were alive. But what did he do? What did he do to be a cyborg, the Guard, a suffering soul? He had asked this question countless times, and he knew the answer already.

There was no way he would ever know, he thought as he stopped, this time in front of his room.

Because he would never remember.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Chapter 15, which, I think, I like more than Chapter 14. Thanks Matt A for your feedback:D Sure did encourage me. Well, yes, the Executioner is going to say hello soon, but not [i]that soon, if you know what I mean:evil: As for the rest of his friends, whose name are on this chapter, I'm not too sure about that;)

Zadkiel, Reriel, Iruel and Kamael are all angels' names. Jet was friends with Sam(the Watcher), Jonathan(the Executioner) and Kamael before he was taken to the Hell-according to his memory which isn't even whole-, and he met Zadkiel, Reriel and Iruel after he became a cyborg. Wouldn't go too far about this, cos it'd be spoiling my own story.

Thanks again to Matt A, and all those who read this but somehow NEVER leaves a comment:D :(

Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

That was...well, it was pretty damn bizarre. A comedy set-piece so stylised and unreal it would've been weird on the show, then a sequence of thoughts so frantic and bewildering I could barely keep a track of them, and without even so much as a warning about the change. They'd have both been head-bending on their own, but together...let's just say a tonal shift so complete and unexpected really shouldn't have worked, yet somehow it did. I've seen few stories that've had the courage to get as free-wheelingly mentalist as this, so congratulations.;) :anime:

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Wow. Those chapters were simply stunning. I loved Beastboy's angst, that was pure awesomeness there. The whole Terra thing was awesome too. And Jet's chaotic thoughts were very interesting.

You are a very gutsy writer, and it works. The blend of genre's you have going on is just perfect.

I really, really love this story.

:raven: (and I adore this face too.)

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 16.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Hey, Tara. Look who’s here."

Terra looked up to find Beast Boy staring down at her. Her eyes widened, and she felt her body going rigid with shock and-unbelievably-fear. Fear at what, she would never know. Without quite realizing what she was doing, she turned on her heels, trying to walk away from him. He grabbed her wrist strongly.

"Terra. I want to talk with you."
"I have nothing to talk. And I’m not Terra, I told you. My name is Tara Makov."
"You know you’re Terra! Come on, Terra. Please."
"Let me go!"
"Terra, please! I want to talk to you…I have to talk to you. Please."
"I’m not Terra. I’m not. Now leave me alone."

She knew she was Terra; she now knew she was. Her power, she could move earth…she was one of the Titan, Beast Boy’s friend. But she didn’t want to lose what she had now; she wanted to keep living as an ordinary citizen, an ordinary school girl, not a hero. She liked watching them fight, that was cool, but she didn’t want to be one of them. She was frightened of her power, and what it might bring to her; she wanted it to go back to ‘sleep’ like it had before. And to do that, she was sure that she shouldn’t be seeing Beast Boy or any of the Titans much.
And yet here he was, standing here, holding her wrist, pleading. She was afraid. She was afraid that he might realize her power was back, that she knew she was Terra after all. She didn’t want to be a Titan. She didn’t want to sacrifice herself again. Sacrificing herself once was enough.

"Please, Terra."

It hurt her just to listen to his voice, so sad and heartbroken, not at all like his usual cheerful one when he was around his friends. That might have included her once, too. But what could she do? She didn’t want to be a Titan. There was no way she was going to be in the team, fighting the villains. She was just an ordinary girl. Leave her alone!

"No. We’ve already talked through this, Beast Boy."
"You talked. I’m not done yet. I want to talk to you."
"No! Just let me go and leave me alone. I’m not Terra!"
"You are Terra! You have to be Terra. Just talk with me, and you…you’ll remember. You’ll remember how happy we were."
"If your story was true, and I did betray you guys, it sounds to me like I wasn’t really happy. Why would I betray somebody when I was happy with them?"
"That was…I can explain it."
"No. I don’t want to hear any explanation. It’s got nothing to do with me anyway. Find the real Terra, and leave me alone! What do you want from me?"
"I want you to remember who you are."
"I already know who I am. I’m Tara Makov."
"No. You’re Terra. You have to be Terra."
"I’m not. Now let me go! My friends are waiting."
"I am your friend. We, the Titans, are your friends! You have to come with me, you have to come back to us! Come back, Terra, please."
"Just…just let me go!"
"NO! I won’t ever let you go again. EVER!"

Beast Boy grabbed her shoulders and clenched his teeth in anger-or sadness. Terra looked away, not knowing what to do…she knew her friends would be waiting. They’d probably make fun of her and Beast Boy again, saying ‘Oooh our little Tara got a green boyfriend!’ or something similar. She didn’t want them to make fun of Beast Boy; but at the same time, she didn’t want to admit that she was Terra.
It was harder to make him let her go when she knew she was Terra. It was harder to be cold to him, to lie to him…but what could she do?
She was too selfish, someone who would do more harm than good to him, someone so kind…
The green Titan choked out the words.

"The last time I let you go…when you sacrificed yourself for this city…I believed you’d never come back."

Terra couldn’t answer. She looked away from his eyes, torn between the desires to break free from his desperate grip and run to her friends or break down on him, wail and cry, and admit that she was Terra.
Both of them didn’t seem like a good choice.
She didn’t want to choose anything.

"And I…and now you’re back, and I don’t want the same thing to happen again. I don’t want to let you go. I can’t let you go. I want you back, Terra."

She slowly turned her head to look into his eyes, at the sad, despaired eyes-perhaps the mirror image of her own. With trembling hands, she hugged him, just like when she was about to sacrifice herself in the pit of lava, fare welling him. She felt Beast Boy go tense below her arms, but then slowly he hugged her too. Her voice, choked and wet with tears, she breathed out;

"I’m really sorry, Beast Boy."

She could almost hear his heart crumbling beside her.

"I’m really, really sorry."

With a last tight squeeze, she broke free of him, running to somewhere, anywhere, but here. One last glance revealed the green Titan still standing there, his eyes glassy and not seeing, his heart completely crushed. Feeling her own heart tearing in half, she broke down when she found a dark corner, buried her face in her hands and sobbed and sobbed.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"I still don’t trust him."

Those were Raven’s first words when Starfire, with a faint glint of hope, asked her opinion on Jet.

"But he didn’t even kill…"
"I know he didn’t. But his look yesterday…I…didn’t like it."

It seemed like the other Titans-except Beast Boy, that is, who went out to town without telling his destination-had no reply to this; they, too, have seen it, noticed it. His look, cold, emotionless…the look on Robin when he was dealing a problem with Slade was mild compared to that, and that was about the most they had ever seen of ‘determined-to-kill’ look. Once again, as they had countless times after Jet had joined them, they wondered what on earth had the Hell done to Jet to brutalise him so much. They weren’t sure which one was the true side of him; the cheerful carefree guy who laughs with them, or the cold killing machine when he’s dealing with the Demons? Cyborg thought more about what Jet had told him the other day, about him being a machine that looks like a human. He hadn’t told that to anyone yet, for he felt like it was like a secret between him and Jet. They were both cyborgs, part or all of their body parts changed into machine. If anybody could understand Jet, it had to be him.

"Maybe to Jet, the Demons aren’t actually humans, or something he has to feel guilty when destroying."

He started thoughtfully, careful not to spill the beans.

"Maybe that’s why he doesn’t really care when he’s blasting them off…you know, just like what Slade or Brother Blood’s robots meant to us."
"It has to be more than that. Does that only apply to the Demons from the Hell, or all of the villains?"
"Considering his attitude at Plasmus and Mumbo, I’d say it only applies to the Demons."
"Then why? What makes him hate them so much that he even thinks he can just kill them?"

He doesn’t hate them, Cyborg thought inside his mind. It’s just that he doesn’t think of himself as a human too. It’s just that in his mind, it’s stated so clearly that the Demons aren’t just humans anymore, but something to be destroyed. Just his way of thinking…thinking, not feeling.

He just hoped Raven couldn’t read his mind. Long, awkward silence fell between them, as all of them thought hard of a suitable answer for the question, although they knew they would never come up with any satisfying explanation. That’s when the familiar voice, a voice they all didn’t expect to-and didn’t want to-hear now.

"Can I suggest you something?"

The Titans, somehow feeling guilty, startled and slowly turned around to face Jet himself. He was coming down the steps with his trademark casual smile. Nobody spoke, and he didn’t seem to be wanting for an answer.

"Maybe it’s that I hate the Hell so much I think of the Demons as a part of the Hell."

He headed to the fridge and opened the door without taking any notices to the Titans. In silence, they just watched what he was doing.

"That I feel like I’m destroying the Hell itself when I’m killing the Demons."

He took out a soda, opened the can and took a sip, still smiling.

"Or maybe I’m just so used to it, so used to killing them, so used to being a killing machine that I don’t really think when I kill them."

The can was empty now. He put it down on the sink with a soft ‘clink’ of metal.

"Or maybe,"

His smile got broader, although it clearly had the impression of a faked one.

"Maybe it’s because I know that they’re going to kill me if I don’t kill them."

His eyes fixed on Raven’s, he spoke out the words clearly and slowly.

"Because I know that they’re ought for my blood."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 17.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"What do you mean?"

Robin asked sharply, alert. Jet just shrugged as if it was nothing while keep smiling.

"Nothing. Well, you know, I was the Guard, and basically the Guard is every Demon’s enemy. I bet there’re some Demons out there who just can’t wait to rip me apart literally."
"You mean…"
"I’m not sure, but maybe the Demons come here because I’m here."

They’re sent here, by someone who wants me dead, he thought grimly. But I wouldn’t need to tell you guys that, would I?

"Jet…"
"Don’t worry about it. I can handle them…I’m the Guard, remember, there aren’t any Demons I can’t handle. And I won’t kill them. I promise."
"But…"
"It’s nothing, okay? No biggie. It’s just the Demons’ nature, man, and like I give a dang about them. I lived with them for like four or five years. I know how to deal with them. Don’t worry. I can handle them. You guys can handle them."

None of the Titans answered. Jet sighed, impatient now.

"Look, you guys all saw what I did with the Demons yesterday, right? So stop looking at me as if I’m a killing maniac."
"Jet, we don’t think of you as a killing maniac."
"…whatever."

The Titans’ faces hardened-even Starfire’s-, and so did Jet’s. After a moment of silence, he sighed and ran his fingers through his sun set coloured hair. The fake smile was gone now; his lips were in a tight straight line, and when he opened his mouth to say something the Titans all tensed with-perhaps-fear.

"I’m sorry, a bit edgy here. I’m gonna go out to the town. Anybody want anything?"

The Titans, who were half expecting to hear a full-on attack on their lack of trust in him, dropped their jaws at this totally unexpected apology. But soon the mood was eased.

"Pizzas would be fine."
"One has to be vegetarian. Beast Boy…"
"Oh no, I’m making him eat meat tonight. Forget that, Jet."
"All right, three pizzas, topping would be my choice. Deal?"
"Deal. Go for it!"

He smiled and waved his hand casually as he walked out of the door. The Titans all settled in silence, not knowing what to do. Raven’s mood was visibly bad; her eyes were narrowed, and her lips were sealed in a firm line. Cyborg tried to brighten up the mood a bit.

"Talk about mood swings. Ha. Ha. Ha."

That obviously didn’t help. Raven’s eyes got narrower until when she finally stood up, swept across the room and went outside the door. Robin scowled at him.

"Sorry," was all he could mumble out.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


All he ever wanted was a bit of a peace after that brainstorm that went through his computer. All he wanted was a drink, for goodness sake, and the Titans couldn’t leave him in peace for one single second! What did it matter to them anyway? It was his life; he was going to leave sooner or later anyway. It took all he had got to try and put away the urge of kicking his soda can at an innocent citizen’s head in front of him. He wasn’t succeeding; he was on the middle of actually putting the soda can in the right place and right angle when he realized that ‘innocent citizen’s head’ that was going to be his victim wasn’t really what he thought it was. It wasn’t every day’s head colour you’d normally see around Jump City. It was green.

"Beast Boy?"

It seemed like the green Titan didn’t hear him at all. Beast Boy just stood there, amongst all the busy crowds, at a point with his arms held out as if he was hugging somebody. Jet tried to call out once more-this time a bit louder-but thought better of it. He knew that look on the Titan’s face, and he knew it was best not to be disturbed when you have a face like that. The Titan was having a bad day, and that much was obvious. So he kept silent, and walked off in a different way. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he left his soda can too.

"Oh man, do I have to go back all the way or should I just buy another can?"

The answer came to him was neither, as he ran into yet another human being frozen at a place with tears streaming down on her face. Blond hair, and big blue eyes. She looked normal, unlike the one he just left. She was cuddling herself, unlike the one he just left.
And like the one he just left, he would have left her in peace and quiet huddled in her own space if only she wasn’t in his way of short cut to the Titans’ favourite Pizza place.
But unfortunately she was.
And just to his luck, the short cut happened to be a really narrow road between two high brick buildings. Jet glanced up at the sky, sighed and thought ‘somebody up there must hate me,’ and dropped his glance to the girl again.

"Em, hello?"

Like the green Titan, she didn’t seem to hear anything either.
Oh man, this is the worst day of my life. My life is complicated enough; why in the heck am I keep bumping into people with problems in their lives? With all the curse and swear words he know going through his head-and that’s a lot, considering where he came from-he knelt in front of the girl and waved his hands a couple of times trying to get her attention. No response. Not even a flick of an eye. Sighing, he stood up and studied the girl. Jeans, a beige coloured shirt and a jacket that matched the pants. She was really, really thin, but other than that she was normal. It seemed like she came to hang out with her friends, and her friends…’ditched’ her or something.
But why this girl was sitting there squatting in the middle of the road crying wasn’t really any of his business, so why did he care.

"Hey, look, I really gotta get through this road, so can you please go and huddle somewhere else?"

No response again. Jet now felt furious; okay, he was being as polite as he could be. He was in a bad mood already; this girl didn’t need to go and make it worse for him. He looked down at her once more. She seemed like she wasn’t registering any of her surroundings; maybe he should just pick her up, put her somewhere else and go on his way.
He actually was putting the thought into the action when the girl mumbled something out.

"…Titans."
"Huh?"

He stopped frozen in mid-action. She repeated herself, this time more audibly.

"You’re one of the Titans."
"Well, yeah. Not really, but I’m staying with them for now. So…can you like move, please?"
"…Titans…Beast Boy…just…LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Suddenly furious, she yelled and shot her hand toward him. A big chunk of asphalt carved itself out of the road and flew to him; he took off instantly, dodged and blasted it. He looked down at the girl, who was now staring at him with eyes that shone with golden light-a bit like his blast’s colour. Tears kept streaming down on her face.

"Just leave me alone. Leave me alone to get on with my life!"
"Hey, I didn’t even do anything to you!"
"I don’t want to be a Titan. Stop forcing me to be one. I just want to be a normal ordinary girl, so just leave me alone. ALONE!"

Another big chunk of asphalt flew at him. He blasted it again, and now in cold fury, he grabbed her and slammed her against the war. Crowds were forming around them now. Oh boy, he thought desperately; please don’t misunderstand this situation as me dumping her, please. I don’t even know her name. What with her crying and attacking him with her super power, it would be easy to mistake this as a breaking-up of a super hero-slash-villain couple.

"You’re not one of the Demons, and you’re definitely not the last one of the Elemental Sisters because I’ve seen her corpse myself. But you obviously hate the Titans, you hate me, and I’m not taking any risks here. Now answer!"

He barked.

"What are you? Are you a new Demon, or just a random girl with super power?"

The girl just sobbed on and on, without any replies. Jet, now seriously irritated, annoyed and furious, shook her harder and shoved his energy ball right under her nose.

"You see this? Its power is weakened, but it’s still enough to smash every bone in your small body. And I’m telling you, it’s not gonna be a pretty sight. Now answer before I lose my cool and blast you off."

She seemed to be afraid of that. Still sobbing, she managed to choke out some words.

"I’m Terra. NO! I mean, I’m Tara Makov. Oh I don’t know, I don’t know anything any more!"

Jet knew he had heard of that name before...Terra. Searching desperately across his memory file, he finally found where he came across that name.

The Titans, when they were discussing about him.

"We’ll still give him a chance. Everybody deserves a second chance. That was your saying, Robin. What about Terra? You gave her a chance even after she’d betrayed us. We gave you a chance when you were working for Slade. And in both cases, it worked out well. I mean, fairly well…You know what I’m talking about. It’s not Jet’s fault that he had to live in such an environment with such a power."
"Terra was different from Jet! She didn’t kill anybody."

Yeah, with a spirit like that, she wouldn’t even be able to hurt a fly, he thought as he released her from his grip. She just slumped there in a heap across the asphalt, along with the pieces of concrete Jet had smashed earlier on. The energy ball flicked out on his hand. He didn’t know this girl well, but the Titans spoke of her as one of their friends. Nope, no need to raise any more bad feelings against him between them by killing their friend. And seeing she wasn’t a Demon, it wouldn’t be necessary for him to attack her unless she seriously freak out like before and attack him first.

"Right. Er…hey, look, wanna go somewhere else? Because we’re, like, kinda in the centre of everybody else’s attention and I’m not really used to the limelight."

Terra nodded, wiping the tears off her face. She stood up, straightened her hair and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She seemed much calmer now. Sighing with relief, he held her hands tightly and took off.

Soon, they were nothing but a tiny speck on the sky with a trail of smoke behind them.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




After two chapters of some thinking and stuff, the story's up and going again.


Matt A / Thanks for the comment:D Yep, I know, chapter 15 was a bit of a mess; I wasn't really thinking when I wrote 14 and 15, I guess:( Jet's thoughts were meant to be frantic and stuff-the way he does whenever he remembers the Hell, because he's so frustrated and distracted.
You wondered how will I connect the two stories of Terra and Jet; well, the answer is in this chapter-simply by making them meet each other:D
Thanks once again for you continuous comments; I really do love them. Thanks!:D

Starrysky / Long time no see!:) Thanks for your wonderful compliment; I want to be a writer when I grow up-a novelist-and any comment like yours sure make me confident. Chapter 13, I did put a bit of an effort in there...and I do enjoy writing about Terra.(in fact I enjoy writing about her so much I'm starting to get this feeling that I'm not really giving much attention to Jet:sweat: )
Yeah, I know, :raven: this face is just so awesome!!! They've created her face perfectly! And this face:raven2: is totally cool too. I love you whoever's made this!


Thanks again to Matt A and Starrysky, and to those who's read this. Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

And now the story is starting to step up a gear. Jet and Terra meet for the first time, and in a way that, though deliberately set-up, felt a lot more natural than it perhaps should. That's partly because the two chapters connected together so well, but mostly because Jet getting violent kinda wasn't the expected response. Though his attitude made sense, it was still surprising.:anime:

I have to give you kudos for creating Jet. This is a character who can switch between cool and chillingly cold-blooded in the blink of an eye (his "can I suggest you something?" speech at the end of chapter 16 was just a masterpiece), yet this transformation is both consistent and, with a fully thought-out backstory, fully logical. If you ever get to reading my "Dwr Budr" stories, where I attempted roughly the same trick with far less success, you'll see just how hard this is to do.;)

Oh yes, and there must also be kudos for your handling of Terra. Her confusion and sadness was very well expressed: anything that can make me feel upset whilst listening to "Born Slippy", as the start of chapter 16 did, is doing a good job.;)

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

That meeting between Terra and Beastboy was intense. I loved the way you portrayed both of their feelings. The meeting between Jet and Terra was very well done, and Jet doing his whole thing about killing the Demons was a masterpiece. You've got the personality of Jet down very well, and it shows. When I read this story, I can feel it.

I absolutely love this story, you're a very good author and I wouldn't be surprised if I pick up a book you will write in the future from the bookstore. You're awesome now, I can't imagine how good you'll be later on. :D

Anyways, I adore this story and I can't wait for more!

:raven:

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 18.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Beast Boy, where have you been? We have sorely missed you!"

The green Titan didn’t answer to Starfire’s joyful voice. Instead, he just staggered across the operation centre and slumped down on the couch, his face grim and depressed.

"What’s the matter?"

Cyborg came and sat beside him. Robin stood behind him with a hand on his friend’s shoulder, while Starfire busily prepared the ‘pudding of sadness’. Raven hadn’t come out of her room yet-possibly meditating.

"I went to see Terra."
"Uh oh."

Cyborg gave Robin the ‘I’ll-explain-later’ look.

"She was…she said…she said she was sorry."
"Sorry? For what?"
"She said she was sorry."

Beast Boy repeated himself again, ignoring his big friend. Robin and Cyborg exchanged looks again while Starfire came to sit beside Beast Boy gracefully.

"Perhaps she finally remembered, and that’s why she is sorry? Because she remembered that she had betrayed us?"
"If she did, that would mean she’s not coming back to us…since, well, she’s not here with us right now."
"Which is a bad news, because we really could use her help here."

Starfire nodded, not catching what Cyborg quite meant by that. However, Robin, seeing the state Beast Boy was in, sighed and patted him on the back. Grim silence settled between them.

"It’s unfair."

Beast Boy whispered, his eyes wild;

"It’s unfair."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"I’m Tara. But the Titans know me as Terra."
"Uh huh."
"I once was a Titan. I had…I have the power to control earth. I joined the Titan but I couldn’t control my power. Then this guy named Slade came along, and offered me help, and I took it…and I betrayed the Titans. But I couldn’t go on like it. I betrayed Slade, and sacrificed myself to save the city. That’s what Beast Boy told me anyway."
"Okay, so it’s what Beast Boy told you, not what you remember."
"I don’t remember anything from the time when I was a Titan. I believed I wasn’t a Titan at all, that Beast Boy made a mistake until I accidentally…’activated’ my power again. I don’t remember anything. I don’t know anymore, okay? I don’t remember."

She seemed distressed. Jet decided to not to press her anymore, shrugged and took a huge bite of pizza. Being proud of himself for not forgetting his duty-get pizzas-even at this kind of circumstances, he glanced at the pizza boxes piled beside him. He just hoped they wouldn’t go all cold.

"How come you are a Titan anyway? How did you meet them? Was it cool?"
"You have a lot of interest in them for someone who attacked me just for being with the Titans."
"Well…well, after what Beast Boy’s told me, I…kinda feel like I’m associated with them somehow. And I did take some interest in them, yes."
"Well, it wasn’t anything big, really. Yeah. I just met Raven, invited her to a little tea party, brought her back home, nearly went crazy, met some annoying old pals on the way home, blasted them off, and unfortunately the Titans were watching what I was doing. They thought ‘Uh-oh that guy’s dangerous’ and caught me and somehow we got to be friends and, well, yeah. No biggie."
"You call that no biggie?"
"Hey, don’t be so sad. I mean, compared to what I’ve been through before, it’s not really a big deal."

Terra seemed to be thoughtful about this. She took a sip of her drink, and stared at him again. Her still gaze unnerved Jet. Gulping down his bite of pizza, he asked;

"…what? What’re you looking at?"
"I’m looking at you, obviously, wondering why on earth did my friends think you were hot."

This caught Jet a big time. He breathed in a big gulp of air while drinking, which, of course, made him choke and cough violently several times before calming down. Hammering his chest with a fist, he looked up at the so-called ‘normal’ girl.

"Be sensible and considerate about the others next time please. You nearly killed me."
"Well, that’s what my friends said anyway. And I don’t agree with that, for your information."
"Oh thanks! That sure did raise my self esteem. Honestly, is that something a girl goes telling to a guy whom she’s just met?"
"Not most of them, but I do."
"I bet you’re not really popular with the guys."
"Em, actually, I got loads of invitation for this year’s prom. They say I’m really direct and that it’s really attractive."
"Yeah, whatever. They clearly have no taste in girls."

Terra glared at him, slamming her fist on the table with enough force to rattle the whole thing. Jet gasped and recoiled in mock fright; they both burst in laughter. After a while of laughing and jokingly abusing each other, he started.

"It’s funny, because you’re like me."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. When you were a Titan, you were a new one…and now you can’t remember what had happened to you before high school. I can’t remember anything that’s happened to me before the Hell either."

Feeling Terra’s steady gaze on him, he hurriedly continued.

"It’s nothing like you. I want to remember, but it’s just that…well, you see, I’m a cyborg, my brain’s replaced with a computer, and they-the ones who turned me into a cyborg- kinda deleted everything that was in my ‘Memory’ folder. All I can remember is faint noise and blurred faces. So, well, I’m kinda like you, relying on my friend’s memory entirely to find out what had actually happened to me."
"Too bad you don’t have a back up CD-Rom."
"Tell me about it. But even if I do, I wouldn’t be able to put the CD inside my head so it’s no use either."
"Hmm. You got a point."
"See? I’m pretty dang smart."
"But what if your memories weren’t happy at all? What if it wasn’t ‘them’ who deleted your memory, but yourself because it was so…miserable? Wouldn’t you regret remembering that once you do then?"
"You got a point. Let’s call it even. But I think anything’s better than not knowing, really. Me…I just have to guess every thing that’s ever happened in my life. If I was seriously unhappy and somehow formatted my computer, well, okay, then I’ve had some seriously depressing life so far, but it can’t be any worse than the Hell. Even if the memory is real gloom…I’ll just have to deal with it. I’m dealing with the memory of the Hell, which has to be worse than any other, so I can deal with anything. You see, I’m quite tough."

Smile broke across her face, but it soon became serious and clouded again. After fiddling with her cup for a while, she asked;

"…but what about me? I…"
"You’ve betrayed them, but they forgave you. Don’t see any problem."
"Then do you think I should…go to the Titans?"
"Em, I don’t really get you?"
"Do you think I should go to the Titans, and tell them that I…have realized I am Terra, and that even though I don’t really remember anything, I got my power back?"

Jet tapped his chin with a finger, chewing over the problem and the slice of pizza he just tossed into his mouth. A moment passed, and he just shrugged, completely clueless. As he thought before, he had enough on his plate without worrying over someone else’s.

"I’m not really sure. It’s your choice; you do what you want to do. But…"

His eyes lingered on her face, then her hands for a moment. After that he glanced worriedly at back where their little fight scene would be somewhere down there.

"…for safety, I suggest you do."
"What do you mean, for safety?"
"Well, you can’t really control your power, do you? Judging by the way you were attacking at me, I think it’s pretty safe for me to make that decision. Unless you really can control your power, you’ll do much more harm out here with ordinary people than good."

Terra’s face pained. Jet shrugged again, not noticing her change of emotions.

"But with the Titans, you’re with the people who’re like you. I mean, Beast Boy or Star or Raven couldn’t have controlled their power fully from the very beginning. They surely gotta understand. And I’m telling ya, even if you do wreck some stuff there, they wouldn’t care."
"…but I just want to be an ordinary girl. That’s all I’ve ever wanted."
"Well, you have this power. Whether you like it or not, you’re never going to be a normal girl again. It’s your fate. Going to the Titans would be the best for you. And besides…"

He shot another uneasy glance around them, his eyes sharp and alert.

"…you’d be in a great danger."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, obviously you can’t control your power. And it’s kinda easy to track down somebody with super power without any control over it."
"So?"
"So if there’s anybody who’s looking for any kind of person with a natural born super power, you’d be fairly easy to track down."
"And? What’s it got to do with me?"
"Because as far as I’m concerned…"

He had finished the slice of pizza he was holding; his face now serious, he looked at the puzzled blond girl.

"…the people who’re after you aren’t nice people at all. They’ll change you into something other than human. They’ll change you and mutate you until you’re nothing but a weapon."

With that, he held out his hands to show the holes, his cannons. Terra looked positively distracted now. She looked away, averting her gaze from his hands.

"It’s not just about the others…it’s for your own safety."

She closed her eyes. Ice clinked as she dropped the glass on the table.

"The Hell, the Demons. They'll be after you, Terra. And believe me…if you ever get caught by them, your life will change forever."

Jet smiled, even though his fists were clenched ever-so-tightly on the table, hiding the holes on his palms.

"And I don't want anyone else going through all that."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Thanks to Matt A and Starrysky and those who read this!:)



Matt A / I looked it up, read it, and even though I'm only on the first few chapters I dare say you're a really really really good writer. C'mon, why aren't you writing anything now?:( I'd love to see some more of your work!
Believe it or not, when I first thought of Jet, he was supposed to be this grown-up-version-of-BB type of guy. Nope, no cold-blooded murderer side. I guess I like him more now, though.(actually Jet's personality has changed a lot...made him up like one and a half years ago...can't tell what was the original:confused: ) But thanks for your compliment anyway:D


Starrysky / Thank you so much, Starrysky!:D I'll just have to keep writing and writing so eventually I'll get my story published one day!:D I read your story too; it was wonderful, and I'm sorry for not writing any feedback on it. Seemed like you're not writing it anymore...which is unacceptable...please write some more please!:crying:
Well anyway.:sweat: Thanks for your wonderful compliment on the story, and on the characters. It's very encouraging:) Thanks a lot, Starrysky!:D




Em, and well yes, I was in some kind of a trance due to too much sleepy-headness, and the same goes for Chapter 19. On the next chapter, something and something big about Jet will be revealed...:evil: Stay tuned.

Thanks to those who read this, again, and have a nice day!:D


(and feedbacks are most most welcome:))





p.s. I can't use this face enough.

:raven: :raven2:

[Matt A]

So that's how Terra ties into all this. I like this new development: The Hell isn't just a problem for Jet and whoever he's with...it's a problem for everyone. Having read quite a few fan-fics with these kinds of "mythologies" (ie, characters with backstories that have circumstantial TT-verse connections at best), one thing I've become used to is that whatever problems the fan-made character brings with them will only concern the Titans, largely ignoring the wider world that they've so suddenly arrived from. However, with the new fact that The Hell is after all super-powered teens, not just Jet and his associates, you've taken that feature and turned it on its head: The Hell has become a much more proactive threat, bringing trouble regardless of what Jet does next. And the funny thing is...upping the drama of a story is never a problem.;) :anime:

On roughly the same subject: is it just me, or is Terra getting dropped back into Titan-style life not going to be an easy matter? And how much of that is going to be Raven's fault?:evil:

-Matt A-

PS: I'm glad you're liking DB. It's a rubbish story, but I'll take the compliment.:anime:
PPS: The reason I haven't written anything for a while is because I've been busy with uni work. However, summer break will be starting in a few weeks, so expect some output from me soon.:anime:

[Starrysky]

Once again, this was a brilliant chapter. Like Matt A. said, there are going to be major problems if Terra decides to go back to the Titans. Or even if she doesn't. I love how you intertwine everything. :anime:

Thanks for reading my story! I'm glad someone else likes it too. I'm still going to work on it, it was just that I had to study for exams...I'll probably update it today or tomorrow. :shrug:

Anyways, something more about Jet? I'm wasting away from the suspense! I love this story and I can't wait for more! :D

:raven:

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 19.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Raven stopped meditating after a while. She had lost track of time; she must have been meditating for a few hours now. The thought of Terra, Beast Boy and Jet mingled and was not helping her getting settled; there would be no point in continuing with the meditation, knowing it wouldn’t work. So she just decided to face the problem.

Terra. She was a nice girl-with, unfortunately, very bad sense of humour-, she could remember that much. She wanted to earn Raven’s trust, and she worked hard for it. Even though they did get up to a rocky start, she still valued the blond girl as her friend.

She did miss Terra, yes. She wasn’t afraid of admitting the fact that she was. But Beast Boy…he said she had to be back. His obsession over Terra was starting to unnerve her a little bit. He never showed that kind of attitude to anyone ever before; the closest he got was that strange angry mood he was in when they were involved with Atlas. But no, he had never shown this kind of…passion and confusion before. She knew that any of the other Titans’ feelings and longings about Terra was no where near to Beast Boy’s.

She knew they liked each other very much. They might have loved each other, she didn’t know. But the fate was cruel, and the two friends, the two naïve, young lovers were separated by what seemed like inevitable. It must be hard for Beast Boy to let Terra go when she’s back, with flesh and blood, she thought solemnly. It would have been much easier for him to let her go when she was a statue, because he knew he would never be able to bring her back. But now…

Her thought wandered on to Malchior. She felt the hot rush of fury and anger she always experienced whenever thinking about him. The traitor, who had used her emotions so cruelly, who had left her nothing but a devastating scar on her heart. Was that what Beast Boy, or Terra, felt when he or she was betrayed or committed the betrayal?

It was all so confusing, and she would never understand their emotions unless she read their minds. She would never know Terra’s feelings about Beast Boy because she had erased it all. So she shut the thought down, and thought about Jet.

A cheerful, cool guy in one second, then a grim, ruthless killer the next. Was the relaxed, easy going side of him just a mask to hide the anger and fury he held inside? Or was it just the way he was, the way of surviving he developed during the long, painful years at the Hell?
She remembered about his friends.

What had happened to his friends? He mentioned three of them. Jonathan, Sam and Sam’s girlfriend whose name was never mentioned. Jonathan was the Executioner, Sam was the Watcher and Jet himself was the Guard. He said they had split up, said good bye to each other…but she couldn’t imagine a friendship that had lasted through all that horror breaking up so easily.
What had really happened? Did his friends escaped with him as well?

Maybe she should use her ability of reading minds on him.

He didn’t kill the Demons the other day, no. But as she told to the Titans, she didn’t like the look on his face whenever he was fighting with the Demons. It was cold, merciless. She sighed and looked around at her room, wondering what Robin was thinking about this new comer now. He had expressed his distrust on Jet in front of her a few times, but he never would in front of Jet himself. He was being careful, she knew it; he was trying to make Jet relax, to get him off guard so he would be able to know what he really is like. She wondered what the other Titans were thinking of him. Cyborg was obviously very friendly with that guy…they were like best pals. Perhaps both being cyborg helped a bit. Starfire was thrilled to have him…but that was typical Starfire, welcoming any new ‘friends’. And Beast Boy…sometimes she wondered how can he trust someone so easily after being so brutally betrayed by someone he loved.

"Idiot."

She breathed, looking away.
She was hurt by Terra and Malchior’s betrayal because she had trusted them so completely.
If Jet ever did betray them again, this time she wouldn’t be so distracted by it…because she didn’t trust him, she always suspected him.

She didn’t want to be hurt anymore.
So she decided not to trust anybody other than her five friends.


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"Thanks for the pizza."
"Don’t mention it. I had to buy them anyway. So, what’re you gonna do?"

The blond former Titan just looked away, uncertain expression on her face. Jet just shrugged.

"Think about it, and decide what you want to do later. If any Demons come and attack you, it’ll be about five to ten minutes before we arrive on the scene. Just…hold for that five to ten minutes or so, and you’ll be fine. I hope."
"Thanks."
"As I said, don’t mention it. I’d hate it if you turn out to be like me."

Terra sent a puzzled look at him, but he didn’t seem to notice it. Or maybe, he just chose to ignore it. Either way he didn’t answer to her unspoken question, so she just gave it up, guessing he meant turning into a cyborg like him.

"Well, thanks, anyway, again, for flying me home."
"No biggie. Flying is what I do normally. Now you take care of these pizzas."

With that, he handed the three long-gone-cold pizzas to her.

"I’ll have to buy them again."
"Em, okay. I’m not sure whether I can actually eat them or not, but thanks anyway. And remember, don’t…"
"Yeah, I won’t mention what happened today to anybody in the Titans. Especially not Beast Boy."
"Good."

She smiled, and Jet managed to plaster a faint hint of grin on his lips.

"Good luck. Look after yourself. The Demons can be pretty nasty. Beast Boy would be literally heart broken if you were harmed or dragged into the Hell."
"I will."

With an understanding nod, she turned around and walked into her room. He got a quick view of the room she was living by herself; it would have been a lovely home for a teenage girl, neat and tidy yet somehow messy…only if it wasn’t trashed.
Another point there, he thought with a faint smile playing on his lips. You and me, similar in many ways. In that neither of us can remember anything, that our power is both golden coloured, our home has got trashed…

He took off, feeling the rush of wind around him. He looked up at the sky. It was dark already, and the night sky was filled with so many stars that it looked like a sheet of dark velvet unfold with sparkling diamonds spread all over it.
So beautiful, so beautiful…

"-OR!"

He abruptly stopped in midair when he heard somebody yelling at him. Or was that ‘somebody’ yelling at him, after all? Did he just imagine it? He was pretty high in altitude; if he didn’t imagine it, whoever’s yelling must have yelled their lungs out.

"-TOR!"

He was about to start keep going on his way to the Pizza place when the yell came again, clearly and loudly. Jet stopped once more and looked into that direction.
He knew that voice. No. He didn’t know that voice, he must’ve imagined it. It simply couldn’t be.

"-AITOR!"

His face hardened. He knew that voice. His fists clenched into fists. He wanted to turn and get away from that yelling, whether it was real or not. He wanted to run, run, run where he couldn’t hear that voice. But he knew he couldn’t; he would be a coward if so, and he knew the owner of that voice would hate him forever if he ever ran away.
Even though he knew it was just his imagination, a fragment from his past.

…or was it?

"TRAITOR!"

It sang through the night sky clearly. Jet closed his eyes, trying to erase that voice out of his head. Even though there were no more yells, and even though he knew it was his imagination, that it must be his imagination, it just kept ringing inside his voice again and again, the single word, the word that will be stuck with him until the day he will be…‘executed’.

Traitor. Traitor. Traitor…

"You see, Terra."

He spoke out without realizing it, his eyes wild and not seeing. He started heading towards the Pizza place, driven more by instinct to get away from the place rather than thought.

"We’re alike in many ways. We both can’t remember anything that’s happened to us before now. We both have power of golden colour. We both got our places trashed."

Traitor.

"But this is the most…the one which put us in the same brand of all."

It seemed like so long ago, when he saw a night sky like this, sprinkled with diamond-like stars. The day when the cool wind rushed around him, when the yell, the fierce yell, stabbed and pierced through his now-machine heart.

TRAITOR!

"I’m a traitor too. A traitor to people who were the reason I lived, who kept me from going completely insane at the Godforsaken place…but who I’ve betrayed."

Traitor. Coward. Sinner.

He smiled, a fake, a mask.

"I'm a traitor."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Thanks, Matt A and Starrysky, and those who read this!:D



Matt A / Yup, the Hell is after everyone with super power, except some mighty dangerous ones(Superman would be a good example) who, then, they would rather kill. They're also after some normal ones, too-like Jet was-to use them as experiments.
Terra's return would be a hard one...yes:evil: Jet having problems at being a Titan will be Raven's fault, as you'll all know:evil:
The relationship between the Demons, the Hell, the Executioner and Jet will be clear in later chapters. Not sure when it will be, though:confused: I thought I'd be up to, like, in middle of the story by now, but it's only beginning. Guess this'll be a lot longer than I first thought. Ah well:anime:
I'll be looking forward to your story!:D


Starrysky / I'M READY JUST TELL ME WHEN YOU POST IT!!!!!!:D:D:D Okay, I'll calm down now. Jet's big secret is that he's a traitor, too. Why and how and when and where and who, will be your guesses:evil: Because I'm not telling you until, em, let's say Chapter 40!:evil: Maybe it's a bit too early for this big secret of his, but anyway:sweat:
If Terra does return to the Titans, they'll have Terra in the 'Terra' episode-absolutely no control over her power whatsoever, and it might cost them dearly. If she doesn't, well, BB's gonna have a nervous break down which will cost them dearly anyway*looks away* I'm sorry, Terra, I do love you:evil:
Thanks, Starrysky!:)



Thanks again to those who read this. Have a nice day! Feedback are most welcome!:D

[Matt A]

Truth be told, I'm not sure what to make of this one. There was a lot of information given way, but as you said, it's all stuff that won't make any real sense until much later. The hints at Jet's recent past are a case in point: precisely what did he do? It must have been something fairly high-up on the treachery scale, given he's now pretty much a wanted man, but I've got no real ideas. And the thought of having to wait for chapter forty isn't making me happy.;)

In the meantime, I think Raven might just be stirring up some trouble. Her thoughts on the subjects of love, hate and trust were well played-out, especially given Raven's experiences of this emotional triptych thus far. Where she takes her conclusions will be an interesting one to see.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 20.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"I’m back."
"You’d better have the pizzas, man, cos it’s way past our dinner time!"
"Okay, I’m sorry, I really am. I was just hanging around, and I kinda lost the track of time. I’m sorry. Well, the pizzas are here."
"Hey, there aren’t any vegetarian options!"
"Well, my dear green buddy, it’s because you’re eating MEAT TONIGHT! "
"NOOOO!"

Beast Boy’s horrified scream filled the operation centre. Cyborg, holding a slice of pizza and an evil grin spread across his face-looking pure devil-chased him around until Robin finally snapped and told them to quit it. If Jet had not seen the green Titan with his heart totally crushed in the city earlier that day, he would have believed that nothing was wrong with the Titan. But now, after seeing the Beast Boy completely broken, and meeting Terra-who obviously was the reason for Beast Boy being in such a state-he could clearly see that the Titan was overacting. He acted as if he didn’t notice it, anyway; he had many things which he didn’t tell to the Titans. Wouldn’t be polite if he noses around their secrets.
Besides, he already knew enough.

After giving Beast Boy a long, pitying look-which the other Titans might have guessed as look of interest on such a protest at eating meat-he told Starfire that he didn’t really feel hungry, that he had plenty to eat already-which was true-and walked out through the door.
His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, and he could feel the buzz of air due to the vibration of his engines. It was something he got used to long time ago; as he walked down the red-brown corridor of the Hell, the energy ball fully charged, ready to be fired at whoever’s coming up next, let it be another annoying Demon, the Elemental Sisters, Changeling, Isaun…the Executioner, Jonathan.

He stopped in front of Raven’s room. He didn’t see Raven in the operation centre; he wasn’t really sure where she was, but it was most likely to be her room. He wasn’t really sure whether he wanted to talk to her or not; after that little fight with her, he still felt uncomfortable around her. But seeing how she values her friends, it was kind of understandable she got into defensive mode-not trusting any new comers-after Terra’s betrayal now. Okay, so why not give it a go? He swallowed nervously and held out a trembling hand to knock on her door weakly. Tap, tap, tap.
No response.

Thanking God for the first time in his life, and seriously considering himself an idiot for daring such a thing, he turned around light hearted only to crash into Raven herself. It seemed like she had taken a visit to somewhere; restroom, most likely, or perhaps the rooftop. Their crash had caused her to drop her book, and the leather backed book with height of about nineteen centimetres dropped square on his foot.

"AW! I mean…I’m…sorry…?"
"May I ask, if it’s okay, what on earth you were doing in front of my room knocking on my door?"

Okay, so obviously she didn’t take any notice on his apology, or the fact that her heavy book was causing him great pain even though his body was full of machines and his senses were seriously dulled. Having no answer for her question, he just bent down to pick up the book and returned it to her. Only then did he realize that for the first time since he met her-and it has been around two weeks now-he was seeing her with her hood off.
Struck by the horrifying realization on that yes, a single hood can make a really big difference on someone’s appearance, he stared at her face with his jaw hanging open stupidly for quite a time not realizing it was quite rude.

"…Jet?"

Being stared at for a while unnerved even Raven. She called out his name nervously, which made him finally snap out of it and quickly gather himself. He cleared his throat and plastered a polite apologetic smile on his face, then pointed towards the operation centre.

"I’ve brought some pizzas. I thought that you might like some dinner."
"I can take care of myself, thanks."
"Em, yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I know you can. But I was just trying to be nice, you know…"
"If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get through."

He stepped one step aside, and she just swept past him without giving him one glance. Before she disappeared into the darkness of her room, he glared at her angrily and said;

"You know, I can’t take this anymore. What’s the matter with you?"

She looked back at him sharply, eyes narrowed. There was no hint of smile on his face now, either. Two pairs of cold eyes glared at each other.

"Nothing."
"Well, then you have a problem with me, that much’s for obvious. Why can’t you just trust me?"

"Why can’t you just trust me?"
"’Cause you don’t deserve it! I have to meditate every day to keep my powers under control. And I’m supposed to believe that you can just suddenly control yours? Trust is something you have to earn!"
"How? How do I earn it?"
"You can start by trusting me."

She was suddenly caught in one of the flash backs, the one with Terra. The blond Titan asked the same question to her, with the same anger and disappointment in her blue eyes. For a moment, she was seeing Terra instead of Jet in front of her, and so she gave the same answer as before.

"Because you don’t deserve it."

Jet obviously got it in the wrong way.

"WHAT!? What is that supposed to mean? What, I’m not good enough for you to trust? Is that what you’re saying?"
"No. It’s just that you’re new. And I don’t trust new guys easily. Especially when they have power to kill people."
"It’s been two weeks since I got here. I think two weeks is pretty long time. You don’t trust me because I killed something you consider as people, even though I told you today that they’re ought for my blood. Look, I’ve already been to three missions with you, haven’t killed a single soul since I got here, and these things, controllers, whatever, have weakened my blaster seriously. I wouldn’t be able to kill anybody even if I want to, I told you!"
"We’ll see. Don’t push it."

Jet was positively frustrated now. He slammed a fist into the wall, ignoring the sharp pain. It didn’t really hurt thanks to his dull senses anyway. Glaring down at the Titan-for he was at least half a foot taller than her-he breathed out the questions.

"Why do you judge people before you even get to know them? Why wouldn’t you admit that you might be wrong and that they might be trust worthy? Why don’t you even give them a chance to prove themselves, huh?"
"I know I’m right about you. You’ve admitted it yourself that you’re a killer. Besides, I am giving you a chance. I’m just trying to be careful; I don’t want any harm done to my friends."
"And how long would it take you to consider me as one of your friends?"

Raven couldn’t find any answer to this for a moment. She stared into his eyes, the brown eyes filled with frustration at her lack of trust in him. It disturbed her. She turned around, hid fully inside the darkness and answered shortly.

"Maybe forever."

The door slammed shut in his face.


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Did I mention the fact that I just LOOVVVE making Jet and Raven fight?:evil:


Anyway, here's Chapter 20. Back to the main story, about Raven and Jet and how Jet is sooo angry at Raven for not trusting him*smirks evily* And in next chapter, Jet will find out about Malchior...and a full attack from the Hell. Em, maybe the full attack from the Hell would be on Chapter 22. Ah well:?


Thanks Matt A! Don't worry, Chapter 40 will be in front of you in no time:) Jet's past...yes, that's the main thing of this story. It'd be well clear later...later...later.:evil:
I just love using the part about Terra and Malchior whenever something's connected with Raven. I mean, those two are the ones she trusted so much, and reacted with the same fury and sadness when betrayed. Had to have some effect on her ability to trust new people when that kind of thing happened twice. I know what it did to me once;)



Thanks to those who read this. Have a nice day!:D


p.s.

The reason Jet is staring at Raven isn't because he's fallen in love with her or anything...it's just that he's so shocked she looks so different with her hood off-the way I did when I first saw her with her hood off. It was from an ad, and I was just sitting there gaping for five minutes after the ad was finished, thinking 'okay, so, I know she's that weird girl with the hood, I'm so sure there was something different about that girl, okay, what was it? C'mon, think, think...OH MY GOSH SHE HAD HER HOOD OFF!!!' and tha was when I fell in love with her:?(before that I loved Star)

Yeah, just a bit of an explanation.

[Starrysky]

Very, very good. But for you, that's not surprising. :D

I loved the shock on Jet's part, and the confrontation was powerful. Wow, Raven is going on full snarky mode. Ouch, that last line must've hurt.

Anyways, I absolutely loved it and I can't wait for more!

Oh, by the way, I posted another chapter on my story. I'd love it if you would read it! Thanks! :anime:

:raven:

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 21.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"…man I hate her."

Cyborg looked curiously at Jet, who had just charged into his room and, without any explanation, began muttering things that are best unknown about Raven. He was speaking so fast and so angrily that the big Titan hardly got a chance to find out what was going on, or defend his friend who can be quite…hostile to new comers. It wasn’t really hard to guess, though; judging by Raven’s reaction to Jet, he could be pretty sure that they had yet another fight, and Jet was in a seriously bad mood because of that. After a while, Jet ran out of breath and finally stopped, gasping for oxygen. The big Titan looked at him and wondered for a moment whether Jet was acting this way because he hated Raven or really liked her. But then, he decided it didn’t matter, because whichever one it was, it would create a bit of a problem for both of them.

"Once you get to know her, she’s quite nice, you know."
"Yeah, and once she gets to know me, I can be quite a nice guy too."
"Jet…"
"OK, I know she doesn’t trust new people that easily, she said it twice and Robin said it once already, but come on Cy! This is just way too much. She wouldn’t trust me NEVER EVER EVER! All because I’ve killed those pathetic Elemental Sisters."
"…Killing three people is pretty bad, you know."
"Yeah, I know, but it wasn’t that bad in the Hell."
"This isn’t the Hell."
"I know. But…it takes me some time to get used to the fact, okay? It’s just that…"

He closed his eyes. The corridor, empty corridor filled with scents of dried…blood. Disgusting ‘things’ with cords and wires sticking out if it…slimy stuff that once was human. No light could be seen, there weren’t any trees or plants or soil. Every breath was filled with toxic, and under the dim red light, everything around him was driving him crazy until he was nothing but a machine.
He was brought back to present when Cyborg put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled weakly at the concerned Titan and brushed his hand off.

"…I’m fine."
"Jet, you know, you kinda get either really depressed or really furious whenever we’re talking about the Hell."
"Uh huh, talk to any Demons with enough brain left to actually think and speak, and they’ll all show the same reaction as me."
"What was that place like anyway?"

Jet frowned hard, and opened and closed his mouth several times as if to say something. Finally he gave up on explaining it by his own words.

"It’s just the hell on this Earth. Let’s put it that way."
"…okay, that narrows it down."
"Hey hey hey, don’t be so sad. That’s the best I can do! I mean, heck, how can I explain it? You gotta be there by yourself to actually…understand it."

Cyborg nodded. He couldn’t imagine what the place would have been like, and he didn’t think he would be able to feel the horror like Jet did even if he did explain it. Silence settled between them until Jet broke it.

"Cy."
"Yeah?"
"Tell me about you guys’ history."
"Huh?"
"You know. I mean, it couldn’t have been you five all the time. Must have been a couple of kids who were with you guys."

The Titan stared hard at Jet for a while, wondering whether he knew about Terra or not. Well, maybe it was out of pure interest. And it wasn’t something to keep as secrets forever anyway. So he decided to tell him.

"Well, actually there had been a Titan before you. Her name was Terra."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Robin, I want to talk to you."

The Titans’ leader looked around to face Raven, her face hidden by her hood. As far as he knew, she wasn’t somebody who goes up knocking on the other’s door in midnight just for the fun of it, so he nodded, motioning her to come in. The door slid shut behind her as she stepped in.

"I guess it’s about Jet, right?"
"Yes. I want to know what you think about him…and how shall we treat him."
"Well, I think he’s an okay guy, really. Just gotta learn to control himself a bit, and then he’ll make a good addition to the team."
"…okay."
"You don’t trust him, do you?"
"No. And I don’t think you do either."
"No. Not really. But I’m still giving him a chance. I don’t really trust him, but I trust him enough to bring him with us to the missions that involve the Demons. He didn’t kill the three Demons yesterday. If he keeps going like that, I think I’ll actually trust him and give him the communicator."
"But how can we trust him? We don’t even know anything about him except the few things that he tells us. How can we trust him when we know so little about him?"

Robin stopped what he was doing-which was filing the documents on Slade-for a moment to look at his troubled team mate. He put down the piles of papers on the desk and came to stand in front of her. He stared directly at her eyes for a brief while, now with an assuring smile on his lips.

"Last time, I remember, Beast Boy said the same thing about you. I told him that you’re our friend, and there wasn’t anything else to know about you. He accepted it…and now look how it’s turned out to be. You’re our really good friend, Raven, and you know that. Let’s give the same chance to Jet as we did to you. Okay?"
"…but…I just really don’t trust him. I just can’t. I mean…his look, when he was fighting with the Demons…it still troubles me."
"When you attacked Dr. Light with red eyes, it troubled us too. But we still trusted you."
"I just can’t."
"Everything will be okay, Raven. Everything."

The trouble still hadn’t ceased in her mind yet despite his words. She just shrugged and looked down at the floor. She knew her friends had done the generosity of trusting her when they knew absolutely nothing about her. Maybe she should show the generosity to Jet, too.

But…

"…I think I’m afraid of trusting new people, Robin."
"I knew it."
"What if he betrays us? What if he betrays us, like Terra did, when I trust him?"

Robin just smiled.

"We’ll just have to bring him down. But who would he betray us for? There’s no Slade, no Brother Blood. The most likely possibility is the Hell, and we already know he hates it. It’s perfectly safe."
"I just don’t want to be betrayed anymore. I think that’s what my problem is."
"With your experience of Terra and Malchior, I’d say it’s perfectly understandable. But Raven…"

He gave a slight pat on her arm, to comfort her, to reassure her. Even though it wasn’t much of a help, she could still feel that he cared about her.

"…just remember, that if we were afraid you might betray us when we first met you, we would never have this great friend with us by now."

She smiled weakly, not knowing what to do other than that. She just turned around and left the leader with his work on his former nemesis.

In spite of what her friend had told her just now, she still couldn’t trust Jet.
She knew that Robin was right logically; there wasn’t anybody Jet could possibly betray them for, or anything, as for that matter.

So why, she muttered to herself angrily, why couldn’t I do it?


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Thanks Starrysky!:D Thanks for such a wonderful comment:) Yes, the last line...hmm, well, you can be pretty sure that Jet and Raven's gonna hate each other even more and more now:evil:

Honestly, Raven does look different with her hood off. I mean, man, just look at the icons! :raven: and :raven2: ! If you hadn't watched the show, you'd never be able to guess they're the same people. I mean, well, I won't be*looks away*


Yup, I've read the new chappie on your story, and commented on it:D You're evil, you:evil:








Thanks to those who's all read this, and have a nice day!:D

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 22.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"…and that’s how she’s back in this city, alive, but without any memory of us."

Jet already knew the summary of the story, but nonetheless listened to the big Titan with great interest. He always liked stories, and this one, he wanted to know the full detail. Even though he only heard what the big Titan had experienced-thus not being able to know what Robin or Starfire or Raven had felt when they were fighting with the traitor-he could be fairly sure that the Titans, Raven, trusted Terra completely, and was hurt greatly when the blond girl betrayed them.
So what’s it got to do with her not trusting him?

"Do you think there’s any relationship between why Raven doesn’t trust me and Terra’s betrayal?"

Cyborg considered this for a while.

"Maybe. I can sorta guess there is. There’s another treachery she’d experienced too, and I think those two combined together is kinda making it hard to let her guards down when it comes to trusting you."
"Another treachery? Geez, she’d had some tough life."
"Tell me about it."
"No, you tell me about it. So what was it?"
"Well, there was this book she was really into. Its cover was white, and like all the books she reads, it was a really, really old one full of old stories-the sort of thing you or me would never read."
"Go on."
"Well, she was just so into it, in fact so into it that if any of us didn’t nag at her to come out she’d just stay in her room and read even when there was a trouble. Then Beast Boy got like…pretty foul-tempered at her for not joining with us in this marvellous game called stankball. I’ll introduce you to this later. He went all psyche and told her like why was she so creepy and all."
"Harsh."
"Exactly. I guess she felt like a loner a bit. Then this stupid thing happened and the book turned out to be a wizard named Malchior."
"A book, turning into a wizard? Whoa."
"He kinda comforted her and you know, all the stuff. I think she fell in love with him."
"…are you telling me that Raven was in love with a BOOK!?"
"Listen, the story gets more and more bizarre. She learnt new spells from him, you know, to free him. Eventually she did, and, well, it turned out that Malchior wasn’t a wizard but a dragon actually. He lied to her, and used her to free himself."
"SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH A DRAGON!? Geez, that’s seriously weird even for her."
"Truth be told, she was actually in love with the wizard, not the dragon. Anyway. Remembering what she read from the book, she cursed and imprisoned him again."
"Now that was bizarre."
"Exactly. But considering that was Raven’s first love, I’d say she was really, really hurt by it."
"…I guess."
"And maybe that’s what’s got to do with her now."

Jet stared questioningly at his big friend.

"Maybe she doesn’t want to be betrayed again, to be hurt again. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t trust you, to not to be hurt."
"…well, in that case. I gotta have some words with her. Thanks for the info, Cy."
"Er, yeah. Look, Jet, just try not to be harsh on her, ‘kay? Sometimes I think of her as my little sister, and there ain’t any big brothers who like it when their little sissie’s hurt by a bully."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. I’ll try. Goodnight."

His usual, trademark smile was the reply to Cyborg’s worried look.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Raven moved closer to the door, being really annoyed at having to stop her meditation thanks to whoever it was knocking on the door. She opened the door ever-so-slightly just enough to show half of her hooded face.
She was actually surprised by the identity of her guest.

"…Jet?"
"Yeah."
"What are you doing here, at this time of night?"
"Well…I just wanted to tell you something."

She frowned slightly, but didn’t close her door or say anything to discourage him. He drew a deep breath as if to calm down himself, and said his message straight away.

"I wanted to tell you that you’re a coward."
"…what?"
"You heard me. That’s what I wanted to tell you. You’re a coward."

Raven stared at him incredulously, uncertain what to do. A coward? She had never heard that word being directly addressed to her before, by somebody so new and who didn’t even know her well. Terra did say it once, but it was when they were fighting, shouting insults at each other. So that didn’t count.

"…and by what right are you saying it?"
"By the right of somebody who’s just heard a full background story on your love life with that dragon."

She narrowed her eyes. What was he going on about now?

"And what do you mean, I’m a coward?"
"Well, I’ll explain it to you. I understand you’ve had some heart breaking experiences so far, okay? And I’ve heard about Terra and Malchior and how they’ve broken your heart. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust any new guys coming up at you, trying to be friends. Haven’t you ever heard this saying before? Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Or this. You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back. I know you read a lot, so I’m sure you must’ve read either one of those two somewhere. They’re quite famous. I know you’re afraid that you might be hurt, again, because of me if I ever should betray you. But being hurt is much better than just not trusting anybody. I mean, everybody experiences some sort of treachery at some point in their lives. But they all get over it, find new friends and love and continue on living. You’re just a coward, hiding inside yourself like that because you don’t want to be hurt."

Raven glared at him, biting her lips. And just who did he think he was, coming up at her and giving her a lecture on as to how she should live her life? Her voice level and dangerous, she whispered;

"I don’t trust you not because I’m afraid of being hurt, but because you’re a murderer."
"Raven, that’s only a part of who I am. You don’t really know me, and I don’t really know you. We only know what we can see of each other, and it’s not a good side for either of us. What you do know is that I am a murderer, that I can kill the Demons and I am willing to kill them, and yes, that’s true. But you don’t know why I am doing it. And me…the stuff I know about you is what the other’s been telling me. That you don’t trust new people easily, and that you’ve experienced two treacheries already, and are dreading a third one and its consequences. Both of us don’t know enough about each other, and we’re prejudging each other by what we know even before we get to know you, or me. And I don’t like it."

She looked away. She knew he was telling the truth, even though she didn’t want to admit it; she didn’t try to get to know him, and he didn’t try to get to know her either. They always avoided each other, thinking what they know about the other now is all they had to know.

"I know it’s hard for you, Rae, but don’t make it hard for me too. Stop being a coward and give me a real chance. You’re starting to really get on my nerve. That’s my message. Good night."

She just stood there, looking at the floor until Jet turned on his heels and disappeared around the corner.
His word rang inside her head, repeating itself again and again;

Coward.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Chapter 22 here.

Man, I honestly don't BELIEVE this.

One comment and I would happily post the new chapter...I waited like four days, and nothing came. Man that's hurtful*rolls eyes*

I'm sorely missing Starrysky and Matt A now. Oh man, guys, come back!:( Where on earth are you?





Well anyway, just to keep the few of you who might read this informed:

Since next chapter, the story about Jet will get, say, serious. This is sooner than I thought, but heck who cares; Jet's big secret might come out in Chapter 30 or 35.

But first I'll have to write Chapter 24 and 25...:-(


Thanks to all those who read this, and have a nice day.

[Dragonscar]

the Inferno, Chapter 01.

Wow. Really nailed the characterization of Raven and most of the other Titans there. I was pleased that your character Jet, wasn't totally irresistable to Raven. Oftentimes, a new writer will throw Raven on top of him (or . . . her? O.o) in the first chapter and they're . . . being nasty. I'm relieved that you've shown control in this case.

That being said, I have some thoughts about areas where improvement may be in order:

Raven seemed a bit too quick to want to go with a complete stranger. Jet may seem a bit trustworthy the way he talks, but his persistance, the way he appears out of nowhere and wants to take Raven away . . . I'd think she'd be a bit on the suspicious side.

Jet seems like an interesting character so far, though I would prefer a little development with him before introducing him to the Titans. An even more creative idea could possibly be him already being on the team, and then explaining how he came to be so through flashbacks and the like.

An interesting twist would possibly be to pair Jet with Starfire, Terra, or another girl of the series. The way you've set it up, I can already tell Raven's going to (eventually) fall head over heels for Jet. Admirable, but hardly original. I would try and take the predictability off a bit just by him flirting with other girls, and having no real obvious connection with her.

This chapter seemed to be very . . . rushed, to put it mildly. I got what you wanted to do, but more detail and dedication could serve better in the future. Don't be so hasty to move on the next chapter.


Overall, I'd give it a starting score of 6.5/10. It has potential, but has a lot of room for improvement as well.

~Dragonscar

[Death_lash]

Wow, thanks, Dragonscar!:D



I know Chapter one was a bit...say...'crappy', really. Yeah, I did rush:sweat: I was just too...say...excited to get on with writing a TT fan fic, and I didn't really pay much attention to the details. This might have had a different start, and a different ending, but I was already posting this on another TT fan site-couldn't be bothered to write another beginning- and if I did choose the other ending it would've got WAY out of hand. So I decided to stick with the original one, fixed a few problems but didn't really care...*looks away* Well, my fault:shrug: The same excuse goes for Raven and her out-of-characteristic problem. Gotta fix them sometimes.



As for your suggestion...Well, flashbacks aren't really my thing.*sighs* I'm having problem with keeping it in present tense:sad: . Besides, there's gonna be a flashback later on, and it would be like flashback in a flashback. Well, gotta admit that idea didn't actually cross my mind:sweat: Hey, come to think of it, I could've done it! Oh man...*sighs*

...and pairing Jet with another girl on the series? Hmm, okay, definitely not with Star or Terra. I'm a strong RobXStar, BBXTerra fan...BBXTerra part would be clear to you when you read the later chapters, starting on Chapter 12 or 13:) I'm not sure how to put RobXStar in, but anyway*rolls eyes*
Yup, I know it seems like it's going to be JetXRae in Chapter 1~2. You see, those two first chapters were written ages ago. Like three months before I wrote Chapter 3. Well, I did want to go in a JetXRae story then(and the plot was much simpler), so I put some things to be seen like that. I tried my best to fix it when I started the story again, but man, that was a tiring, headache-creating job. So Chapter 1 and 2 were neglected again:sweat: But now-well, I can assure you that Jet and Raven are both gonna be singles;)*fingers crossed* Although Jet might have a stalker appearing in latter chapters...:evil:









...and just to get off-track a bit, I didn't really think there'd be any girl/girl or boy/boy fic in this forum. Guess I was wrong*sighs* I haven't actually come across any, but then I don't really read other fics much. OK, gotta fix that*rolls eyes again, for like the fourth times*

Thanks for the feedback, again, Dragonscar*grins* I always like a bit of criticism for my fic, even though I'd be really hurt if it's too hostile like the certain incident in another TT site:sad: 6.5/10 is pretty good, but I'll be aiming for 9~9.5~10 or so, so be ready and stay tuned:evil:




Oh, and I'm up to Chapter 23 now...it's gonna take you a looooonnnnnnggg time to read all of them! MWAHAHAHAHAHA:evil: Unless you're a really fast reader, that is, but aaannnyyywaaayyyy.

Thanks for the comment again. Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

Sorry for being away so long. I spent the last week at home finishing off uni work, and I couldn't get net access. But hey, I'm back now.:anime:

That be three good chapters, all told. Raven's always good fun to read when she's being a vicious little b*tch, and though there's still ample oppourtunity for her to get even worse, she was still being pleasantly unpleasant. As you said, the "maybe forever" line was an A-grade example of cruelty.:evil:

But, surprisingly enough, there's one thing I dig even more: that Jet gives as good as he gets, if not better. The "I wanted to tell you that you're a coward" skit was an ego-demolision of epic proportions, and not only was it brilliantly unexpected (it wouldn't have been my response to the Malchior story, let's just put it like that), it was also both a platinum Jet moment and one of the best rants I've ever seen. More to the point, it's very rare in fan-fics for Raven to get the ego-demolision she so richly deserves, so every time I see one I just want to run through the streets celebrating: most people seem to think Raven is a just pleasant young lady who needs a bit of prompting to show her true pleasantness, which she kinda is, but it's good to see a fellow writer who also recognizes that her cold-blooded behaviour is as unacceptable as her reason for it is endearing. And after that epic sentence, I just need to say this: congratulations for such a spot-on piece of character analysis.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 23.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Jet, I have to ask you something."

Jet groaned and grunted and twisted inside his blanket. It had been a few days since his last confrontation with Raven, and those few days had been quite tiring. Raven started ignoring him completely, and that was making him even angrier than when she did notice him and blamed him for killing the Elemental Sisters. The other Titans-even Robin-seemed fairly friendly to him, but it was just that one girl that was making him really, really irritated. Every night he would go to Cyborg’s room, complaining about Raven until very late, and learning what had happened to the Titans so far-such as Raven turning into a bunny because of Mumbo’s spell, and Jet laughed heartedly over that-, or their old nemesis such as Slade and Brother Blood. As the result, he always went to bed at about three o’clock in the morning. Even though he always went to bed really late and got up really early in the Hell, his body was quickly getting used to the new habit of going to sleep really early and sleeping in. It was as if he was catching up on the four years’ sleep he missed when he was the Guard of the Hell.

Well, he went to bed at half past three last night, and Robin was waking him up at seven o’clock that day, and that, somehow, really annoyed him. He only got three and a half hours’ sleep; although it was about twice as much as what he got in the Hell-he usually went to bed at three o’clock, have a quick sleep of one or two hours then went on to full functioning mode again-he felt as if his eyelids were made of lead. They sound similar, lid and lead, that was the first thought that popped up in his head showing just how messed up he was right now.

Gradually, inch by inch, he popped himself up on one elbow, yawning constantly and rubbing his eyes. After a while of squinting and frowning, he could finally focus on Robin’s face, and felt his brain working again. It must have been about ten minutes since the leader of the Titans talked to him. He mumbled in the sleepiest voice he could get just to make the Titan feel guilty.

"Yeah?"
"I’m sorry if I woke you up. But I need your advice on designing a new cell for the three Demons we caught the other day."

Demons? What Demons? Then he remembered the three iron-spitting ‘things’ that appeared some time ago. Guess he was still sleepy, forgetting a business about the Demons. He nodded, got out of bed and did some few stretches. He felt like he had a headache even though it wasn’t possible; he was a machine, for goodness sake, and as far as he could remember-and he could only remember being a cyborg, thanks to the memory deleting of the Hell-he didn’t even catch a cold. His body wasn’t simply designed for those kinds of things, those human…imperfections.

Robin stood there patiently, his arms folded across his chest, watching. Jet put on his long black coat and started walking down to the corridor, with the Titans’ leader following him close by. The other Titans were all in the operation centre already; Cyborg, not looking any better than Jet himself; Beast Boy, plastering a big fake smile on his face, even though it was clear that he was still grim about Terra, and that he was sleepy as well; Starfire, talking to an un-responding friend with a bright smile; and Raven, the un-responding friend herself. Everything seemed pretty much normal. Jet stood in the doorway, not sure what to do, when Robin led him by his elbow to the computer.

"We used steel bars and stuff for ordinary prisoners, but the Demons clearly aren’t ordinary prisoners. We’ve put them in a concrete cell without any metal objects in it, but it seems like they had ability to chew concrete as well other than iron. We were thinking that it’d be really useful if you tell us what you used in the Hell to keep this kind of guys under control."

The only expert on the Demons-well, out of the room, anyway- frowned, tapping his chin with a finger. Finally, he shrugged and started typing down a few things. He glanced nervously at Robin as he typed down the devices he used in the Hell for each of the Demons’ rooms.

"Well, gotta warn ya, I haven’t seen those guys before, but I’ve seen similar ones. And I’m not really good at computer and program and things. This is more like the Watcher’s stuff, not the Guard’s. But I’ll try my best."
"Just have a go. We’ll bring them down again if they ever escape, but better to get them out of the way once and for all."
"Yeah, sure, just can’t help keep thinking it’d be, excuse my French, bloody useful if Sam was here… "

Jet stopped typing and talking at the same time as the screen flashed suddenly and the word processor began to be filled with letters, words, sentences. He stared at it wide-eyed for a moment, silently mouthing the word that filling the blank, white page. He couldn’t believe it. The Titans gathered around him to have a look at that. It was Robin who first realized what it was.

"…is it…"
"It certainly is the document about the three big bullies, yeah. It’s from the Hell. You see these photos? These are the people who’re changed into the Demons. That’s their powers, that’s the list of things that should be removed or morphed or anything like that to change them into what they’re now…and this is their weaknesses. I guess you can use it."
"Dude, how did you get it?"
"You know I don’t have anything to do with this. Neither the Guard nor the Executioner is supposed to be handling this kind of information-there’s a big fat TOP SECRET written all over it. It’s only allowed for the Watcher. And as far as I know, the only Demon smart enough to hack into computers of super heroes and send this top-secret info is the Watcher…Sam."

Raven looked down at him, at his bewildered, shocked, almost frightened expression. The Watcher, Sam. He was one of Jet’s friend…

"You said the Watcher is your friend. Does that mean that he could possibly be…"

Jet didn’t answer to her unfinished question. He just stared up at the screen, at the black squiggles, his face pasty and his hands clinched into fists. Starfire put a hand on his shoulder, startling him without meaning to.

"Jet, are you okay? You don’t look so well. You…look as if you have seen a ghost."

Not concerned about the fact that she had read it from a book and had been waiting ages to use that expression, he just nodded, but still didn’t say anything. For once, he was completely out of control of himself.

"…I’m fine."

After a moment he whispered in a choked voice, his words barely audible. The Titans exchanged look but didn’t say anything. Finally, Robin started again.

"You said that only the Watcher was allowed to handle this kind of information. Does that mean that your friend, the Watcher, is somehow helping us out in the Hell? Is that possible?"

For the first time since the document arrived, Jet slowly turned around to face the Titans. Just as slowly as he did to turn around, he shook his head, his eyes demented.

"No…no, I don’t think that’s possible."

He swallowed hard, looking almost frightened, frightened to death.

"It’s…it’s not possible at all."
"But why not?"

Jet stared up at Raven, who just asked the question. His eyes disturbed her. It was wild, scared, sad, grave…something she had not seen from him before, not ever. He whispered.

"It’s not possible because…because Sam’s dead."

The word fell around them like a ton of bricks. Jet didn’t seem to notice it; he just went on, his voice shaky.

"This isn’t just possible…my friends…They’re all dead."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


After that little confession of his, Jet returned to his room without speaking of it any further, just letting out a mumbled excuse of exhaustion. It was left to the Titans to design a cell based on the document sent to them by whoever-it-was, and to try and figure out what had actually happened to Jet and his friends. Thinking this was the right time, Raven told her friends about Jet’s mentioning of his friends and how they just split up, and then not telling them what happened to his friends after they were dragged into the Hell. The other Titans seemed to be fairly disturbed by it. He didn’t tell them about his friends, and all they knew about his friends were that two of them were his best friends, the Watcher and the Executioner, and he had a girl pal who was going out with the Watcher, and they’re all dead now, but somehow the Watcher had just helped them out. They could all understand why Jet reacted the way he did when he received the file on the Demons, as if he had seen a ghost; as far as he, no, they could think of, there was only one who could handle that kind of vital information, and that was the Watcher. The new Watcher wouldn’t help him, a Runaway, obviously, so the only one who’d be kind enough to send him this info on the Demons would be the old Watcher, Sam, without any doubt, and who’s supposed to be dead. It was sensible to think that maybe those two decided not to be friends anymore as he said, and Jet just escaped while Sam was still left in the Hell being the Watcher, and that maybe Sam was somehow still alive, unlike what Jet thought, forgave Jet with great generosity and decided to help his troubled friend out. It didn’t make a lot of sense, and it still left the question about the Executioner-whether he had escaped with Jet, but split up later, or he was left in the Hell with Sam- but it sounded way more sensible than a dead guy hacking in and handing over some precious information to his former friend.

"It’s all very complicated. What on earth had been going on in his life? I mean, his friends are all dead, right after he decided to call a quit on their friendship? How twisted is that?"
"And just how did a dead guy send a sort of top secret e-mail to our tower?"
"Dude, this is just getting way creepy. When Jet said the Demons, I thought he only meant living ones, not some ghosts."
"Please, does this kind of dead-coming-back-to-life happen quite commonly on earth?"
"Definitely not."
"We’ve got no choice, man. We have to ask Jet what’s happened. Besides, that dead-or-whatever guy just hacked into our system. And I don’t like the thought of anybody out of this tower being smart enough to hack into my system. I don’t approve it even more when that guy’s in the Hell. It’s way too dangerous."

The others seemed to agree with Cyborg. Who knows what the person, whoever had done this, is capable of? They all felt sorry for Jet-other than Raven, who was a bit not too friendly with him to feel sympathetic for him-for pressing him to tell them something he clearly didn’t want to speak of, but it was for their own safety. Like Cyborg said, they had no choice.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




MATT A!!!!!!!!!!*jumps around whooping* You're back! Man, I certainly did miss you. Thanks so much for the comment:D

Yeah, Raven's always good fun to write, too, when she's being kinda sh*tty and all. "Maybe forever."...she just had to make it worse for both of them. Tut tut*shakes head*
And Jet...yeah, Raven has a good reason to be what she's like now, what with all her power and destiny and Malchior and Terra business, but that doesn't mean she can go around hurting people around her, I think...honestly. But then the same thing applies to Jet himself. Just because he was the Guard at the Hell, does that mean he can just kill the Demons, and should not be charged for what he had done? Does what he had gone through justify his attitude and all? I guess he was being a bit of a hypocrite, maybe.*sighs* When I first planned this story, it was nowhere near this headachy stuff, it was supposed to be a lovy dovy one...but this isn't too bad;)

Once again, thanks Matt A, and all those who read this. Have a good day!

[Matt A]

Hey, melting people's brains is the reason why I write. That and provoking death threats and the like, but that's another matter entirely. Brain-melting is the big thing.:evil:

And that, in full cheesily-delivered-link mode, is another thing you seem to be good at. Seemingly right out of the blue, we have to massive revelations: Jet's two colleagues, the ones I was thinking would show up before long, are both dead, and there's a very distinct possibility that at least one of the two ain't so dead after all. Precisely how big a warp this is on the plot, I can't tell yet, but I have to give you credit for one thing: you give us a massive plot twist, then make us doubt it's even true. That's brain-melting genius the likes of which even I haven't had the cojones to attempt, let alone pull off.;)

Oh yes, and it looks like we're finally about to get some real info on Jet's backstory. That in itself is worth celebrating.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 24.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


As far as she knew, her life was normal. Her power didn’t cause any trouble, and she just went to school and hanged around with her friends like she did before her power woke up. She told her friends that she’d met Jet, the official ‘hot’ one of the Titans-they also commented that Robin was cool, Cy was nice and Beast Boy was cute only if he’d stop annoying Terra, meaning basically all the boys of the Titans were okay to look at as far as they were concerned-but she didn’t tell them any detail. She was also afraid that people who knew her might have seen her using her power, but it turned out to be okay; the crowd was too busy to notice what was going on until Jet lost it and attacked her back.

Much to her relief, she didn’t see Beast Boy anymore; in a way, she was quite disappointed and sad, because that meant he finally let go of her. But then she would be able to lead the normal life she wanted, so maybe that was okay. Win some, lose some.

She also remembered what Jet said, and kept looking out for any kind of trouble that was aimed at her, but so far it was okay, no surprise attack or bang-on-her-head-and-drag-her-away stuff. She was just a normal happy school girl, just with a bit of an extraordinary power. But maybe it would be okay to have the Titans as friends…she didn’t necessarily have to join them, did she? She could be just friends with them, and that would make Beast Boy happy, too. Of course, that would mean more chance for them to find out that she’s got her power back, but seeing it didn’t make any trouble so far, she was assured that it was pretty okay.

The only problem she had would be that sometimes Jet and Beast Boy’s words would come back and haunt her at night, ringing inside her head again and again.

"You know you’re Terra! Come on, Terra. Please."
"You are Terra! You have to be Terra. Just talk with me, and you…you’ll remember. You’ll remember how happy we were."
"I am your friend. We ,the Titans, are your friends! You have to come with me, Terra, you have to come back to us! Come back, Terra, please."
"And I…and now you’re back, and I don’t want the same thing to happen again. I don’t want to let you go. I can’t let you go. I want you back, Terra."
"Well, you can’t really control your power, do you? Judging by the way you were attacking at me, I think it’s pretty safe for me to make that decision. Unless you really can control your power, you’ll do much more harm out here with ordinary people than good."
"Well, you have this power. Whether you like it or not, you’re never going to be a normal girl again. It’s your fate. Going to the Titans would be the best for you."

But she decided to forget it; if she could just be friends with them, without joining the team, it would solve Beast Boy’s problem, and Jet…well, he was a total stranger to her anyway. Besides, she could control her power pretty well, couldn’t she? She was going on for about a week now without causing a massive earthquake or anything. She felt pretty confident.

To tell the truth, she didn’t know anymore; she liked the Titans very much, even though the thought of them scared her to death sometimes. She wanted to be friends with them, but at the same time she wanted to be a normal girl, without any super-duper hero friends. She was also scared to death that someday she might freak out and her power would get out of control. She tried her best not to get angry at or hate somebody in case that activates her power and kill the person. Maybe she really should go and join the Titans; they would know what to do. But then what was the whole point of lying to Beast Boy? Why did she forget everything? If it was going to turn out this way eventually, what was the point of hurting Beast Boy, and herself?

Maybe she should just forget them. That seemed like an easy answer. Forget about Beast Boy, and Jet’s warning. Nothing happened so far…

"Oh God…"

Terra moaned, banging her head against her desk. Thump, thump, thump. Her friends looked at her pityingly, then shrugged at each other. They had a History test next period, and she must have forgotten and hadn’t studied. That was what they guessed.

Which, unfortunately, also happened to be true.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


A few more days had passed since that ghost happening. Jet was back to normal, his usual cheerful self, but he didn’t tell anybody about what had happened with his friends or himself. Even when Cyborg went up and tried to talk him through it-‘Man, you’ve asked me about our history, I think you can tell us a little bit about yourself just to be fair’-he just sealed his mouth and didn’t say anything for half an hour until Cyborg changed the subject. What’s more, when Starfire, Beast Boy and Robin took in turn to ask him about Sam and Jonathan, the Executioner, he turned into a grumpy sulking self and shooed them out the door with his energy ball fully charged. Raven didn’t give it a go in the first place; Cyborg, who was most friendly with Jet, got rejected. She didn’t even know what would happen if she asked. Possibly a full-on verbal abuse attack with a couple of energy balls to fry her, and she’d be lucky if that ends there.

She suggested mind-reading him, but the others all opposed the idea. Cyborg and Starfire just said they didn’t want Jet to think they were getting suspicious of him, or suspecting him of a criminal, in which case he would just close up even more on them. Beast Boy said he wouldn’t like it if somebody else reads his mind without asking, and Robin, after a few minutes of considering, said that’d have to be the last option. Besides, they weren't really sure whether she could read his mind or not; his brain was a computer, and she didn’t even know if he actually had a mind that she could read. If not, they’d have to burrow Cyborg’s knowledge, and he was very reluctant on it.

But they were all careful not to have any discussion while Jet was inside the Tower, in case something like last time happens again. They all tried to act normally in front of him, too, and they were pretty sure that it was working. Raven, after their encounter about a week ago, where he called him a coward, tried her best to try and trust him, also remembering what Robin told her…but it wasn’t working. So far, nothing had improved between them. She just ignored him because that seemed like the easiest way to solve the problem, a short term management. But she was pretty sure that unless he told them exactly what had happened in his life, she wouldn’t be able to trust him. He was hiding a big secret-it couldn’t be as big as hers was, no doubt about that-and she knew, from her painful experience, that hiding wasn’t good. It didn’t do any help when the real thing came. Jet said his friends were dead, but what with the Watcher sending the information and all…

With growing irritation, she replayed his words again and again inside her head. He said she was a coward, who hides in her own self because she was afraid of being hurt. She couldn’t deny that it wasn’t true, but how dared he spoke of her like that when the same logic applied to himself, too? Just because he was mutated into a cyborg against his own will, and just because he was the Guard at the Hell, it didn’t mean he could just go killing people. Nothing could justify killing, if not self defence, and she could hardly think of Jet’s actions as ‘self defence’ even though he did claim that the Demons were after his blood.

She sighed heavily, and looked around herself. Ordinary people, laughing and smiling, sitting on the grass with a basket full of food beside them. The Titans were no different; Cyborg and Robin, literally digging in to their ribs and burger; Starfire-unaware of growing nausea around her-was drinking mustard in large gulps. Beast Boy was eating his tofu dogs away in an almost impossible speed, and Raven, herself, was observing them, with a cup of tea laid down in front of her.

And Jet, sitting between Cyborg and Beast Boy, holding a real hotdog piled with cheese and ketchup. He seemed happy enough, unlike her who was in great stress thanks to him. Feeling annoyed and angry, with a strange urge to pour the hot tea on him, she sighed and moved away from the table. Really, at any moment, she really might throw the cup to him. No need to make things worse, although she felt as if it couldn’t go worse than it was now.

Jet stood up and stretched a few times, wiping his greasy finger on his jeans. He threw a quick glance at where Raven was now sitting down, with her legs crossed and eyes closed-meditating obviously-then looked around at the Titans. Cyborg was about to finish his ribs; Robin was full and patting his stomach; Beast Boy was still eating. He smiled.

"Anybody up for a basketball match?"
"Sure, why not?"
"I would rather sit beside Raven and cheer all of you while you compete with the big orange ball!"
"Er, sure. Thanks Star. Basketball, eh? Let’s find a hoop first."
"I think we should find a ball first."
"Nah, Beast Boy can turn into an armadillo and we can toss him around."
"Dude, that’s not funny!"
"Actually, that does seem like a good idea…jokes, Beast Boy, jokes! I’ve brought a ball already. Let’s shoot some hoops."

Starfire landed gracefully beside Raven in the shade, and watched the four boys running around and jumping, trying to tackle each other. Occasionally they could hear Jet yelling ‘Oy! This is not football!’ or Cyborg’s ‘Yo B, that’s cheating! You can’t use your power! Hey, hey, don’t change into a kangaroo!’ and then the whooshing sound as Jet took off, the swoosh of the ball going through the hoop, Jet and Cyborg’s laughter then Robin and Beast Boy-the opposing team, apparently-would yell that’s unfair or something like that. The Tamaranean girl giggled, but Raven didn’t show any change in expression. Even in normal circumstances, she would only do so much as a faint hint of smile over that kind of stupid thing; in this situation, where her mood was seriously darkened, she really wasn’t in a mood to watch the boys playing their stupid games or laugh over it. So she closed her eyes and began chanting Azarath Metrion Zinthos.

Apart from Raven, the Titans’ life was, in general, happy, and as far as they were concerned, normal.

The term normal loosely used, of course.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Okay, I was actually going to post this one and Chapter 25 today*sighs* But I haven't finished writing it, so I guess I'll just have to post this one first.(the fact that school internet's gonna be cut off in 10 minutes had some effect too:( )

Thanks, Matt A for the feedback!:D Jet has-I mean, had six friends, and as far as he knows, they're all dead. But yes, you're right...there is a possibility that Sam might not be dead. And in next chapter, you're about to get another shock coming out...:evil: HAHAHAHAHAHA*laughs her head off*
Yup, Jet's background story might come out earlier than I've expected. Maybe Chapter 30 or 35. 36 seems most likely, but anyway:D

Thanks again to Matt A, and to all those who's read this. Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

I dig that last line. When it comes to the Titans and the 'verse they inhabit, "normal" is indeed something of a relative term. I mean, playing basketball whilst in the guise of a kangeroo ain't exactly an everyday kinda thing.;)

In the same way, what we have here is merely the calm before the storm...or, at least, the heavy gale before the full-on hurricane. Even before I read your post-chapter comments, I got a good sense of the doom that's rapidly impending here, in that both Terra's self-imposed normality and Jet's personal secrecy aren't going to last forever. How both spells will get broken, I can't guess, but it's definitely gonna be big.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 25.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Life really could have been normal if only not the troubles.
God forbid the Titans to enjoy any normal picnics, Robin thought as he pulled out his communicator. Jet glanced curiously at it-he still didn’t have one-and asked.

"Alright, where is it?"
"Downtown, in a book shop."
"Say what? What kind of criminal in their right minds would go robbing a bookshop? Do we need to go there? Personally, I was thinking the fewer bookshops there is, the better it is for the world…"
"Please remember that not everybody has the same opinion as you. Let’s go."

Jet glared at Raven with open hatred as the Titan took off. Cyborg nudged him, and grinding his teeth unpleasantly, he swept the big Titan off his feet then raced her to the trouble. Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy just looked at each other once and soon they too took off. Cyborg’s frightened scream could be heard all the way to there.

Raven landed on the scene first, her senses alert and sharp. The bookstore was constructed with old, damp wood and large glass windows, with hundreds of wooden bookshelves arranged neatly inside. She looked around the store, which happened to be one of her favourites. Silently saying goodbye to all the books that she hadn’t read yet, she narrowed her eyes, observing the scene. No sign of trouble could be seen. Actually nobody apart from her was there at all, but that wasn’t surprising because the bookshop was one of the oldest and darkest second hand one, and the owner was usually sleeping at his room back there. Perhaps the criminal somehow sensed the Titans were coming and moved away…? She hoped it was true, since she didn’t want to ruin the bookshop. Whatever Jet said, she was determined to protect this one…there were just so many great books hidden in this shop…maybe she should suggest the others to move on and lure the criminal out of the bookshop. That way they could still defeat the criminal and not damage the place.

"Seems pretty peaceful to me. Let’s go."

And she was about to, only if Jet didn’t say that. Somehow, just somehow, knowing that the bookstore might get trashed as a result of their fight, she changed her mind in that instant.

"No. The criminal might be here, hiding, waiting for his opportunity to attack us by surprise. "
"I doubt it. Man, I’ve seen two of your troublemakers so far, and they usually wait for you, not hiding. And if this is the Demons’ doing…well, let’s just say the Demons are plain stupid. Not smart enough to prepare a surprise attack. Full stop."
"Y’know, Jet, I think Rae’s right. Let’s do a full search around the store first to be sure…they have plenty of space to hide here, you know, behind the books or the shelves."

Jet grumbled but followed Cyborg’s words nonetheless. Raven gave the big Titan a little nod of gratitude, and he returned it with a faint smile. The other Titans landed behind them.

"Where’s the trouble?"
"The criminals are hiding nearby, I think. It’s been some time since we’ve arrived, and the communicator didn’t sound again. I think we should search this store…"

Cyborg’s words got cut off as a pile of dusty old books went down with a large noise behind them. Jet, the one-to-be-blamed, coughing mockingly and frantically waving the dust out of his way while tangled in the thick heavy books, muttered angrily.

"Told you, the Demons aren’t smart enough to prepare a surprise attack. We’d be doing ourselves a favour by going back to the basketball match…"
"Oh come on, Jet. Surely meeting up with your old friend will be better than playing some stupid basketball game."

The owner of the voice said it so casually and naturally that for a moment none of the Titans or Jet realized it was a stranger talking. Jet turned around to face the direction of the voice, delayed horror at what he was about to find written clearly across his face. It was a boy, about Jet’s age. He was a bit shorter than Jet-Jet was about 185cm or so, and the boy looked about 177 cm-with wild brown hair and hazel eyes. There was a cruel grin playing on his lips.

Jet’s eyes slowly moved from his eyes, to his nose, to his mouth…registering the details, studying the face, making sure that was someone who he thought it was. None of the Titans moved-this might be a chance to find out more about Jet, a golden chance given by someone up there…and they had to know. They knew practically nothing about him. They could always step in if things got too bad; besides, this guy was a friend of Jet, he said it himself. Whoever he was…

"Jonathan?"
"Surprise, surprise. What’s the matter, old pal? You look scared. What, you thought I was dead?"
"No. Not really, I suppose…"

Jonathan, the Executioner, clearly someone who knows Jet and who Jet knows, just smiled as Jet stumbled in that pile of books around his feet. Raven and Robin exchanged looks, their eyebrows raised. The Executioner, another one of Jet’s best friends. But Jet said they were dead…

"You didn’t?"
"Well, I knew…that you would have had to…execution the others, but I thought you won’t be able to execute yourself."
"Smart thinking. Nice job, bro. Looks like some of Sam’s brain’s been transferred to you."

Jet seemed somewhere between frightened to death and incredibly shocked. He could now see the few drops of blood on his old friend’s hands…and he was sure they weren’t Jonathan’s.

"But why on earth…why did you…how…why are you…"
"Well, you know. The Watcher…Sam figured out that you’re with the Teen Titans, the Heroes of this city…so I figured out the easiest way to meet you and your new friends would be to start up a trouble."
"So Sam is alive...and you…did what?"
"Nothing big. Just the usual stuff, you know…I’m the Executioner, I do what I gotta do. Oh c’mon, Jet. Don’t look so surprised. You know what I’m like, don’t you?"
"…we can talk about this later. Look, Jonathan…"

Jonathan smiled unpleasantly, licking the blood off his hand. The Titans exchanged looks; so, clearly, he killed a person at least. They might have to be ready soon…or maybe, as Jonathan said, he just did it to see Jet. They were friends, after all, weren’t they? After seeing Jet, at how he just killed the Demons to save him the trouble, they weren’t really surprised that Jonathan killed a few people just to see his friend…the Hell seem to have some kind of a mind-twisting effect on the Demons.

"Jonathan…are the others alive?"
"Huh?"
"The others! Zadkiel, or Reriel, or Kamael…Sam, you said he’s alive, right? Or Iruel? Are they here with you? I can…we can…tell me where the others are. Are they still at the Hell? How are they? Look, Jonathan, I really want to apologize…"
"Jet."

Jonathan cut him in mid sentence, his voice somehow colder and more forceful than before. He sighed dramatically, then looked straight into the former Guard’s eyes as he started.

"Jet, Jonathan, Sam. The Guard, the Executioner, the Watcher. Old pal, old buddy. Friends of life, friends of death. Together forever…"
"…yeah."
"Jet, why did you ask me whether the others are alive or not?"
"Maybe because I’ve seen the energy balls going through their bodies. Including you. Lots of times. If you’re alive, though, there might be a chance that they’d be alive, too…"
"Mm hmm. You’re right, they were hurt real bad, near dead. They couldn’t survive in their own bodies."
"…so they’re dead."
"No, they are alive."
"But you said…"
"They couldn’t survive in their own bodies, so…the Hell did me a favour. They merged all of them into me."

It took a few seconds for Jet to realize what his friend just said. His jaw literally dropped. Frantically kicking the books out of the way, he stumbled his way through to grab Jonathan’s shoulders.

"You gotta be kidding…they what!? Oh man…Jonathan, I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry…holy crap…Look, Jonathan. Come with me. You’ve escaped, right? Come with me, with them. They, the Titans, might be able to help you, and then we can go back to the Hell and blast that place for good…"
"Hey, that seems like a good idea. So Jet, tell me. Why should I, huh?"

The Titans exchanged puzzled look. Okay, so Jet’s friends were hurt real bad into a near dead state. Jet thought they were dead, but the Hell merged all of them into Jonathan’s body. And Jonathan escaped from the Hell to see his old friend, apparently, but now he’s refusing Jet’s help…

"You are a traitor, remember?"

Now the Titans were alarmed. If Jet was a traitor to his friends, the purpose of Jonathan’s visit might not be as pleasant as they thought it was. Silently, Starfire and Raven warmed up their powers, while Cyborg changed his right arm into his sonic cannon. Neither of the ‘friends’ seemed to notice.

"Jonathan, you know I never meant it to happen! Look, I’m really sorry. But you’re out here, and the others are within your body…heck, this is…great! If you don’t want to forgive me, it’s okay, it’s fine, I wasn’t expecting that, honestly. But…you know, we can get a place around here somewhere, and we…you might be able to finally have a life outside the Hell…"
"How can I trust you, hmm? Who knows, you might still be trading information with the Satan. How can I be sure that you’ll, how should I put this? Oh yeah, how can I be sure that you won’t betray me…us again?"
"You know I never wanted what happened to happen! Jonathan, I’m…"
"Jet, just shut up, will ya. I didn’t come here to listen to all your rubbish. I’m never gonna forgive you. None of us are gonna forgive you."
"…Jonathan…"
"In fact, Jet, I came here to kill you…and to get my reward."
"Your reward."
"Yes. My reward. Freedom."
"Jet, be careful…!"

It was too late when Jet looked up, at Jonathan’s left hand. His whole arm, which was changed into a cold, glinting blade, came soaring down directly at Jet’s neck. Due to the books around his feet, he couldn’t move fast enough to miss it…so instead, he held his right arm high to protect his head. The sharp cling of two metallic things banging together sounded. Jet yelled out in pain as his skin got sliced. The sleeve of his long black coat was literally torn.

"…ouch."

Cyborg winced, seeing a deep cut in Jet’s skin. Of course, it was artificial, and there were no veins inside it, so no blood could be seen, but the silver glint of Jet’s inner construction could be seen between that sliced skin. Jet himself just stared down at it for a moment, his face showing nothing but shock. His glance slid across at the controller. It was okay…Cyborg made it, nobody breaks it. His heart half filled with relief, and half filled with anxiety, he looked up to face his old friend again.

Jonathan’s foot-changed into a giant drill- was flying into his unguarded chest.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Certainly NOT my best Chappie. I tried, people, I honestly did, but I had a real bad headache today, let's blame it on that.


Thanks Matt A! The Titans are never gonna have a 'normal' life, are they.*sighs* But they seem happy enough in their state...yes, playing basketball in a form of kangeroo is not a normal way of playing the game. The 'normal' way being what we 'normal' people think it is. But seeing how BB plays football and volley ball, I guess the Titans regard it as pretty much 'normal'*rolls eyes*
Jet's secrets...hmm, I don't think anything more's spilled in this chapter. Man I can't believe this. In Chapter 23, I wrote that Jet's friends were all dead, and now in this one, his friends are all alive. One's gotta be a lie, of course...it's left to you to decide which one's which;)

Thanks to Matt A, again, and to all those who's read this. Have a nice day!:D

[Starrysky]

Oh, wow. I haven't posted in such a long time...I'm very sorry about that, but I've been traveling all around the world for the summer and this has been my only chance at the internet so far. :(

I have to say, this is the best original character story that has been written for Teen Titans (at least that I've seen so far). The plot and characters are devolping wonderfully and you have a very good grasp on the Teen Titan characters.

I loved that coward tirade and Jet thinking his friends were dead. Jonathan trying to kill him was brilliant and that little bit of mind-twistedness we've seen so far was awesome.

All in all, it is simply marvelous. :D

Oh, and thanks for the comments on my story! I probably won't be able to update for awhile though...:shrug:

I wait with baited breath for more!

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 26.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


That was when Jet saw swirling black energy surrounding him.
Everything was suddenly black, shapes outlined in white. Then he felt himself going through the shop window, even though he knew that wasn’t logically possible. When they were safely out of Jonathan’s range, Raven returned to her normal form and released her grip on Jet. He slumped down on the floor in a bundle, looking frightened to death, this time of her power. She felt some kind of triumph over the fact, but then felt saddened by it…so even he, someone with such a devastating power, was afraid of her powers.

"Hey, Rae? Thanks."

She looked down at Jet, startled, at his grinning face. No hint of that fright that was there a moment ago could be seen. She quickly returned to her impassive self, and nodded curtly as a ‘you’re welcome.’ He smiled wider, then clumsily stood up, brushing the dirt off his coat. The other Titans raced out the door, all of them ready for fight. At last, Jonathan emerged from the shadow with a cruel grin playing on his lips.

"Back off, kiddos. I’m not interested in you guys yet. Of course, I will be soon, but why get hurt for that traitor?"
"We’re not backing off. You’re a criminal, a danger to this city."
"Hey, I’m not a danger to this city. I’m just a danger to you guys, the heroes. And another girl with a super power who’s hiding in this city right now. But most importantly, I’m just a danger to that traitor."

He spat the last word with pure hatred, while glancing over at Jet with a sneer. Jet flinched slightly, but didn’t move, or give a reply. In fact, he didn’t even charge his energy balls; he seemed completely unprepared, a completely different self from when he was fighting the other Demons. When he was the Guard.

"Jonathan, do you honestly believe the Hell? Man, you must be outside you mind. You know they’ll never give you freedom, right? You know better than this."
"Shut up. I believe them more than you, traitor. Now come on, fight. It’s no fun hunting down a prey when it’s not fighting back. You know that, don’t you? You’re the Guard, you know a lot more about it than I do…"
"Jonathan, I don’t want to fight with you, okay? The Hell’s never gonna set you free, heck, they’re never gonna set any of us free. C’mon, Jonathan, just come with me. I can get you a place, and if you don’t wanna see me for the rest of your life, it’s fine too. But just come with me, it’ll be great, I’m telling you. Maybe we can somehow separate the others from your body, and then you’ll be able to have the normal life you wanted with the others."
"Cut the crap out."

Starfire let out a small gasp as Jonathan’s blade slashed in the air, aiming at Jet. This time, though, the former Guard was ready; he dodged it swiftly, kicked the Executioner at his ankle hard which caused him to lose his balance and fell. But he didn’t go any further than that; he just beckoned a few steps, ready for another attack aimed for him but not an attack from himself. Robin frowned slightly; this wasn’t the Jet they got to know over the month or so they had spent together. He was more ruthless, merciless, tearless…he was just a killing machine. And now…he was his usual self. Cheerful, with no hint of malice or hatred. No. Maybe even weaker than that…

"You’re not fighting, are you."
"No."
"Coward."
"I’m not fighting because you’re my friend, Jonathan. You know that."
"You mean, you think I’m your friend. So if I’m not myself, if I’m not Jonathan, you’re gonna attack me. Is that what you’re saying?"
"When you put it that way…"
"Well then. Let’s see if you’ll attack me now."

With that, Jonathan’s face began to change. Somehow, it seemed as if he was getting shorter and shorter, until he was about the same height as Beast Boy. Then his clothes changed…from the white T-shirt and brown pants, into a black cloak. His skin got paler; his eye colour slowly changed to silver; his hair grew a bit longer and straighter, changing its colour to black with a faint hint of blue.

He changed into a girl.

Before the Titans could react in anyway to this, the new girl raised her right hand high. On the back of her hand, there was a tattoo of three pairs of wings; A black one, inside a blue one, inside a sky blue one. Jonathan’s cruel grin was still on her lips.

"Reriel."

Jet whispered, his voice barely audible. The girl, Reriel, waved her hand casually as if saying ‘hi’. Robin shouted out the question.

"Reriel? Who’s that?"
"…she was one of my friends."
"We thought you only had three friends…"
"Well, I made three more friends at the Hell. Sorry about not mentioning them…didn’t think they’d be alive."
"…Jet, we gotta talk."

He glanced over at the leader of the Titans, his eyes grave.

"Sure. If I survive this."
"…Water."

Reriel whispered. The tattoo of blue wings on her hand suddenly shone in bright light…for a while, nothing seemed to be happening, until when…

"Star, move!"

Cyborg shouted out at the Tamaranean, who was hovering above the others, her starbolts still charged but looking unsure whether to use them or not. She threw a terrified glance over her shoulders…a giant pillar of water, no, more like a giant blade of water was soaring from the ground, heading her way, slicing everything that was in its way neatly in two. Almost by instinct, she flew out of the way just in time to dodge the fatal blow.

"That’s what she’s capable of?"

Robin cried out as he rolled aside to get out of the giant water blade’s way. Jet nodded, looking away.

"She’s a sorceress, but I think she can only use three magics. Silence, water, and night. Right?"
"Guess you’re the expert on magic and stuff. Yeah, you’re right, Raven."
"Man, Jet, I don’t know why aren’t you attacking, but unless you start doing something and stop that friend of yours, we’ll have to bring her…him…down. She’s doing a lot of damage to this city, and that Jonathan guy killed a few people. We aren’t happy about it."
"I know this sounds pathetic. But that’s my friend, Cy! The only friend…friends I had. I thought they were dead, but they came back alive…I can’t kill them. I can’t! Killing them once was enough, honestly…oh crap. Forget what I said. Careful!"

Cyborg, missing a missile made of water aimed at him by one second or so, yelled out.

"You killed them!?"
"As I said, forget about it! Look, I’m not killing them. I can’t…they’re in that state because of me. I can’t! I…oh man…"
"So what did you do to make them be in that state?"
"Yeah, and what did that Jonathan guy mean, you’re a traitor?"
"You do know you don’t necessarily have to kill somebody to stop them, right?"

Jet just sealed his mouth tightly, not answering to any of those questions. Instead, he focused on what was going on in front of him…Reriel could be seen between the pillars of water.
Robin nodded at his team mates; as much as they would like to know about Jet, they couldn’t wait any longer. They had to attack.

"Jet, we’re really sorry…but if you won’t, we’ll have to bring your friends down. But we won’t kill them, we promise!"

A stream of starbolts came soaring down at the Demon, which was soon blocked by a shield made of water. Raven took over. The bookshelves came flying at Reriel, surrounded with black energy; but they, too, were sliced neatly in half by a quick water blade. The Titan quickly shielded herself from another blow, but it wasn’t enough; it sliced through her shield, a bit of her cloak and leotard, and her skin. She winced at the sharp pain, but didn’t say anything. Beast Boy or Robin’s attack wouldn’t be able to even get within fifty meters from her, they all knew it-so they just circled around her, waiting their time. Reriel sneered while looking over at Jet.

"What’s the matter, Jet? I thought you said you were going to attack me if I’m not Jonathan. None of our friends are able to bring me down, you know. Except you, the Guard."
"Reriel, stop playing games. This isn’t you. Come on, you’re the logical ones other than Sam…you know better than that, you know not to trust the Hell. Stop it, or I might have to…"
"You might have to what?…Kill me? Kill us? Your friends?"

Jet, again, didn’t answer, only clenching and unclenching his fists nervously. Robin was beginning to feel slightly annoyed by him; the Titans would be able to bring this girl…boy…down at the end, like they always did. But it would be a lot easier if Jet helped them…of course, it was his old friends standing there, fighting, sneering at him, talking to him…he couldn’t blame Jet for being hesitant at attacking them, but surely he should know that it’s necessary…? When Robin himself did betray the Titans, or when Terra did, they tried and brought the traitor down each time, even though it was their friends.
But then, it was, in a way, reassuring at the same time; so Jet did have a place where he cared about his friends in his heart. He wasn’t all cold-blooded killing machine. Even though it was shown at the worst possible moment for it, for the worst possible opponent, he felt that maybe, maybe Jet would somehow feel the same way to the Titans sooner or later…which will be when he earns the Titans communicator.

"As long as you don’t harm the others, no."
"And if I do?"
"…I’ll do what I can do to stop you, except the killing part."
"So you are going to attack me, after all."
"Look, Reriel. As I said, stop this. Stop it. If I gotta get some sense through your once-was-smart brain by hard way, that’s they way I’ll have to do it. And I do owe some favour to these guys anyway."

Raven raised an eyebrow while checking her wound. Uh huh, a favour.

"So you’ve made some new friends, have you?"
"Oh crap. Look, Reriel…man, I’m not sure about the friends part, but I owe them a few things. And besides, Jonathan said something about another girl with super power in this city. If he meant who I think he does, I’m gonna stop you. I’m not gonna let you guys ruin her life. I’m not gonna make anybody go through the things we have. I know you don’t, too. None of you do."
"Oh my, Jet. Look at you…now you’re a hero. Caring about the others. Jet, I’m sorry, we’re sorry, but we do want the others to go through what we have. It’s unfair, you know, if only we have to go through all that horror. The others ruined our lives; we’re ruining theirs. Fair game, don’t you think?"
"No. I don’t think so. Reriel, come on. I know you. You…I know you won’t think of anything like that. I know you’re somebody who does care about others. I know all of you’re."
"Well, maybe we have changed since the day you left us, don’t you think?"

With the last sentence, suddenly the force of the jets of water around them began weakening. It didn’t take long for them to realize what happened; Reriel was changing back to Jonathan, and of course, since Jonathan didn’t have her power, her spells were dying. Jonathan looked around himself, as if he didn’t quite expect to be back in himself…he was unprepared…
Which was a good thing for the team.

Jonathan quickly gathered himself, stumbling but at the same time leaping Jet, but his attempt was soon stopped by both the energy ball from Jet-which landed on his chest- and a solid kick from Robin that landed squarely on his back. Snarling, he turned around to face the Titan, his arm already changed into a blade, only to be went down with a stream of starbolts. Before he could get his balance back, Beast Boy, now in a form of a bighorn sheep, charged and sent him flying across the air. Cyborg’s sonic beam followed, and the Executioner crashed through the window, into the wall, of a nearby clothes store…the finishing touch was done by Raven, where the clothes around the store wrapped themselves around that body.

"Bloody hell…Jonathan!"

Jet ran into the store, frantically tugging at the tangled clothes to find his old friend’s body. The Titans gathered around him to look at who he had found.

Funnily enough, it wasn’t Jonathan’s face they found.

It was a man-at least in his mid-twenties-with a dirty skin, black hair and looking as if he hadn’t shaved for the last couple of weeks or so. He was wearing plain black garments, with nothing else except a silver necklace the Titans had seen Jet wearing one too. It seemed as if he had fainted due to the crash. Nothing about this guy resembled Jonathan or Reriel. The more incredible thing than this fact was the change of expression on Jet’s face; one second, he was all worried and anxious. The next, hatred and fury filled in the space of worry and anxiety.
Cyborg coughed, and asked;

"Alright. Who in the name of heaven might he be? Is he one of your friends…that Sam guy, or…?"
"No, he’s not one of my friend. He’s definitely not Sam, nor Jonathan, nor any of my friends. He would never be, this pure waste of God-given life."

Jet answered in a voice that sounded more like a growl of a beast rather than his own voice. Cyborg and Robin threw a side glance at each other; this didn’t look good.

"So…who is he?"

The former Guard turned around to face them, clutching the criminal by his collar, or more specifically, his necklace. He held the necklace high and showed it to the five heroes. A smile slowly spread across his face, which unnerved them even more…but what most worried them were his eyes, the hatred-filled grave eyes.

"His name’s Changeling. He can change into anything, or anybody, he wants to, and has the ability to imitate it perfectly once he’s changed…so that even a person who knew that thing, or that person, for a long time, would be deceived."

His smile got broader, but that didn’t comfort any of the Titans.

"And today, he decided to make fun of me, apparently. By mimicking my friends."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Starrysky, long time no see!:D It is sure nice to see you again. Travelling around the world? Cool!:eek: So, where're you now? Tell me, tell me!
Thanks for your compliment:D Really, thank you so much! I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you how much that means to me...*sighs happily* Take care in your trip, return home safe, and post a new chapter in your story!:anime:


Righto, Chapter 27. OK, as seen in this one, Jonathan in last chappie wasn't actually Jonathan himself, but Changeling. Everything Jonathan/Reriel said in this chapter is what Changeling thinks, not what the real Jonathan/Reriel thinks. Or thought.

Hope you've enjoyed this one, whoever's read this. Thanks to Starrysky again!:D Have a nice day!:D



p.s.

feedback are very welcome, you know;)

[Starrysky]

I am so happy! I was able to get on the internet today!:D

Anyways, At the moment I'm in Dallas, Texas. A few days ago I was in Los Angeles, California. Later I'll go to Denmark. My family is also debating a road trip to Seattle or Colorado. And a cruise. :anime: Yep, one fun filled summer...

Nice fight scene, very good descriptions. Raven saving Jet was interesting and putting that Changling there to mess with Jet's head was a very nice touch. Jet's reaction to that was awesome too. I noticed a few glitches in grammer here and there...but no one would notice them unless they were a perfectionist grammer freak like me. (I'm such a hypocrite...there are so many grammer mistakes in my story...)

At the moment I'm wondering what the silence and night powers are...there could be several interpetations of that.

As of yet, you are still the best TT OC story on the internet. Honestly, you are a wonderful writer.

Anyways, I absolutely love this story! Hopefully I'll have internet access so that I can read your story later...:shrug: And I'll try to post another chapter right when I get home! (That's in Tennessee, by the way)

:raven:

[Matt A]

Those last two chapters were, quite frankly, utter genius. Maybe even your best yet.

You seem to have a talent for turning cliches on their head. The sequence started off as an inspired twist on the "Titans and OC member run into OC's nemesis" thing that occipies so many fan-fics, creating a situation where Jet was faced with all of his old "friends" - and, by extension, all his past sins - laid before him in one body. However, it eventually turned into something even greater, finally revealed as a mind-game so cruel and so ingenious that it defies belief: now, we know not only how hated Jet is, but also how low the Hell is prepared to stoop in order to bring him down...not to mention a better idea of what Jet did to deserve this treatment. As I said, an idea so genius it borders almost on the divine.

And here's the truly great part: even before this twist, the sequence was still a great one. Jonathan and Reriel were amazing villains, powerful, vicious and with hearts blacker than space itself. Every line they uttered was one I would happily kill to write (especially Reriel's "fair game" bit: I rarely see anything so blood-chilling anywhere), and for a man so obsessed with cool dialogue, that's really saying something. And whilst the fight was a little muddled (if Star is above Reriel when it starts, what does the water blade cut through on the way?), it was also refreshingly inventive: few people seem to realise just how deadly water really is. Much like Jet, really.

Not for the first time, I have no idea where this story will be heading next. But it's fair to say I'm more interested than ever.

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 27.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


What happened next had happened so fast that none of the Titans were able to realize it did at first. Jet suddenly took off, slamming Changeling into the opposite wall, and himself into Changeling with enough force to crack the wall. As soon as they found out what was going on, the Titans all leaped at Jet, who was now punching and kicking Changeling with the purest hatred they had yet seen. Cyborg and Starfire-the strongest ones of the Titans- clung to him, holding him back; but soon they both found themselves flying across the air, thrown aside by Jet. Blood was starting to tickle down Changeling’s chin, and he must have cracked a rib at least. He let out a faint moan as another punch landed on his solar plexus.

"Jet, stop it!"

Robin yelled out while trying to break the former Guard off from Changeling. Jet didn’t seem to hear him; in fact, he didn’t seem to hear anything at all, or see anything. Raising a fist, he punched the shape-shifting Demon’s head so hard that for a moment the Titans were afraid he might have cracked his skull. Pinning Changeling down on the wall with a kick, Jet suddenly slammed his right arm into the wall…it took a moment for the Titans to figure out what he was doing.

He was trying to smash the controller.

Of course, it wouldn’t come off easily; it even survived through Jonathan-Changeling-‘s attack. However, Jet didn’t give up after his first attempt. He slammed himself into the wall again and again, trying to smash that controller, so he could finish off the Demon once and for all.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Then, all of a sudden, he found himself slammed against the opposite wall, surrounded by swirling black energy. He growled, twisting and throwing himself this way and that, trying to break free of Raven’s grip on him. Raven, with her eyes shining white and her hand surrounded by the black energy, slowly stepped closer to him.

"Stop being an idiot. Control yourself!"
"Get out of my way! That bastard made fun of me, mimicking my friends. If I knew it was him, I would’ve killed him straightaway! Heck, I can hear him laughing right now. Ha ha ha, so you thought I was your friend! Ha ha. Oooh, look at the Guard, a tough guy who’s afraid of attacking me just because I’m in his friends’ form! Ha ha ha. Bloody hell, let me go! I have to kill him. NOW!"
"I’m not going to let you go when you’re acting like this. You can’t kill anybody you want to."
"Like I give a damn about all that crap."
"Jet. You’re crazy, you’re mad, you’re out of your mind right now. You’re ruining your own chance of getting us to trust you, and you know you don’t want that. It seems like what I know about you is accurate. You’re nothing but a killer, who kills somebody just because you want to."

Jet growled slightly, glaring at the Titan with open hatred.

"You don’t even know why I’m like this. You don’t even know what I went through! You don’t even know how much my friends meant to me. I thought they were dead, but that worthless scum appeared in front of me in their faces, giving me false hopes that they might be, just might be alive. He taunted me, laughed at me, acting as if he was Jonathan or Reriel…and I, heck, I should’ve known that was him. I should’ve know that. I should’ve known that it would be that dirt bag, not my friends. I can’t believe I was so naïve…bloody hell, that bastard deserves to die! If not by me, then by Reriel and Jonathan, who that thing dared to mimic. Get out of my way!"
"Jet. Stop it. You’re speaking nonsense, and you know that. You killed three people already, and you’re intending to kill him. To us, you, too, are one who deserves to be punished."
"Uh huh, after one month, you’re bringing it out again. Yeah, put me in jail, get me executed, do whatever you wanna do, I don’t care anymore. Just…oh crap. Raven, be careful!"

She turned around just in time to see Changeling, now in form of Jonathan again, flying at her with his legs changed into a giant drill. Starfire shoved her out of the way, leaving Jet totally exposed to the attack.

Starfire gasped. Robin and Cyborg yelled out warnings. Beast Boy covered his eyes with his hands with a frightened squeal, and Raven just stood where Starfire shoved her, frozen.

Jet didn’t scream, or yell, or showed any kind of panic.

He smiled.




-BOOM!


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"…Jet, you okay now?"

The subject in question looked up curiously at Robin, who was staring down at him with grim expression. He looked around himself; Changeling was sprawled over the ground along with crumbs of buildings and piles of clothes and bricks like a rag doll; the other Titans were standing around him, looking pretty much thrashed, Raven holding him down with her power. He groaned; he had the worst headache of lifetime, and the skin that got sliced by Jonathan-slash-Changeling was prickling and itchy, starting to irritate him.

"Wh…what happened?"
"You just burst out of my power, exploding it with your energy balls. The same explosion wiped out Changeling; then you went pretty much berserk at him, so Starfire, me and Cyborg had to stop you. It was Robin who knocked you out."
"Now that’d explain my headache. Man…so what about Changeling? Did I kill him or…?"
"He’s half dead. Cyborg just checked him. He cracked four ribs, broken one arm, and some internal damage is done. I’d say we got some time to figure out the kind of cell that would suit him; he wouldn’t be able to move with that cracked ribs and wounds. Jet, what kind of devices did you use at the Hell to stop Changeling from escaping?"
"I’ll tell you when we get back to the Tower. Raven, any chance of releasing me from this black thingy? It’s giving me the creeps, man. The thought of you being able to take me apart at any time isn’t exactly making me happy."

Raven threw a glance at Robin, who nodded slightly. Reluctantly she released Jet from her power. Instantly he leaped up, massaging his arms and legs. He winced, seeing the cut on his arm; then he sighed when he saw his coat, torn and ragged.

"Honestly, if I didn’t have about hundreds of spare coats…"

He sighed again, this time more dramatically. Then he threw a glance at the Demon, blood tickling down from his mouth, bruised everywhere. Disgusted, he growled slightly as he turned around to face the Titans.

"…well then, what’re we waiting for? Let’s go."

Whether he was unaware of the Titans’ expressions or simply chose to ignore them was mystery, but he didn’t seem to care a bit about their angry or distressed look. None answered but Robin, who shook his head, taking Starfire and Cyborg aside.

"We’ll hand Changeling over to the police. Beast Boy, Raven, Jet, you three go back to the Tower first."
"Hmm. Alright. You sure you won’t need me?"
"Jet, we’ll be fine. We’re the Titans, remember."

He shrugged at Cyborg’s words, even though it was clear that he doubted it. Nevertheless, he just showed himself to be an absolute psychopath who could well go and kill people without his cannons, and he didn’t have a say in the matter. He knew that Robin and the other Titans were afraid that he might attack Changeling again…since he had no idea what he had done-everything was a blur-he couldn’t blame them. He might have attacked the Titans, too, how should he be able to know?

"Well, c’mon, B, Rae. Let’s go."

Beast Boy, with a nervous glance back at his three friends, turned into a green hawk and took off. Jet gestured Raven to go, but she shook her head, making herself clear that she won’t leave before him. Frowning and shrugging as if saying ‘yeah, whatever’, he took off. With an understanding nod from Robin, Raven took off last.

"Let’s go, Titans."

Robin muttered the command out, pointing at the Demon with his chin. Starfire gently scooped him up; and they were soon away to a nearby police station.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Em, Jet? I know this isn’t the ideal time to ask you this, but what happened between you and your friends? What did Jonathan…I mean Changeling mean by you being a traitor?"
"B, y’know what, you’re right. This isn’t a good time to ask me about my past, ‘kay? Let’s just forget about that."

Beast Boy eyed Jet nervously, who quickened his pace and soon got in front of the Titan to get inside the Tower. Raven, who was coming rather slowly behind them, glanced at Jet with level gaze and muttered;

"He said he killed them. I think we don’t need to know anything more than that."

Beast Boy flinched, nudging Raven and pointing at Jet. Jet stopped in midway, obviously having heard her. He turned around to face her, looking grave and grim but still managing to plaster a fake smile on his face.

"There’re many ways to kill people, Raven. You don’t necessarily have to kill them physically yourself."
"…which means?"
"Just that. Please don’t think I killed them myself, like, in a real physical way. If I did, I wouldn’t have been deceived by Changeling in the first place, because I’d know it’d be impossible for Jonathan to come back alive."
"So what did you do to be called as a ‘traitor’? If you didn’t kill them in a physical way, how could you have killed them? You did say they were dead."

Jet just shrugged, his smile faltering.

"…never mind. I mean, man, don’t worry ‘bout it, okay? They’re dead, none are coming back. It’s over, it’s okay, it’s safe. My past is gone now."
"Jet."
"C’mon, let’s go to the operation centre and have a video game match or something, B."

Beast Boy followed him reluctantly, all the while throwing uneasy glance at Raven. Her face was stony; she, too, followed them to the operation centre, but didn’t say anything. They were silent for the rest of the way.

When the door that leads to the centre did open, all three of them froze momentarily on the doorway, unsure of what to do. Raven and Beast Boy exchanged looks, and then simultaneously looked at Jet with worried eyes. He was literally frozen, horrified. Beast Boy managed to mutter out a joke…or something that was supposed to be a joke.

"…Is it only me who doesn’t remember having that on?"

On the window screen, was the document of Changeling from the Hell, with a complete design of his cell.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




OK, I know it's crap, I'm gonna edit it soon.

The school internet's gonna get cut offfff....

[Starrysky]

This was actually a pretty good chapter. The depths of Jet's fury was an interesting thing to get a look at. And more help from the Watcher...And Jet going into such a murderous fury is not going to help the Titans suspicions any. ;)

I loved it and I can't wait for more! :D

[Matt A]

Now that was pretty impressive. Jet's psycho flip-out was both startling and perfectly in-character, giving us a timely reminder that the vicious murderer is still very much a part of this otherwise easy-going guy's soul. Better yet, the way his murderous rant was worded, his intentions could almost feel justified: scary, thrilling and fascinating all the same time. Jet's remark about the lethality of Raven's powers ("the thought of you being able to take me apart at any time isn’t exactly making me happy") was also pretty cool: I get the feeling Raven will be reflecting on this later on, which is an interesting thought.

As I said, lots to ponder on. Can Jet bury his inner cruelty? Does he want to bury his cruelty? Is it ever possible for the past to stay past? And, on a slightly more immediate note, who the hell is keeping such close tabs on the Titans? And how?

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 28.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


The other Titans’ reaction to the document and design of the cell wasn’t really different from Raven, Beast Boy or Jet’s. Robin, after a while of reading and typing, turned around to face Jet and said in a stern voice;

"Jet, you have to tell us what happened between you and your friends."
"Do I?"

Jet answered with a sneer, in a mood similar to what he was in right after he found out that it was Changeling, not his real friends, appeared in front of him. Robin frowned slightly; he didn’t approve this attitude at all, but he knew better than to argue with Jet when he was in a mood like this.

"Jet, this supposedly dead friend of yours has hacked into our system, giving us top secret information on the Demons, even a completed design of the cell. Then the Changeling guy appeared in front of you in your friends’ appearance, and you nearly went crazy. This is for our, and your own safety. Tell us, Jet."

He let out an empty laugh and looked away, crossing his arms across his chest, giving this ‘yeah, whatever’ body language. Robin tried again.

"Jet, please. If you want us to trust you, we can’t do so when we know so little about you."
"And yet you trusted Raven when you knew so little about her. Look, my friends are dead. D-E-A-D. Gone to heaven with wings on their back and a ring above their head, blown to pieces by the Hell. Whatever Changeling said, that’s rubbish. Reriel didn’t survive through that. Neither did Jonathan. Nor any of my friends. They didn’t survive, they weren’t merged all into Jonathan’s body, they’re not gonna come to have their revenge on me. The betrayal…let’s just say I’m not going to do it to you guys, so you can be reassured on that."
"If they’re all dead, like what you think, how would you explain the document that’s sent to us from the Hell?"
"Don’t ask me, have no idea. I’m not a genius, get it. I can’t know everything. I’m as puzzled and frightened as you are by this."
"If you tell us what had happened, it might help us to figure out what’s going on."
"My past’s got nothing to do with this, get it. It’s over. It’s past. My friends are dead. I’m out of Hell. I just have to get rid of the Demons that are coming to get me occasionally, and then it’s fine. I don’t know who or what is sending those documents over here, but it’s definitely not Sam ‘cus he’s dead dead DEAD!"

He had obviously lost control over himself; Raven gave him a level gaze before beginning her argument.

"You told Changeling…Jonathan that you guessed he might not be dead. That he’d be able to execute the others but not himself."
"That is a possibility, but as I said, I’ve seen his body tearing into pieces by the Hell and their hellhounds. He wouldn’t have been able to execute the others, man. Besides, why send Changeling when the real version is alive, huh? Don’t you think that’s little weird?"
"Alright, we’ll put it there. There’s another thing we wanted to ask you. Changeling said he was a danger to us, the heroes, and ‘another girl with a super power in this city’, whoever that is. What did he mean by that?"

Jet shrugged, looking troubled. After receiving a full-on glaring attack from Robin and Raven, he sighed and began.

"If what I remember is right, the Hell is gathering any kids with super power. That includes you guys, obviously. Don’t ask me why, I guess they got tired of mutating normal people now."
"So after finishing you off, Changeling would have wanted to bring us, and that other girl, back to the Hell. And get his reward."
"Yeah, his reward. Freedom. I don’t know, the Hell might have wanted him to bring me alive, too."
"Why would you think that?"

Jet smiled, seeming distressed.

"Because I’m the only Demon with these cannons."
"What? You mean, there’re no other Demons with power like yours?"
"I was designed specifically to be the Guard, man. They only needed one, one with absolute power over the other Demons. My blaster…they can kill any Demons. I’m not sure whether they made another one like me or not yet. Seeing there’s none coming to hunt me down, I guess not."
"What if there is one?"

He shrugged.

"It’ll be a matter of speed. The one who’s faster will win, and survive. If there is one like that, and he’s coming to hunt me down, I’ll just have to kill that guy. I’m sorry, but I have no choice. Honestly, don’t you guys think one single person like me is enough?"

Even though they couldn’t really agree and let him kill anybody, none disagreed.

"What about Changeling? How many like him are there?"
"There were at least dozen, but I killed most of them when I was there back then. Troublemakers, man. Always trying to get out of the place by transforming into other Demons or the higher ones. Including the one we met today, I’d say only two or so are alive now. Maybe only one, which would be the one we met today. That’d make this matter much simpler."
"Elemental Sisters?"
"Only one package, I’m sorry to say."
"What about the iron spitting ones?"
"There’re quite a lot of them. They’re the basic ones, easy to make, easy to replace. There’re other basic ones too; they can melt into things around themselves, like concrete or bricks or such. The Hell has thousands of them. Pity they don’t resemble human much any longer. I think that’s why the Hell keeps making them; I think they want a successful one, which looks like human, but has the power."
"Any possibility they’d come attacking us?"
"About seventy percent. If they do, it’d be in hundreds or thousands, which will get pretty complicated considering you guys’ policy of not killing. The best way to get rid of them is killing, because there’re just so many of them and they can hide wherever they want to using their powers. The only way to stop them is damage them beyond repair."
"Which, in other words, is killing them."
"You know me too well."

Jet smiled, but none of the others did. It was like when he first arrived, after the encounter with the Elemental Sisters; and he liked as much as he did the first time. It was nerve-wrecking, this silence and seriousness that hung around them.

"…Jet."
"Yeah?"
"Can you think of anybody that might help us by sending this information to us?"
"Not Sam."
"Can you think of anyone else other than him?"
"…no."
"Then don’t you think it’s most likely to be him, somehow alive, that’s helping us?"

Jet shook his head, looking angry again. He suddenly leaped up, pacing around the couch where the Titans sat.

"Sam’s dead, I know he is. I saw his body, I saw the hot lead pouring through it, I was there when it happened, I saw it with my own eyes. I know what I see. He can’t be alive, he can’t be helping us."
"Then how would you explain that?"

Robin asked, pointing at the screen where the document and the design were still left on. Jet growled slightly, stopping dead in front of him to glare down at him.

"I. Don’t. Know. Get it? I don’t know, I have no freaking idea so stop go fussing around about this at me. All I know is that my friends are dead, that Changeling had made fun of me by transforming into my friends, and that you guys would be in a bit of a trouble sooner or later by the Hell. That’s about all I know, and that’s about all I have to know."
"…Jet."
"Don’t try and force me into telling you guys about my past. I’ll tell you guys, someday, one day, when I’m ready, when I trust you guys and you guys trust me."
"Jet, all we want to do is…"

Cyborg couldn’t finish the sentence, because Jet had already stormed outside the door, disappearing into the endless darkness of the corridor. His sentence hung in midair, waiting to be finished; but he couldn’t.

All they wanted to do was…what? Make sure that Jet was not a threat to them? Make sure that he wouldn’t betray them? Or get to know him more, and be able to trust him?

Robin glanced at Raven, who now had her hood down, her eyes impassive. He couldn’t know what she was thinking, but then that wasn’t really extraordinary. She was good at hiding her emotions, after all.

"…seems like we don’t have much choice."

He thought out aloud, startling his team mates. He sighed, running his hand through his jet-black hair.

"Let’s just wait and see when would he tell us. He wouldn’t trust us unless we start trusting him first."

Raven closed her eyes.

"Until then, we’ll try to track this guy down. See if he’s the Watcher, Sam, or another Demon that Jet can’t remember."

Cyborg nodded, showing his approval. Before anybody could say anything more, Robin said his final words.

"Let’s get started, team. We got a city to save."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 29.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos."

Amazing how much this little spell constructed of three words can do.
She instantly felt herself wrenching out of her body, in a form of pure black energy, slipping out of her room into the corridor and finally into Jet’s room. He had his back turned on her, he couldn’t see her; good…she slipped into his body, where the short movie began.

Whatever the others thought, she was determined to find out more about this guy, by the hard way if needed. Robin and Cyborg were in the operation centre, trying to track the hacker down. Starfire would be in the kitchen, making up some crazy stuff to help Jet get calmed down; Beast Boy had gone out to the city, saying he needed to get some air and tofu.

The first thing that she could see was the argument him and the Titans had just before; then to his perspective of Robin, staring down at him at the street where he was bound by her power. Then to Changeling, with hot fury and hatred swirling inside him, consuming every part of his mind…and then to the picnic, him and Cyborg laughing as Robin and Beast Boy yelled out ‘cheater’ and such. Then to the screen, filled with the three Demons’ documents…then to herself, where he told her she was a coward. She felt her own fury building inside her as she saw just how unguarded and stupid she looked when he said it, but also felt his own fury and frustration at her for not trusting him. Well, you know why, you don’t deserve it just yet, she thought as she saw the next part.

Terra.

Terra? But how? When did he meet her? How? Where? Why? A trail of questions went through her head as she saw Terra moving her lips, but without any sound. She could make out what the blond girl was saying by lip-reading anyway, so it didn’t really matter…

The next part shocked her even more. Terra, with her eyes shining gold, was attacking Jet with her power. So she could use her power? Did she remember the things that had happened to her when she was a Titan? She thought about telling this to the other Titans, but thought better of it; if Terra and Jet didn’t tell them about this little secret, it was obviously because Terra didn’t want to. Besides, it seemed like Beast Boy had finally calmed down after the last meeting with Terra…she didn’t want to upset him again.

The next part, up to where he saw his place got trashed, was what she knew and remembered. But his place, which was completely ruined…was it a burglary like Jet said, or was it a Demon’s doing? She gasped silently when she saw the photograph Jet picked up from his place; a photo of seven people. Three out of the seven were very familiar to her; one was Jet himself, obviously, and the other two were Jonathan and Reriel. Jonathan, smiling, had his hand around a girl with golden hair and eyes that were the same colour as her hair; Reriel was standing beside a boy with fiery red hair and sea blue eyes, her face wearing an expression of impassiveness, a bit like Raven herself. Neither Jonathan nor Reriel looked a bit like what Changeling had acted in their appearances; she wondered for a moment just how Jet thought it could be them. And Jonathan…he didn’t look like a person who would be an executioner.

The other four, she couldn’t say which one out of the four was Sam. Obviously Sam couldn’t be a girl; but one of the girls must be Sam’s girlfriend, because Jet said so. And it wasn’t Reriel, because Jet said Reriel was one of three friends who he made after he was taken to the Hell. Seeing Jonathan having his hand around the blond girl, it only left one choice; a girl with hair a colour like that of sun set, and one brown eye. She looked much like Jet, almost like a sister. So if that was Sam’s girlfriend, the one standing next to her must be Sam, the Watcher.

He had warm brown eyes with a tinge of gold, with a smile that somehow looked much wiser than that of Jet or Jonathan’s. He definitely could be the Watcher, yes. Then who was the guy with red hair and blue eyes, standing beside Reriel? He was wearing a smile that looked as if it would belong to a sage, too, but it didn’t seem so warm like Sam’s. She didn’t like him.

Suddenly, the scene changed from the photo into something else.

The first thing she could see was blinding white light. After her-or Jet’s-eyes got used to it, she became aware of the pain that screamed all the way through her-or his-body. Above him was a body-length mirror, which showed his reflection; she gasped sharply, realizing this was when Jet was being mutated into a cyborg, where he accidentally woke up and saw himself being changed into a cyborg. His legs were unfinished. Blood and flesh and cords and metal were mixed together in a bloody mess, nothing like anything she had seen before. Wires and cords were sticking out of every part of his body, and the left half of his chest was still bare, the artificial skin not yet covered over the glinting machines; she could hear Jet’s shallow gasps, because it hurt just to breathe. He couldn’t even scream or yell because that would cause major destruction to his neck. Then somebody wearing a mask came and looked down at him…and slowly his vision faded away…

The next thing she saw was a dining hall, if the place could be named as such. Under the dim red light, the most hideous things you could imagine, and some things that were even worse than that were sitting on a bench that laid in a row, crowded to the maximum limit. She could see the Elemental Sisters. The food was horrible…she looked at the oozing slime coming out of the mysterious ‘food’, and understood why Jet loved eating so much. Even tofu was better than that. Even Starfire’s cooking was better than that.

Suddenly she felt herself getting slammed against the wall, which in actual was Jet getting slammed against the wall. He was still not really used to his new body; he couldn’t maintain his balance very well, and he fell on the floor with his dish scattering all around him. Raven looked up at the bully, who revealed to be Changeling, the one they fought just that day…but looking much younger and cleaner and better looking than what she remembered. Laughing like a maniac, Changeling poured his plate on Jet’s head, and laughed again as the slime tickled down on Jet’s face. Funnily enough, she couldn’t really feel the disgusting touch of it; she soon realized it was because Jet’s senses were seriously dulled by the mutation, and felt saddened by it. Just briefly. Another funny thing was that she couldn’t sense any kind of emotion of Jet’s own. He didn’t feel angry, or humiliated; just nothing. It was as if he didn’t have a mind at that time, like a machine.

Somebody shoved Changeling out of the way, and came to clean Jet-her- up. It was Sam, with the same warm eyes as she saw in the photo. He looked into Jet’s eyes with concerned face, calling his name again and again; ‘Jet, are you okay? Jet, do you remember me? It’s me, Sam. Do you remember me?’

Before she could find out what had happened after that, the scene changed again. It seemed like an arena this time. Jet was being cornered by a man that looked about twenty, with one eye blue and the other green. Then Jet set out on revenge; he beat the opponent into a pulp, wearing the same expression he did when he was beating Changeling up that day. A person, whose face couldn’t really be seen because it was in the shadow, appeared and ordered him to do something, although she couldn’t figure out what it was. But Jet protested, that was for sure. He didn’t like it…she could feel it. She could see the six people from the photo standing close to the arena, their bodies pressed against the wall, calling him. Then he turned around sharply, and even before he-she- knew it, the golden energy ball shot out of his hand, creating a huge explosion. The spectators around the arena went crazy with joy; but she could feel Jet’s utter shock, and she herself felt horrified when she found herself facing the opponent half burnt, still standing, looking more hideous than anything she had yet seen. Jet’s cannon must have been weaker than what it was now…it was strong enough to burn, or even melt a human’s skin, but not strong enough to burn the victim away completely. In a way, his cannon being stronger seemed like a much better idea.

The ‘thing’ slumped down on the floor, and suddenly a screen flashed and it showed Jet on itself, with ‘The Guard-SJDM45’ in red writing. Before she could wonder what it meant by SJDM45, the screen blacked out.

Next, she found herself, and Jet, crouched in the corner of a room, hugging himself. A stream of frantic thoughts flooded past his head, being directly transferred into her brain; it’s okay, it’s okay, they told me to do it, they ordered me to do it, it’s not my fault, it’s not my fault, I didn’t want to kill him, it’s okay, it’s okay, Isaun wasn’t a human any longer anyway, so it’s not my fault, so it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s not like I killed a human, I just killed a Demon, so it’s okay, everything’s okay, it’s okay, I don’t need to feel guilty, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay…it’s okay…he’s not a human anymore…so it’s okay……it’s okay. It’s okay…because I’m not a human any longer.

He smiled.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"…Robin, look what I found."

The leader of the Titans walked over at his big friend with a curious expression on his face. Cyborg pointed at a particular sentence of the document, his face serious and grim.

"You remember how Changeling suddenly changed from Reriel to Jonathan, when he had so much more advantage by being Reriel?"
"Yeah, I wondered about it too."
"Read that."

Robin did as Cyborg told him to do, silently mouthing off the sentences. After he had, he looked down at his friend.

"The Hell can control what Changeling transforms into. Yeah."
"More specifically, the Watcher. He, or she, can change Changeling’s form back into what he was in before. In this case, it would be from Reriel to Jonathan."

The Titan quickly turned his glance to the screen, alarmed. After a while of reading, he asked to his big friend.

"Do you think that’s what might have happened when…?"
"Yeah. I mean, it makes sense, don’t you think? Who in their right mind would go back to a form with less power, when they’re winning? We couldn’t even lay a finger on Reriel, but we could attack Jonathan. Whatever Jet thinks, the Changeling guy was smart enough to attack Jet in his friends’ form, so he wouldn’t attack back. And his face when he changed back…I don’t think he really intended to change back to Jonathan, you know."

Robin stared up at the screen, tapping his chin with a finger.

"If that’s what really happened, and if it’s the Watcher who’s helping us…Jet, the question would be how."
"Yeah. How did he hack into our system? How did he see, or know, what it was like out here, when he’s in the Hell?"
"Then who. Who’s the Watcher? Is it really Sam, Jet’s friend, or is this just a giant set up by another Demon?"
"And why. If he is helping us with good intention, why is he? I don’t know much about the Hell, but I know enough to think that they wouldn’t be too keen on helping Jet. And they wouldn’t be too generous on anybody who does."
"Do you think we should ask Jet?"
"Nah, not a good time. Maybe later, when Jet’s calmed down a bit. If we ask him now, I think it’ll only make him angrier at us."

Cyborg nodded, his face grim.

"…seems like our new friend is bringing more trouble than he think he is."

Robin let out a hollow laugh.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Thanks, Matt A and Starrysky!:D Thanks for your feedback on last chapter, and the chapters before that. Love you guys:D

Starrysky / Grammars...*sighs* I guess I should've known not to trust Microsoft World grammar check*rolls eyes* I think I kinda got what you saw, guess I'll fix them someday...*looks away*
Man, I'm so jealous. You're going on a trip around the world, and I'll possibly be stuck at home studying:( Just don't forget to post a new chappie in your story, okay?:D
No, Jet acting like a psycho wouldn't, obviously, help Titans to get to trust him. You'll see what happens...:evil:
Don't be so sure that it's the Watcher that's helping out Jet yet;)

Matt A / Yup, a part of Jet is still a ruthless, merciless killer, just that he's very good at hiding it. I figured you might like Jet going all psyche at Changeling or Titans...;)
Reriel and Jonathan were both very good friends of Jet, as you can guess. They weren't all mad and psycho at first, though; as you could have probably guessed in this chapter, it's Changeling who's got some pretty twisted-mind. He's a big fat bully.
Would Jet want to bury his inner cruelty? I guess we'll just have to wait and see...:evil: I'm certainly not letting the answer slip out earlier than it should be:D

[Matt A]

Once again, that be good work. At long last, we get to see a little of Jet's history: not much, but a lot more than the few tidbits we've been given so far. And that was a very cool way to do it as well: not only do we get to see this stuff with our own eyes, but presenting it all as this kind of "spectator event" allows Raven's disgust at the things she sees to fuel our own revulsion. Seen through a specific person's eyes, rather than just those of the narrator, images like Jet seeing his mutating body and his guilt-ridden thought processes become powerful to the point of being truly memorable. Even though we still don't know what The Hell is really about, we can see now more than ever that it needs to be stopped regardless of what threat it poses to the wider world.

More to the point, the illicit nature of this info-gathering, with Robin and Cyborg as much as Raven, shows just how far the Titans will have to go to see this epic drama solved. Quite frankly, I'm a little surprised that the Titans have only just decided to do things this way, but I suppose they do have Heroic images to maintain. Then again, considering how withdrawn Jet's being (understandable, given the circumstances), they don't really have a choice. As an extra note, I like how Jet doesn't have all the answers for his own little crisis: OC characters (some of my own included) are too often able to explain everything about the problems they're dumping on the Titans, so it's good to see something a little more realistic.

And whilst I'm still thinking about it, I need to mention this:

There’re other basic ones too; they can melt into things around themselves, like concrete or bricks or such. The Hell has thousands of them.

Is that a reference to The Thing from Things Change? If it is, I get the feeling life is about to get real interestig. And that's before we even get onto the more pressing problems of who the informant is, why the Watcher (whoever they are) would want to be helpful (and if they aren't, what's their game?), and the distinct possibility of another Guard turning up to cause anarchy. But that's what makes this story so much fun.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 30.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


‘Friends of life.’
‘Friends of death.’
‘Together forever.’
‘Man, this is just…cheesy.’
‘Shut up. I think it’s pretty cool.’
‘Well, yeah, cuz you made it!’

Raven stared at the three boys, Sam, Jonathan and Jet, laughing and tackling each other. Unlike other memories of him, this was full of joy, of emotion, of sound. Jet was smiling, for the first time since he became a cyborg, since being called by the higher ones as ‘SJDM45’. He was feeling something, joy, happiness, an emotion, since he became a cyborg. Now she knew how much his friends meant to him; at first, when he first found himself a cyborg, he was really just a machine. A killing machine, without feelings. It almost scared her, him remembering things without feeling about them. After he became the Guard, it was worse; he was deliberately forcing himself to be a machine, to save himself from going mad with guilt. It was his job, his work to do, the order given from the higher ones.

But his friends…they were the ones who taught him to feel things again.

Although she was sure that it didn’t have any effect on his state when he was killing the other Demons, Jet was much more like a human than a machine when he was with them. He laughed, he joked, he mocked…much like what he was like when he was with Cyborg or Beast Boy. When he was facing Changeling or the Elemental Sisters, though, he acted exactly like what he did when he was with Raven herself. Feeling irritated by that, she looked at the happy friends, all laughing and full of joy, just happy to be with each other in the Hell.

Just what on earth had happened to him and his friends?

They looked happy, so happy, for being friends with each other. So what had happened to them? Why did Jet consider himself as a traitor? Why did he kill his friends? By the way he was acting with his friends then, and by the way he reacted to Changeling’s deception now, she could be pretty sure that Jet’s feelings towards his friends hadn’t changed a bit.

As if his memory was answering her questions, the scene changed.

It was night time, pavement and the concrete yard lit flooded bright search lights. She could feel herself-Jet running, his breath coming out in short, frightened gasps; she couldn’t be sure when this was, or where for that matter. He turned around, only to found hundreds of people, hunting dogs and Demons blocking his way…

WHAM!

Raven was suddenly back to herself when she was slammed against the wall with enough force to knock her breath out. She gasped a few times, trying to get her breathing in control. Then she looked up to face someone who she didn’t want to see the most at that time.

It was Jet, not of the past, but of present, his eyes lit with murderous fury.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Terra stared down at the river from the bridge, enjoying the soft breeze that whistled past her long, blond hair. She levitated a stone up with her power and threw it to the dazzling water. She felt a sense of triumphant over it; it seemed like she was gaining more and more control over her power.

"Hey, Tara! What you doing?"

She felt her body stiffening, and she dropped the stones that she was levitating instantly. She turned around to face Tom…one of the coolest, and most popular guys at her school with spiky dark brown hair and startling green eyes. She smiled nervously. Did he see her using her power? God she hoped not.

"Hey, Tom. I was just…looking at the river, you know?"
"A poet, eh? So, can if I stand and watch the river with you?"
"Oh. Okay. Sure."
"Thanks."

Although she had no idea what he was thanking for, she just smiled and nodded politely.

"So. What you doing?"
"…I’m…looking at the river?"
"Uh huh, and what you doing looking at the river?"
"Thinking, I guess."
"What you thinking?"

She gave him a look, but answered it anyway.

"The usual stuff, you know. I’m really worried about the Maths test coming up next week."
"Yeah, me too. Say, you got some free time this weekend?"
"I guess. Why?"

Tom smiled pleasantly.

"Honestly, Tara. Isn’t it obvious? I’m asking you out."
"You want to go out? With me?"
"Yeah."

Terra hesitated for a moment, thinking about Beast Boy. She stomped on the thought as soon as she realized she was thinking about it; why should she feel guilty about him, when she didn’t even go out with him? Or know him, for that matter? She shrugged.

"Sure, sounds nice to me."
"Cool. I’ll pick you up at your place this Saturday at…say…six?"
"Okay."

He smiled at her for the last time, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. She blushed slightly and turned around. Nice, she thought as she looked up at the sky, painted purple with sunset. I have absolute control over my power, and now I have the coolest guy in our school as a boyfriend.

Things were working out, weren’t they?


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Spying on someone else’s head, huh. Doesn’t seem like a heroic thing to do to me."

Jet whispered with a sneer. His right arm was pressed against Raven’s neck, strangling her, and with his left hand he had his energy ball fully charged, aiming directly at her face. She choked, trying to concentrate and summon her power…and did. Soon Jet found himself pinned against the wall, his body outlined in white inside the barrier of black energy. She gasped a few times, taking air in large gulps.

"Raven, I don’t know what it is about me that makes you distrust me. But honestly, man, give me a break."
"You just tried to kill me, and now you’re telling me you don’t know what about you is making me distrust you."
"I wouldn’t have if you didn’t spy on my head. ‘Sides, I wasn’t gonna kill you anyway."
"Oh yeah, and you strangle people for fun."
"And you go have a look at people’s memory for fun. Alright, I’m sorry for attacking you, but the idea of someone else reading my memory without my permission doesn’t exactly make me happy, get it. And you didn’t really do anything better either. It’s you who first went into my head messing around."
"…I had to know more about you."
"Because?"
"There’s a Demon hacking into our system, giving us top secret information on the Demons, and who knows what he’s taking from us. Then you just proved yourself to be a weakling who wouldn’t attack your friends, even if they would attack you. Those events didn’t really help me to get to trust you. I had to know why, in order to be able to trust you. You were right, I know nothing about you…and I couldn’t trust anybody who I know so little about."
"Honestly, Raven…you could’ve just asked me."
"Judging by the way you responded to Robin, I figured you wouldn’t behave much better to me."
"So you took the dirty way. Look. You just proved it yourself that you don’t trust me, that you don’t even trust me enough to give me some time to think about telling you guys what had happened to me myself. I will tell you guys about my past when I’m ready, I promise, when I trust you guys. And how can I trust you when you don’t trust me not even just a little bit?"

She didn’t answer to his question. She knew that he didn’t want any answer anyway. She just waited him to start again, which he did soon.

"I know you can’t really trust me, Raven. Heck, if I was you, I wouldn’t trust myself either! But it’s no excuse for spying on the other’s head, especially when they want to forget about the whole damn thing."
"…Jet."
"I’m a killer, yes. I’m a killer who’d kill people in cold blood, with one bang of my cannon. But maybe you’ve finally had some taste of what I went through, and maybe now you’d understand, just a little bit, as for why I don’t want to talk about it, or why I hate the Hell so much, or why I became something I am now."
"...but that is no excuse for killing people."
"If I hadn’t, I would’ve been killed, whether by the Hell or by the other Demons."
"But it’s different out here. You don’t need to kill anybody in this world. This isn’t the Hell anymore. You don’t have to hate the Demons so much out here. You don’t have to hide everything from us, because, as you said, it’s all over, it’s just past, all we want to know is a little background story of yours, and we…I wouldn’t take this ‘dirty’ way to find out more about you. What is it about your past that you want it to stay hidden so much?"
"It’s not that I want to hide it. It’s just that it’s over, as you said. It’s over, and there’s nothing coming out from there. Sam’s dead, Jonathan’s dead, Reriel’s dead, every one of my friends are dead. You guys don’t need to know anything about it, because, as I told you, it’s of no importance. Don’t worry about me betraying you guys, cos there won’t be anybody I’d be doing that for. And I haven’t killed one single Demon since I joined you guys."
"Changeling."
"That was an extraordinary case. It won’t happen again, I swear."

The Titan stared levelly at him, unsure whether to trust him or not. Of course, as usual, she decided not to; there was too much risk going on around here to trust him. But it wouldn’t hurt to give him a bit of advice.

"Hiding doesn’t help you. Lying doesn’t help you. Not telling doesn’t help you. I’ve tried it once, Jet. I’ve tried it, I’ve tried to take care of everything by myself. It never worked. It never did any good. In the end, I had to get help from my friends to solve that problem."
"Mine is different from yours, remember. Your problem, whatever that was, was going on. It was a present-continuous tense. Mine, it’s past tense. Was. Were. Had been. Besides, there aren’t gonna be any problems about that one now, that everybody in that story’s dead or can be taken care of."
"It really would help us to get to trust you, though. It would help me in particular."
"I don’t know anything about you guys. So why should I trust you guys and open my mind up to you? Because you guys are heroes? Because you guys are so good and perfect that you can handle everything, understand everything and soothe whatever wound I have deep inside and stuff?"
"…I didn’t mean it like that."
"No you didn’t. I don’t mean it like that either. I don’t mean to have my past hidden away from you. It’s just that my past’s no big deal. You guys can forget about it, and we can track that hacker guy down together quite happily, and I can help you guys to take care of the Demons that come here. Don’t ask, and you won’t be lied."
"…Jet, that kind of attitude of yours is what’s making us afraid of trusting you."
"And that kind of attitude, your we-can’t-trust-that-guy-so-we-have-to-do-everything-to-find-out-about-him, is what’s making me afraid of trusting you guys. Because I know you guys don’t trust me, I can’t trust you. The thing is, Raven, that everybody’s a coward. We’re extremely afraid of trusting the others. We’re extremely afraid of opening our minds up to the others. Why? Because there’s always the possibility of the others betraying you or hurting you because they misunderstood you. So you just don’t open your mind up to them, and you have everything that’s of importance to you hidden deep inside your mind somewhere. The others do the same thing; they hide everything from you, so all you can see of them is what they want you to see. You say you trust them, but you know that deep inside somewhere you have a part reserved to feel detached from that person. Same thing goes for the others. As a result, because you don’t know everything about each other, you misunderstand them, and they misunderstand you. You get hurt, they get hurt. You think ‘I knew it! I knew I couldn’t trust that guy!’ and recoil even further into your shell, hide deeper into a corner of your mind, making other various masks to hide yourself from getting hurt. The others do it too. You wanna know what happens at the end? You’re all alone. There’re people you’d like to call as your friends, who you’d truly believe that they understand everything about you. The truth is, they understand nothing. They know nothing about you, and in fact, you’re completely alone, with all your masks surrounding your true self that even you don’t know what you really are."
"…that’s just rubbish. I trust my friends."
"Friends, who you’ve kept the biggest secret of your life from."
"I wanted to keep them from getting hurt."
"No. You were afraid that they might hate you when they see what you really are. You were afraid that they might hurt you, betray you, by hating you for who you really are."

Raven didn’t answer this one. She only kept her lips pressed hard in a firm, straight line, daring him to go on. He didn’t start either. He, too, just kept silence, pinned back against the wall by her power, daring her to go on.

Finally, it was he who won.

"…I trust my friends. I told them my secret. There’s nothing I’m hiding from them now. Or them hiding from me."
"Maybe there isn’t. For you. But how can you be sure that they told you every little secret of theirs? Do you know enough about them to be that sure? Do you, Raven?"

She hesitated for a second before answering this question. Did she? Of course she did. It’d been ages since they got together as a team, as the Teen Titans. Of course she knew enough about them…to be sure that she knew everything about them.
But she couldn’t help the slightest quiver of her voice.

"I…do."
"You think you do. Weren’t you ever, ever surprised when you found out one of your friends’ secret, even when you thought you knew everything about them?"

Of course there had been moments like that. She was surprised at the level of hatred Robin had against Slade; she was surprised to find out just how much Cyborg longed for his own, old, human body; she was surprised at Beast Boy’s such intense feelings at Terra; she was even more surprised when they found out that Starfire was actually of a royal family, a princess of Tamaran. But it was all a part of learning each other, to get to know each other, to be able to trust each other and co-operate as a team. Those little surprises only helped them to get to know each other, not to be hurt and hide more inside their shells.

But then, the question Jet asked before hit her hard. Just how much did she know about her friends? How could she be sure that what she was seeing now was the ‘actual’ them? Beast Boy, when he turned into that beast and was accused of attacking her, he showed that he, too, had a bit of aggression and anger stored deep inside him. He showed that he loved Terra so much, that he was on the edge of going insane when it came down to her. The usual cheerful official clown weren’t his true self; it could be his mask, the part where he wanted the other Titans to see. She squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment. This was getting complicated. Wasn’t she telling him off for not trusting them, and how it wasn’t helping them to trust him? Just how did the conversation get here, making her doubt her own friends?

She held her head high and glared at Jet, whose face, now, was grim and angry…possibly the mirror image of hers. He started first this time.

"You don’t trust me enough to tell me about you guys. I know you guys don’t trust me, so I don’t trust you guys enough to tell you about me. And because I don’t tell you guys about me, you guys don’t trust me even more, and I don’t trust you even more, and the same thing goes around and around. It’s just a bit cycle of distrust, Rae."
"Then why don’t you break the cycle and tell us about your past, Jet? Even the briefest version of it would make things much simpler. We’d be able to trust you. And you’d be able to trust us. It’d be a big cycle of trust then."
"You think things are that simple?"
"For this case, yes."
"You didn’t trust me even before this whole hacker and Changeling thing got started. It’s got nothing to do with my past, this you-not-trusting-me-and-me-not-trusting-you thing. It’s just that you’re too much of a coward to trust me, and that I’m too much of a…dunno, a proud bastard to trust you. That’s the base of the problem, nothing more, nothing less. My past is just a trivial thing, something so insignificant that I can’t even believe we’re having this whole lot of fuss about it."
"If it’s so trivial and insignificant, what’s the big deal of not telling us? What was the whole fuss over Changeling?"
"Because it’s trivial and insignificant, I don’t find it really worth telling you guys about it. I told you guys about Sam and Jonathan, my best friends, and what kind of roles they had in the Hell. And the thing about Changeling is, that, he…he made fun of me. And of Jonathan and Reriel. I…crap."

She stared at him incredulously for a second, lost for words. Was he saying that on purpose, because he was in front of her, and he just wanted to stir her up, or because that’s what he really thought?

"Your past is trivial and insignificant, that you don’t even find it worth telling us? It’s your whole life, Jet, for goodness sake. And you think that’s not important to you? To us?"
"Funny how you’re saying it, because I thought it’d be Star or B that’d be caring about the whole past-equals-your-life thing."
"Then obviously you don’t know anything about me."
"No. You don’t know anything about me either, though, and don’t you forget that."

Raven waved her power away, which caused Jet to instantly slump down on the floor. He stood up, brushed dirt off from his coat though she was sure there were none, then glared at her as if saying ‘what now?’

"If that’s the way you think of people and their friendship, I guess you never really trusted your friends either."

He looked taken aback at that. His eyes widened for a moment, and he bit his lower lip hard before answering.

"I did."
"And how did you do it, when you knew they didn’t trust you?"
"Because I knew nothing about them. I couldn’t remember a thing. All I could see was how they cared about me, when I didn’t even remember them. Besides, I was like a baby, a robot, who knew nothing of this complex human mind thing."
"And you liked your friends. A lot."
"They meant life to me."
"Then why don’t you try and trust us? You know what it feels like, to be friends with other people. And you know you can never be friends with people unless you trust them."
"Raven, please don’t contradict yourself. Besides…heck, I don’t know, I don’t really need to tell you everything I feel and think, do I?"

She kept silent, even though she was hurt a bit by that. Jet seemed to have guessed that he hurt her feelings without meaning to.

"Look, you guys are great. And even though we do have some problem between you and me, I really wanna be friends with you, I really do! But I don’t like it when people push me around, order me to tell everything about my past, or spy inside my head. The last one in particular. Right now, I’m really stressed, Rae, I’m on the verge of explosion, and all I need right now is a bit of time for myself, a bit of, say, peace. No nagging, no joy-riding inside my head, no nothing. Think you can manage that for a couple of days until I got my head sorted?"

She didn’t answer, but he didn’t seem to care.

"Thanks."

He gave her a weary smile, heading towards the door. She looked at him for a second, wondering just how on earth could he switch his gear so instantly; one moment he was all aggressive, up and going at her; the next, he was all smiling and joking-ish. Maybe it’s what he talked about, maybe it was a way of him guarding himself from getting hurt by the others. She called out weakly just before he got out of the room.

"Jet?"
"Yup?"
"Do you really believe that…that people will always stay alone? Do you think that what you talked about…about the big cycle of distrust…is the truth? That it’s the rule?"

He flashed a quick smile before disappearing into the corridor.

"Oh, I do believe it’s true, Raven. I do. But then, I do believe that there can be some extraordinary cases, that there will always be some extraordinary cases in a rule. Like you and the other Titans…"

The door slid shut, so she couldn’t hear the last part of his sentence, even though she could, kind of, guess what it would be.

"…or me, Sam and Jonathan."


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...OK, this is funny. I logged in, clicked 'post reply', and wrote the whole lot of post-writing comment thing, including various infos on upcoming chapters or stories, and suddenly I had to log in again, and suddenly they said it's an 'invalid link', so I lost the whole thing.

Ain't happy:(

One thing you have to keep in mind : There're six of Jet's friends. Three of them are boys. But only two of those three boys are mentioned as his 'best friends'. Remember that third one, the one with red hair and blue eyes...

And, since now Jet's past has revealed just a little bit, I guess Chap 15 now makes more sense:D


Thanks to...

Matt A! Long time no see!:D Thanks for your wonderfully long feedback, really helped me a lot.
Jet's past was something I really enjoyed writing, especially the part where Jet saw his 'unfinished' body was my favourite!:evil: I'm glad it had such a strong impression on you.
The Titans only chose this dirty way recently because...yeah, I guess it's because of that whole heroic-image thingy. Quite a tiring job, heroes*shakes her head pityingly*
The basic Demons and the thingy from Things Change, the answer will be in next chapter just briefly. So just wait and see!:D
Thanks again!:D:D:D



And thanks to all of you who read this. Honestly, about 50 or so people read this, I think. And only Matt A gave me a feedback. People, I ain't happy about it:( Just ONE sentence would be nice!*sighs*
Maybe I should re-write Chap 1...*sighs*




Well anyway, thanks to all of you who read this, and to Matt A again. Have a nice day!:D

[Starrysky]

Very nice chapter as always! :anime:

Raven got busted! :evil: She deserved it. And then Jet thinking his past is insignificant...He just wants to forget about the whole thing. It's kinda sad. That was a bit of a tease though, only seeing a fragment of the memory...

Anyways, I loved it! I can't wait to read more!

[Matt A]

Though we've seen this kind of argument between Jet and Raven before, it's good to see Jet finally be able to articulate his thoughts well enough to make Raven shut her trap. I mean, Jet does have a point: aside from the whole informant thing, what is there that means she has to know all this stuff? Sure, Jet's dealings with The Hell are clearly far from over, but the only reason both us and Raven are so interested in his past is simply so's we can satisfy our mutual curiosity. This leads us back to that age-old question: though we want to know everything about those around us, how much do we really need to know?

On the other hand, I don't imagine for one second that Raven will take any of this lying down. Then again, she might. You've been able to surprise us before.

Oh yes, and I must give mention to this bit:

Raven, please don’t contradict yourself.

I don't know about you, but I love it when people are that blunt.:evil:

So, now's to see how Raven will react to all this. And just how disastrously wrong Terra's date is going to go: despite being sandwiched in the big Jet & Raven scene, I get the feeling this too-good-for-its-own-good little situation is going to get both key and messy.

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 31.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


They had, in fact, all managed to do what Jet asked them for. Leave him alone, in peace and quiet. Even though Jet occasionally went to Cyborg’s room to have some ‘boy chat’, or to the operation centre to play video game, he never really mixed with the Titans like he used to. He seemed a bit removed all the time, smiling but not really smiling. It was the first crack on his mask.

Raven thought about the conversation they had a few days ago. It was the first time they had a ‘civilized conversation’-relative to other ones they had since they first met. What she couldn’t understand was, just how did he think his past was trivial when obviously so much of him was attached deeply to it. He loved his friends, she knew it; not in the love-love way, but in the friend-love way. She doubted that he’d ever feel that kind of strong friendship to any one of the Titans, which wasn’t really surprising considering those days’ tension that hung around them. Robin and Cyborg still hadn’t figured out who the hacker was, and Jet was unable to give them any help on it. The only two possibilities, as far as he could think of, were Sam and the higher ones of the Hell. He just brushed off the chance of Sam being the hacker-‘He’s DEAD! I don’t know just how many times I gotta tell you that!’-and he doubted that it’d be the higher ones. Why help him out, a Runaway, the only Guard who had ever succeeded in escaping from the Hell? They’d be the ones who send those various Demons to the city, to bring him-and the Titans and Terra, even though nobody in the Titans except Raven guessed it-to the Hell. They had taken care of another couple of Demons during that few days they had as a ‘holiday for Jet’; one was a bit like Jet, except she didn’t have a cannon. Jet and Starfire brought her down, and afterwards Raven made sure that Demon stayed down. The next was the same thing that appeared that day when Beast Boy saw Terra first since she came back. The thing that melted into whatever that was around it.

"That a Demon?"
"Yup, a Demon."

Robin had asked Jet, and he answered with a slight smile. Beast Boy, in a form of a green hound, followed its scent while Jet and Starfire rained the street with their energy balls. A few occasional protests broke out during the process, mainly from the not flying ones, such as the three boys of the Titans. Jet chose to ignore them with a smirk. Eventually they were able to take it down, after hours of chasing around and surprise attacks; Jet muttered, ‘it’d be way easier if we could just get rid of it, honestly,’ but soon received a full glare from Robin and Raven. He grumbled unpleasantly, but didn’t try to do anything stupid.

Of course, the question about Jet’s past was still a hot potato; none asked about it, for Jet finally seemed to have calmed down a bit. So far, they had to be satisfied with what little information Jet was giving to them, and the little bit Raven had gathered when she read his memories. They all looked shocked horrified and disgusted when she described just how…bloody Jet’s legs were when he first saw them, or when she told them how Changeling dumped the whatever-it-is-it-ain’t-food-baby on Jet. They were also interested in finding Sam’s appearance; and they all felt sympathetic when Raven told them how Jet didn’t feel a thing, or didn’t know any feelings when he was first turned into a cyborg, or how he nearly went crazy with guilt when he first killed a Demon. Cyborg made this ‘I told you he’s not such a bad kid’ look, which was rewarded with nods from Starfire and Beast Boy. Robin was thoughtful, and Raven didn’t care. So she finally knew what Jet had gone through, and she knew that Jet wasn’t a blood-crazed maniac since he was born. That did help her to ease a bit in front of him, but didn’t help her to trust him. That part of him…which felt guilt at killing people…did it still remain somewhere inside his body? Maybe it was hidden, too; maybe the easy going cool guy part was what he wanted the Titans to see; and maybe the cold-blooded merciless killer was the part he wanted the Demons to see. And maybe the weak, vulnerable part was what he wanted to stay hidden, a way to survive from the Hell. But if he showed that part in front of the Titans, it sure would help to ease them more on him, she thought grimly as she listened to Starfire chatting away half-heartedly.

Could she trust him? Would she trust him?

And what about the image of Terra she saw? Should she tell the others about her? About how she’s the other ‘girl with superpower hiding in this city’? Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea, considering how Beast Boy would go yelling and crying at her to come back. No…they would be able to help her with any kind of trouble. They could always step in when things got too bad.

She hoped.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


The date with Tom didn’t quite turn out to be as romantic as she thought it would be. First they went to an amusement park, which happened to be the one she and Beast Boy went before her betrayal, but of course she nor Tom knew nothing about it. She always liked amusement parks, even though she hated the House of Mirrors for no reason in particular. She didn’t really enjoy the evening, though; Tom was trying too hard to act cool that it irritated her. He didn’t share the same kind of humour she had, and she didn’t share his perspective of…almost everything. With sheer horror, she realized that she was actually missing Beast Boy a bit. Sure, he was noisy, and annoying, but at least he was a much better friend, and had much more in common with her, than Tom.

What’s more, it was the House of Mirror that Tom had dragged her in as the ‘last course of date’. She hated the House of Mirror; she hated the way it reflected herself, the way it distorted her reflection. The place was all smashed and trashed, and it had an eerie feeling around itself. She always had bad feeling about it, though she couldn’t be sure why. It was a bit like with Tom; she couldn’t like this guy, although she couldn’t think of any reason. He was cool, good looking, nice and a gentleman. So why couldn’t she like him? What better date could she find?

"Come on, Terra. You’re not afraid of dark, are you?"

Tom chuckled lightly, daring her to go on. She just shot him a look and ignored his little remark. She was confused whether he just called her Terra or Tara, but decided that it was just a slip of his tongue. Bravely she stepped into the place, the place which doomed on the day long time ago.

The place which would destroy her again that day.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"GET OFF ME!"

The blond girl was screaming, her eyes shining with golden light. ‘It’ chuckled gleefully. He knew it; he knew this girl was one of its targets. It was smart, going after a single one instead of the six targets that were packed together. It shuddered, remembering one of them; SJDM45, the merciless slaughterer with hair that looked like sunset. It had always hated him; he looked like a human, even though he was a machine. He talked like a human, even though he was a machine. He killed like a machine, because that’s what he was created for. Killing it and its kin.

It had followed this blond girl for sometime now; it had killed the original owner of this name and body, to make sure its plan worked perfectly. With its ability to imitate the victim of it, it asked her out, brought her to this place, the place where her former nightmare occurred.

Of course, it was a nightmare she didn’t remember.

It licked its upper lips, enjoying the taste of her fright that hung around the air. Oh, the sweet, sweet taste of fear! It could feel its blood boiling instantly at the strong scent of it, something only it was able to catch.

"GET LOST!"

Now the girl was crying. It laughed, its voice hoarse and croaking. It hurt just to laugh; it hurt just to move. But it will get its reward; it will get its normal body back. It was a failure; it didn’t look like a human when it wasn’t transformed. It didn’t look like a human when it was itself. It looked like a monster. It knew how to use the strength; most people were paralyzed just at the sight of it. All it needed to do was frighten them real badly, and then leap at them and tear them apart with its claws and teeth. It didn’t even need his shape-shifting power to kill.

But none of its kin, those beautiful, human looking ones, had ever succeeded in the mission. Most of them were killed by SJDM45. Only it and another had survived, and it knew that the other one had failed, too. Now it was its turn, the failure’s turn, to prove that it wasn’t such a failure after all.

It leaped at the target.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


She couldn’t believe it.

She noticed something weird about Tom when they first went into the place, the House of Mirrors. The mirrors showed reflection of her, as it should. But there was no sign of Tom’s reflection.

Instead, there was a reflection of a horrible, most disgusting thing she had ever seen beside hers.

"Who…what are you?"

She barely whispered, her voice choked and frightened. Was this a Demon? Was this what Jet warned her about? If it was, he sure was right it doing so; it was horrifying. Tom, or something that had Tom’s body and personality but not quite Tom, laughed and put its arm around her.

"What’s the matter, Terra? Afraid of dark? Would you like a little hug?"

His voice had changed from the sweet, sweet voice of Tom to something horrible and raspy, something that didn’t sound like a voice at all. She pushed him away…and then it struck her.

He called her Terra. It was no slip of tongue or anything. He knew who she was. He knew she was one of the Titans. He knew she had the powers.

He knew her real name.

He chuckled slightly, slowly changing his form, from the good-looking guy into a hideous thing that was reflected on the mirror. She squeezed her eyes tight even though she knew it was a dangerous thing to do; but she didn’t want to look at it, she couldn’t bare to look at it, no she couldn’t…

Skin, dry skin that looked rather like parchment, ragged and coated with dried blood. Some of its bones and internal organs could be seen through the torn skin. Its fingernails, no, claws were long, dirty and yellow. Drools were hanging down from its chin, with its yellow, sharp teeth bared; its face looked more like a skeleton than a human’s face, except the dry skin that stretched across it, and the eyeballs that were stuck deep inside their sockets. A few black, greasy hairs were hanging down on its face. Cords, wires and metals were sticking out from everywhere…

The most horrifying thing about it was, that it resembled human.

It leaped up at her, enclosing her tightly in a frightening bear hug. Its claws were digging into her soft skin…she screamed, stumbling backwards; pebbles that were scattered across the floor flew to it, but didn’t do any apparent damage. It chuckled some more.

"GET OFF ME!"

She yelled, scratching and throwing herself this way and that furiously. She hauled her hands, those golden shining hands at him, and instantly a chunk of asphalt peeled itself off the ground. It flew across the Demon, causing it to lose its grip on her; she scrambled back on her feet, feeling extremely terrified and scared.

She was all alone. Oh God, wouldn’t anybody come here? Wouldn’t anybody save her?

"If any Demons come and attack you, it’ll be about five to ten minutes before we arrive on the scene. Just…hold for that five to ten minutes or so, and you’ll be fine."

She thought about what Jet told her, the day they met. Five to ten minutes or so, and she’d be fine. Jet, the Titans, Beast Boy will arrive on the scene and rescue her from this nightmare. Jet promised she’d be fine if she could hold on for that five to ten minutes. How many minutes had passed since she was first attacked? Where were the Titans? Would they know that she was in trouble? Would they try to rescue her? They would, wouldn’t they? Jet will persuade them into doing so. Beast Boy would come running to rescue her. To save her. He will, he will, he will.

The Demon rose again, a sick grin pasted across its horrible face. She swallowed back her tears, but could feel the hot liquid sliding down her cheek. Her breaths came out in ragged, sharp gasps; could she hold on for five minutes? Was she in control enough of her power to do so? Could she?

"GET LOST!"

Anybody, please, she begged inside her mind as she saw it getting ready to leap at her again. Anybody, anybody. Jet, the Titans, Beast Boy…Beast Boy, please…anybody please, please save me, please help me…

Beast Boy, Beast Boy, Beast Boy…

"BEAST BOY-!"



The red lights indicating trouble began flashing all around the Titans Tower.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



I got some CDs from my good pal in US, like the End and stuff. I'M SO HAPPY!!!


Thanks, Starrysky and Matt A!

Starrysky / Yeah, Raven soooo deserved it. She's evil, sometimes...:D Yes, I guess you can't really blame Jet for wanting to forget the whole thing. You'll see the whole thing of Jet's memory soon enough, I promise:D Sure good to see you!

Matt A / Yeah, Jet was always...say...not really good at talking before in front of Raven 'somehow'. Considering the little argument him and Raven had ending with 'Maybe forever.' I suppose Jet finally had his payback time:D
As you said, you, or Raven, might not need to know the whole thing about Jet's past, but I guess it's not really good to keep my readers curious:D Wait for Chappie 40!*laughs evily*
Blunt, eh...*smirks* Yeah, I like it too:D



Okay, truth be told, this chapter was, say, quite random; I didn't really plan when I wrote it. So even if you feel as if the whole story's, say, a bit rushed or so, don't be too mean to me, okay?*makes bambi eyes*

Thanks to all of you who's read this, and have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

No, I wouldn't say that was rushed. A lot shorter than your usual, sure, but for a sequence about fear and panic, keeping things brief is good.

As I said in my review of the last chapter, I knew Terra's date was going to go bad. However, even my own twisted brain wasn't expecting this kind of bad: the sheer psycho-ness of the "Tom-Beast" was genuinely disturbing, and of the repulsive (rather than cool) variety that a scene like this needs. You could almost feel its grossness and thirst for destruction seeping through the page (well, the screen), and Terra's sky-high level of panic was understandable in both senses of the word (ie, you could see it was there, and we'd all feel the same way). Setting the encounter in the Hall Of Mirrors was a cool touch, tying it in with both the old Terra arc and the theme of reflections that ran through it (including the Thing was a nice nod in that area), though there is one problem with it: from what I remember, the fairground was derelict when we saw it in Things Change. But they could've re-built it easy enough, so I'll let that slide.

And, of course, there's something even cooler about this chapter: now that Terra is actively in The Hell's sights, this is surely a sign that the story is finally going to hot up some. I mean, this little tale has been interesting so far, but it seems to me that all the set-up of characters, motivations and themes is now about to lead to something big. I think there's more to this than what you've said so far (The Hell wanting to create, imprison and utilise a menagerie of freaks), but the only question is: what?

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 32.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


When the Titans got to the scene, there was no sign of trouble at all. The only evidence to show that there had been a rough fight at the place was the smashed mirrors, and that horrible flattened body of a Demon. Starfire covered her mouth and turned away as soon as she caught a glimpse of it. Raven stared at it impassively, even though she wasn’t unmoved by the sight of it. The boys, too, looked about the same as her, even though the horror and disgust was clearly written across Beast Boy’s face.

The only one who looked indifferent was Jet.

"It’s another Changeling. I remember this one. This one was a failure. Something’s gone wrong with his body. He can morph into other people perfectly, like the other Changeling we saw. But when it’s in its own form, it looks nothing like human. And that claws and teeth are as sharp as razor; they can kill people more easily than Reriel’s water blade."
"…it does resemble human a fair bit."

Robin let out a choked opinion, not daring to go any nearer to the body. Jet nodded grimly.

"So who’s done the job? Did it kill itself or…?"
"Quite possibly, it did. I think. You can never be sure…"

His glance slid across the floor, looking for any sign of other Demons being there. No, there wasn’t, thankfully. He sighed and looked over at a corner of the room, at the smashed mirror reflecting the image of himself in countless small pieces. Of course, the mirror always shows the truth. Even though Changelings could imitate others perfectly, mirrors would always give them away. He bent down and picked up a small pebble on the floor. A pebble. Earth…

…Terra.

He looked around the room again, this time looking for any scattered rock or such. There were none, thankfully; she must have had the sense to put her ‘tools’ away after the job, knowing the Titans would come over and suspect her if there were any sign of her using the powers. Smart thing to do. He slid the pebble into his pocket, making sure none saw him do it.

"Seems like there’s not much for us to do now. Let’s go, team."
"I want to hang around a bit more."
"Same, I’ll go and get some pizzas. See ya later."

Surprisingly for him, Beast Boy also wanted to stay out, his voice sounding sad and weary. Robin opened his mouth as if to protest for a second, but thought better of it and nodded. The Titans turned around, leaving Beast Boy in that ruined hall of mirrors.

That was about all he had to see. He took off straightaway, soon becoming nothing but a jet of light in that grey sky.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"…Jet?"

Terra whispered in a weary voice, something that sounded just like Beast Boy’s. She looked positively surprised, tired and frightened at the same time; her usually straight hair was tangled, her eyes were wild and searching, like that of a prey. Jet smiled reassuringly.

"Relax, Terra. I’m not a Changeling. Here."

He handed the frightened girl a box of pizza with that. She took it, still looking unsure whether to trust him or not. Finally, it seemed as if she decided to.

"Would you like to come in?"
"Guess it’d be way better than going out."

He stepped over the doorway and closed the door softly behind him. The room looked not much better than since he’d seen it the last time…at least there was some space to sit down this time, though. He slumped down on the floor, looking around at the room with great interest. Terra came to sit in front of him with the pizza.

"I guess you had some business with a Demon at the amusement park."
"…I did."
"Must’ve scared you to death. That one was…about the fourth-to-most hideous looking one of all."
"I think you’re right."

She gave him a wry smile with that.

"Sorry we didn’t arrive earlier. We…"
"It’s okay. I’m fine anyway."
"…yeah. So…what did you do? What happened? Did it tell you anything that might be of a clue or…"

She stared at him with her wild blue eyes, her expression somewhere between grave and frightened. She was in shell-shock, he supposed. In a bad shell-shock.

"I killed it. It attacked me. So I killed it. I didn’t even know I was doing it. But I did it. The whole wall fell down on that thing. It let out a horrible scream, something I don’t ever want to hear again, or remember. But I’ll always remember that sound. I know it. It was horrible. I killed it. It flattened to death, didn’t it? I killed it…"
"It did."
"It was in Tom’s body. Tom’s the coolest guy of our school, the most popular one. My friends are dying to go out with him, and he asked me out. So I said okay. So we went there. But it was that thing actually, not Tom. I don’t even know what’s happened to him."
"What’s his name?"
"Tom. Tom Drosse."
"We’ll have to check on him. And what happened?"
"We went into the House of Mirrors. I saw its reflection. I realized what it was then. It attacked me, so I attacked back. I was scared. I was scared to death. I felt as if I was going to be killed there by that hideous thing, and nobody would even know I did. I hate that place. I hate that thing. I knew that…"
"Terra, calm down. It’s okay. It’s not here anymore. You’re safe."
"You said if I hold up for five to ten minutes, I’d be safe, that you guys would come. You lied. You lied. I was nearly killed there. I killed it. None of you arrived there until then."
"…Terra."
"It said I’m a freak, Jet."

The to-be-Titan was just silent at her words.

"It said I’m a freak."

Regardless of the silence that followed her first words, Terra repeated herself, her eyes wild and not seeing. After a while of deafening silence, Jet started.

"Well then, it’s an idiot, because obviously it’s the one that’s freak…"
"It said that I’m a freak, that I should come with it to the Hell, with other freaks to ‘teach me the lesson of life.’ It said that I’ll never be a normal girl, that I’ll always be a freak."
"You believe in such thing’s talks? Terra, honestly…"

She didn’t answer. She hung her head down, causing her fine hair to fall around her like golden veil, hiding her from the world. She had just heard something that completely contradicted what she wanted so badly. A normal life as a normal girl. But a hideous monster came along and told her that it’d never be possible…She sort of gave up on herself, he guessed.

"I just killed somebody. It didn’t sound or act like a human, but I knew it was a human actually. Jet, I’m…"
"Terra, I killed hundreds and thousands of Demons out there in the Hell."
"My power. I killed it with my power. I couldn’t even control it, and it was attacking at me, that hideous, that monstrous thing, attacking at me, a human that’s so distorted…"

She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking weakly. The pizza was going cold in front of them, but neither of them cared a bit about it. Jet couldn’t find what to say to her; he had never gone through a process like this. If he did, he couldn’t remember. He didn’t know what she was feeling right now, even though he could sort of guess it. Maybe not.

Guilt? Horror? How should he know? He was the Guard, the one trained to kill, a robot. He could never guess her feelings, no. He couldn’t think of anything to say…

Terra started again, her voice muffled in sobs.

"Do you know what’s the other horrible thing is?…I kept having flashbacks there."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Beast Boy was staying in the House of Mirrors for some more time. He stared at the smashed mirrors, brushing the surface slightly with his fingers.

"Terra."

The blond girl with blue eyes, with the power to control the earth. A girl with the heart of the earth.
Could the girl that he saw, the high school girl that were nothing like what he remembered except her face, her voice and her laugh, really be Terra? What if she wasn’t? What if she really was a different person, and he really was just annoying her with no reason?

But that couldn’t be true, could it? Terra’s statue was gone. She laughed and talked and acted and looked like Terra. It had to be Terra, she had to be Terra.

"If I hadn’t let you go the day, the day when you told me that you were apprentice of Slade…would it have been different, Terra? Would you have been with me? Would we have been happy together?"

No answers were given for his questions.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-






Thanks, Matt A!:D I'm glad that I have, in fact, managed to surprise you:D I'm so happy now:evil:
I was kinda confused between which was which; the Hall of Mirros or the House of Mirrors? So I just decided on the House of Mirrors and kept on going like that. Hope that's right:sad: And yes, I know; the place was literally trashed in Things Change. I didn't see that episode until after I wrote it, and posted it, so let's just say that due to people's high protest and such, they have rebuilt it*sighs*
The story shall warm up. I hope...:D



Thanks to all of you who's read this, and Matt A again. Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

This, I think, is where Terra's involvement is going to become really key. All her old concerns, normality and acceptance and guilt and fear and all those darker teenage issues, have returned to this formerly normal girl's head, and in a big, big way. Her traumatised mind was brilliantly conveyed, snapping between panic, numbness and self-loathing with the suddeness and illogicality that people really have in these situations.

And on that note, having her (sort of) kill the Demon herself was a great touch: not the expected event, and makes the question of where this messed-up girl is going to go next even more urgent. I mean, if the Titans had managed to save her, as you'd set up to happen, then she'd have simply gone with them and things would rosy (or at least less bad), but something who thinks they've just become a killer is capable of anything. In her state, she could even fold to the Demon's taunts and go join The Hell...and based on what you've done so far, that wouldn't be beyond you.:eek:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 33.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"I saw myself with Beast Boy. I was wearing black T-shirt with a golden T on it, and yellow shorts. I looked terrified. Beast Boy and another guy were fighting there, and I knew at an instant that it was because of me. I did something wrong and Beast Boy didn’t want to believe it. In the end, he turned away from me. He turned away from me, Jet. He turned away from me. He hated me more than anything. I knew it, I could feel it. What’s that place got to do with me? I…know…that’s where I betrayed Beast Boy. That’s where I told him that I…was the apprentice of…Slade. I know it, I saw it…"
"Terra."
"I don’t want to remember it. I never did, never will! But I…"

Jet awkwardly put his arms around her and patted her back, feeling extremely conscious of himself. What could he say to her? Oh God, anybody, help me out here please! He had never wished more for Starfire’s company than now. What would she do? What would she say?

"Terra, it’s okay. It’s gone now, it’s the past. Beast Boy and the others have already forgiven you, okay? It’s fine. It’s okay."
"I know they did. But what about that thing? The Demon? Would there be other things like that coming to attack me? Would there?"

He looked away for a second.

"…yeah."
"Would I need to kill anybody else?"
"Personally, I’d say that’s the best way to get rid of them, but the Titans’d say just to beat them up real bad and throw them in the jail."
"What if I can’t control my power and kill it again? Would I be punished? Would I go to jail? Would they hate me and charge me for betraying them?"
"Terra, honestly…then why don’t you go up to the Titans, face them and ask the questions to them yourself? I’m new here, you know. I don’t even know the Titans that well yet. They don’t know me well yet either."

She didn’t give any answer for his offer, only looking at the ground, at the smashed monitor, and shuddered his arms away. He gladly withdrew his arms, hoping that he hadn’t messed up things even worse. Who she needed right now wasn’t him. It was Beast Boy or Starfire, who would soothe her and make her feel safe and protected, to make her feel that it’s okay to join the team, that she didn’t need to feel so guilty about betraying them long time ago or killing the Demon. Somehow, he just knew that the Titans wouldn’t care as much about Terra killing a Demon as him killing a Demon. Life was unfair, he thought grimly. So when she started talking again, he didn’t realize she had for a few seconds.

"Jet, is that thing right? That I’m a freak? That I can never be a normal girl?"
"You have the power. You have to be responsible for that. But I don’t think having powers mean you’re a freak, Terra. And I don’t think having powers means you’re abnormal either. It only means you’re a little bit different from the others. A little bit stronger. Why don’t you come with me now and go to the Titans? They’d have the answers for you."

Terra just stared at him, her eyes glassy and stony that he was beginning to feel afraid now. He never thought facing a Demon, or killing one, would have this much effect on a person. The one she faced was horrible, yes, but surely…?

"Jet, can you leave now?…I’d like to be alone."

He just nodded reluctantly and slowly stood up. The pizza had gone all cold, but Terra didn’t even look at it. She was just staring down at the ground, her expression looking hollow and empty. Her dirt covered face was marked with tear streaks, but no more tears were coming from her large blue eyes.

"…see ya soon."

That little promise was all he could give to her.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


When he was back at the Titans Tower, Beast Boy was still nowhere to be seen.

"Pizza delivery!"

With almost impossible stage manner, he had managed to plaster a big, wild, almost goofy grin on his face. Slamming down the pizza boxes, he smiled triumphantly over at the Titans. Cyborg and Starfire smiled back.

"So, tell me. Any info from our little friend from the Hell?"

The Titans all tensed simultaneously, but Robin soon recovered and answered.

"No, not yet. Maybe he, or she, already knows that the Demon’s dead."
"I guess. They didn’t send any info on the Elemental Sisters. Well, okay, here’re the pizzas, your lunch and dinner. I’m tired, I think I’ll go back to my room now. See you guys later."

None of them protested; Cyborg just smiled and nodded as if saying ‘okay, you deserve it since you brought us pizzas’, Starfire was urging him to go on and have a rest. Robin just gave a slight smile before turning around to the computer.

…and Raven followed him.

"What’s up now?"

When they had arrived at his room, Jet whirled around and asked in quite a rude manner, tired beyond imagination of her ‘nosing around’ in his business. She just glanced at him impassively before answering his question.

"Have you gone to see Terra?"
"You read my mind again?"
"No, I haven’t, actually. But when I did the last time, and I saw Terra in your memory then. Besides, there aren’t anybody in this city who has power strong enough to flatten a Demon other than us, and her. Just a logical guess."
"Well, yeah, I’ve gone to see Terra, just got rejected and came back."
"She was the one who killed the Demon, wasn’t she?"
"Yup."
"So she can use her power?"
"Uh huh."
"…and she’s not coming back to us because…?"

He shrugged this time, not sure whether to tell her or not. He had already broken his promise with Terra by discussing about her with Raven; he had promised never to tell anybody about her. But then, he didn’t really ‘tell’ Raven; she read his mind, for goodness sake, and there was no way he could have stopped her from doing so!

"I guess she wanted to be just a normal girl."

So, in fact, her guess shocked him even more than he thought it would. She knew? She knew it all along? Why didn’t she tell the other Titans? She told them about his past, no doubt!

"How do you know?"
"Let’s just say, she’s not the only one who have ever felt that way. But isn’t it dangerous for her to be out there by herself? If a Demon attacks her again, she wouldn’t be so lucky next time. She’s all alone."
"And she can’t really control her power. In a way, that’s what makes her power stronger, but still, yeah, it’s dangerous for both her and other ordinary people."
"Have you talked to her about joining us? Temporarily, at least? For her own safety?"
"Done it a hundreds of times, never worked. She’s afraid of you guys, herself, and the Demons. She’s afraid that you guys haven’t forgiven her yet about the whole betraying thing. She’s afraid at herself because, well, she was a normal girl one day and then she got her power back. She was a normal girl one day and then she’s facing all those horrible Demons. And she has quite a good reason to be afraid of Demons."
"…we have forgiven her long time ago. We can help her to get a control over her power, to get used to herself. We can help her with the Demon business."
"Right now, she’s just really afraid, Raven. That’s about it. She can’t really think logically. You know how it is when you’re in panic. And then she’s afraid of getting punished for killing that Demon."
"She won’t be. It was self defence."

She chose to ignore Jet’s level gaze, which was saying ‘oh yeah? Then what about me?’.

"I suppose she won’t be willing to see me right now."
"No. Not you, nor any of the Titans, especially not Beast Boy…though I think he’s the one who she needs right now. She needs a friend, somebody who understands her. And I can’t be that somebody, because I know nothing about her. She needs Beast Boy or one of you guys, but she doesn’t want to see you guys. This stuff is pretty messed up, man."

This time, he chose to ignore her level gaze, which was saying ‘not as much as your stuff’.

"She feels lonely. She lives in an apartment by herself, you know. If a Demon should attack her, she’d be a real easy target. She’d be brought to the Hell, where she will be…demonized. And none of us wants that. You don’t wanna face her again as an enemy, do you?"
"No. She needs to be protected by us. She needs to be reassured that there will be somebody beside her to protect her."
"Uh huh."

Raven thought about it for a while, her arms folded across her chest. Finally, she took out her communicator and handed it over to him.

"You know where she lives, right?"
"Yeah."
"Go now, and give this to her. That way, it would be easier for us to help her when needed. If she doesn’t want to come back to us, we at least have to make sure that she is protected."
"Alright."

He stared down at the communicator, something that he hadn’t received yet, something that marked someone as a part of the Titans team. Feeling envious at Terra, he called out Raven weakly just before she stepped out of the door.

"Raven?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you care so much about Terra? What’s the deal? You don’t care that much about me."

She just shrugged, her gaze level and impassive, but not cold, under the shade of her hood. Then it struck him that he had only seen her with her hood down once of all the time he had known her. What did she look like with her hood down? He couldn’t even remember.

"She is…was my friend, in the past which she can’t remember."

She stepped out into the corridor, her head slightly bowed. Jet grabbed her shoulder urgently to stop her from moving on.

"So…how long would it take you to consider me as one of your friends?"
"I think I gave you the answer for this long time ago."

He scowled, obviously remembering one of their former encounters, which had resulted in his total defeat.

"Forever, yeah, I know. But how long is forever?"

She gave him an uncomprehending gaze, having no idea as for why on earth was he suddenly so interested in this topic yet again.

"It will be when you trust me."

He smiled.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Two things :

A. This one was written in a rush. If Jet and Raven's encounter doesn't seem like the way it should be(i.e. snarling and a few punch and personal insults being thrown at each other) that's because I had lost all the ideas I had about this confrontation*sighs*

B. Er...I can't really think of the second one yet. Let's just forget about it.






Thanks, Matt A!:D Me, a normal girl, can't really imagine what Terra goes through*smirks evily* but nonetheless I love writing about her in this way. Would Terra go and join the Hell? Or would she come and join the Titans? To be found out in the next chapter:D


And thanks to all of you who's read this. Have a nice day!:D










p.s.

Nobody's home, by Avril Lavigne. That's the kind of image of Terra I have inside my mind right now, a girl so lost and alone. I mean, it just fits so perfectly! I think.

I think there was a rule about songs, but I hope it's okay for being in a post-writing comments.



Nobody's Home-Avril Lavigne

Well, I couldn't tell you why she felt that way,
She felt it everyday.
And I couldn't help her,
I just watched her make the same mistakes again.

What's wrong, what's wrong now?
Too many, too many problems.
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.

She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

Open your eyes and look outside, find the reasons why.
You've been rejected, and now you can't find what you've left behind.

Be strong, be strong now.
Too many, too many problems.
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.

She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

Her feelings she hides.
Her dreams she can't find.
She's losing her mind.
She's fallen behind.
She can't find her place.
She's losing her faith.
She's fallen from grace.
She's all over the place.
Yeah,oh

She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh yeah
She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh yeah

[Matt A]

Well, I think you might be right: Terra really is messed -up. Her powers have returned, her memories are returning, she's just become a killer (again), and if that wasn't enough, she's also got a secret organisation of freaks and nasties out for her blood. Even for someone only as recently normal as Terra, that's got to affect your mental balance a little bit.

So, in that respect, Jet and Raven's uncharacteristically civil conversation was understandable (now that's some big words...). Now that the threat to Terra's life is all too real, they've got something to focus on besides arguing over each others' secrets. As I said in earlier posts, this is where the battle is going to get a little bigger, where it's friends at stake rather than themselves, and this hardly the time for immature spats. Besides, as Jet hinted, he's not really interested in fighting with the Titans: his enemies lay elsewhere, and he needs friends. After all the arguing between the two of them, I think it's important that he should make Raven understand that now.

Ultimately, this is the point where everyone realises they're on the same side. Or not. Either will make for a good story.:evil:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 34.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Terra? Terra!"

With growing fear, Jet realized that he had come too late. Terra wasn’t at her home. She wasn’t at the mall, or anywhere he could think of. She was gone, vanished. He thought about contacting Raven, to ask if she could sense Terra somehow, but thought better of it; he had Raven’s communicator right now, so the only way to contact her would be for her to use the window screen of the operation centre, which would cause major destruction to the secret he had held so far. He shoved the communicator down deep inside his pocket along with the pebble he had picked up at the House of Mirrors.

"Terra! TERRA!"

He was about one thousand feet above ground now, and he doubted that she would hear him even if he yelled his lungs out. He coughed a few times, desperately wishing for a glass of water while heading on to a side of the city that was like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. He had no idea, of course, but he was heading to the place where the Titans had met the old Terra for the first time.

And that was where he found her.

"Terra."

He landed beside her, looking down at the hunched figure with great concern. He looked around the sky; it was going dark now, and the wind was getting cold. And she had nothing on but a thin T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her body. She looked up, finally, but didn’t say anything at all.

Instead, her eyes began to glow.

"…what do you want?"
"Nothing. I was just worried! Terra, what’re you doing out here?"
"It’s none of your business. Leave me alone!"

He rolled aside just in time to dodge a huge rock flying at him. Just as he was sighing with relief, this time a snake made out of rock sent crashing at him. He blasted it with his cannon and gave Terra an uncomprehending gaze.

"Terra, what are you doing!? Why’re you attacking me? You crazy or something?"
"Leave. Me. ALONE!"
"Terra, you’re out here in the middle of night, I mean evening, with thin layer of clothes on, and suddenly you’re attacking me when I want to help you. And you’re asking me to leave you alone? Nobody in their right mind would do that, honestly! STOP IT!"

He yelled again, dodging another attack. Terra just glared at him with unjustified hatred; but soon she found herself cornered by Jet’s fierce attacks. Rocks crumbled all around them along with golden explosions, with dust clouds rising up everywhere. In a second, she was pinned against a giant cliff by Jet, who now wore an expression of murderous rage.

"Terra, stop it. I’m not so much of a gentleman who wouldn’t attack back a girl who attacks me, and you know that."
"Leave me alone. Let me go!"
"Tell me what on earth you’re doing, and I promise I’ll let you go."

She glared up at him again, breathing heavily. She tried to wrench out of his grip but failed; he was much stronger than her, what with being a cyborg and all. She spat the answer out.

"I was going to the Hell."

It took him a few minutes to register the meaning of her sentence. After he did, he literally exploded.

"Wha…wha…wha…THE HELL!? YOU CRAZY!?"
"The Demon was right. I am a freak. I have to stay with the other freaks. And at least, they wouldn’t be coming after me there. I’d be safe. I belong there."
"You don’t belong in such a place."
"You don’t know anything about me!"
"No. But I know everything about the Hell. I know that nobody belongs to that place except those higher ones, who’re total psychopath. I know that it’s the hell of your life time, somewhere you would never wanna set your foot on. I know that there’s one place that you wouldn’t wanna go knocking on the door."
"Maybe you’re wrong. I’m dangerous, Jet. I’m dangerous. I just killed a person, and I don’t know when I would again. It’d be safer for the world if I’m locked inside the Hell."
"It’ll be more dangerous for the world if you go there and get mutated into a weapon! Terra, you’re not thinking straight. Come on, I’ll take you home."
"I can’t go back to the Titans. I remember what’s happened now. I saw myself attacking Raven. I nearly drowned her. Then Robin. I…tried to flatten him to death, like what I had done with that Demon. And I…"
"Okay, okay, I got it, you’ve done some bad stuff."
"Stuff that are unforgettable, and unforgivable."

She stared down at the ground, tears now welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe she was being so stupid; she knew she was. But she couldn’t do anything about it; she had to do something, anything, or she felt as if she was going to go crazy. In a sense, maybe she already was. She was panicking; she was afraid; she hated herself; she hated the Demon; she hated the Hell; she wanted to cry and nothing more. She wanted to turn back time, to where she didn’t remember anything that had happened, nor had her cursed powers. No…she wanted to turn time back to stop herself from betraying the Titans. To stop herself from running away from them, from the only friends she had. Jet slowly released her from his grip, but she didn’t try to run away; the fierce anger and hatred had subsided now.

"Nobody would forgive me. Nobody would forget what I’ve done. The Titans would hate me."
"Terra, I know it seems highly unlikely, but the Titans have forgotten it, and have forgiven you. Trust me."

She looked at Jet for a moment, and then slumped down on the ground in an awkward pose that the tip of her hair was brushing against the dry land. He sighed and leaned back against the cliff.

"Look, Terra. I know this situation is highly stressful. I also know, guess, that you’re feeling, say, extremely unstable and unsafe and lonely and stuff. But you can’t go to the Hell. I won’t allow you to do that."
"…you have no control over me."
"No, maybe not. But I have powers that can kill you in one instant, and I assure you that I won’t be killed by your power. This isn’t a order or command. This is a threat. You wanna live, you’d better do what I tell you to."

Terra didn’t answer, only squeezing her eyes shut. Tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving streaks on her dirt covered face. Jet continued.

"I don’t want anybody else to go through what I have. In that place, you lose yourself, Terra. After you’re Demonized, they erase your memory. Your whole life is gone. You’re nothing but a tool, a weapon created by them. I mean, look at me, Terra. I’m just a machine now. I don’t have any memory before I became this. I don’t know what my surname is. I don’t know my real name. I don’t even know my parents, I don’t even know whether the friends I have are actually my friends or not. And trust me on this; you don’t want that."

She was silent again, this time opening her eyes slightly to gaze down at the bare ground. Jet looked up at the sky, the night sky sprinkled with stars. After a while, Terra started.

"I was hoping that the Hell would help me. That they would help me to get my powers under control. That they would help me forget everything."
"Is that what you really wanted? Last time, you were seeking control. You went to that Slade guy, and look what’s happened. You had to fight with the Titans. You erased your memory, and look what’s happened. You wanted to remember. You belong with the Titans, Terra. That’s where you should go."
"You sound like a wise man or something."
"Yeah, that’s me. Mr smarty pants, Jet the Guard."

She smirked quietly at his dry answer, although it was clear to both of them that she didn’t really find it funny. She stared again.

"Thanks."
"For what?"
"I don’t know. For stopping me in time."
"No prob. Just don’t do it ever again. I promise I’m gonna kick your skinny butt for one whole year if you ever try to."

She gave a slight nod and a grin as an answer. A while of silence and stillness fell around them, and now smile was playing on both of their lips.

"Jet, have you liked anybody? In the love-like way?"
"…okay, that was random."
"I wanted to change the subject. Have you or have you not?…just answer me."
"Okaay. Right. To be truthful, no, I never liked anybody in the love way."

She gave him a somewhat pitying glance.

"Er, hey, don’t give me that look. I mean, considering where I’ve been from, I’d say it’s very natural."
"What, there weren’t any girls there?"
"There were girls, sure, but if you’re talking about any ‘normal-looking’ girls, then nooo, not a chance. The only ones I can think of are the Elemental Sisters and my friends."
"Jeez. What a sad life."
"Tell me about it."

He sighed dramatically, placing a hand on his forehead and shook his head regretfully. She smiled ruefully, but nonetheless looked much happier than before.

"What about the Titans?"
"What about them?"
"I mean, there are a lot of ‘normal-looking’ girls around you now, aren’t there? Actually, Starfire and Raven are more than ‘normal-looking’; they’re pretty."
"There’re only two. Besides, Starfire, I could kinda guess that Robin and she like each other. A lot. Whether they do in a boy-girl way too, I don’t know, but I’m certainly not gonna go stealing other people’s potential girls. If I count you, too, I know you and Beast Boy like each other in a boy-girl way, this time definite, and I’m not gonna steal you from him."
"…I, me and Beast Boy……what about Raven?"

He gasped, half jokingly, but the other half filled with real horror. Terra cocked an eyebrow at this.

"What? What’s wrong with her?"
"Me? Like her? Man, you must be outside your mind! Oh God, let me wash my ears, I can’t bear the fact that I just have heard that kind of horrible…!"

He pretended to choke, grasping his neck and rolling around on the ground. Terra, looking both alarmed and bewildered, asked again;

"What’s wrong with her? My friends were kinda betting on you liking her."
"Well, tell your friends that they’re wrong! Me, and her, are like the worst enemies on the earth, man. We like each other in the boy-girl way? No way. NO FREAKING WAY!"
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, just asking."

She raised both her hands in the world-wide ‘whoa, nelly’ gesture, although she was now smiling playfully. Jet grumbled unpleasantly but did as he was told. He folded his arms across his chest, looking crossed and angry…although she was sure that he was just playing along with her, she wasn’t really sure whether he was really angry or not. Gradually his anger subsided. He looked away, looking slightly embarrassed; finally, after a dozen of coughs and clearing his throat, he muttered, his voice barely audible, in a fast speed.

"Well, okay. I maybe did like her a bit at first, not in the boy-girl way as your friends think but in the friendly way, you know. BUT SHE’S BEING A JERK TO ME EVER SINCE AND I DON’T FREAKING LIKE IT! OR HER!"
"Calm down. Calm down! It’s okay!…it’s just that…I…thought you might understand what it feels like when you see someone you really like heartbroken because of you."
"Beast Boy."
"Yeah. I mean…I broke his heart countless times, you know. First I ran away. Then I betrayed him. Then I abandoned him by turning to a statue. Then I came back without a memory. Then, even when I had my powers, I lied to him. Then now, with my memory and my powers, I’m not talking to him. I just feel really guilty. And I feel really afraid. I don’t know anymore."

He stared at her for a second, and quickly turned the gaze away. He sighed silently, wishing for Starfire’s assistance not for the first time since he had met Terra. She seemed solemn again. After a while of thinking, he dug out the communicator from his pocket and handed it over half-forcefully to her.

"This is…"
"A Titans communicator. Take it."
"But I can’t! I’m…"
"Take it. At least then you’d be able to get help in time when you need it. And I can stop you from going to the Hell with this."

Terra stared down at it for a while, her eyes visibly shaking. Reluctantly and hesitantly, she took it, gently brushing its surface. She closed her eyes.

"…I didn’t think you had one of these."
"I don’t."
"Then whose is this? Did you tell…?"

Knowing what her unfinished question would be, he shook his head urgently-although it was true-and stammered out the excuse he had been thinking about all along.

"I…nicked it! There were plenty of those in Robin’s room, so I thought, ‘kay, what’s the big deal? And took it."
"…you…stole this?"
"Let’s call it ‘a creative way of getting something you need’, shall we?"
"…okay. Thanks."
"No prob. You’ll have to get a manual somewhere else, though, because I have no idea how to use it."

She smiled briefly at him, the communicator still held delicately in her hands.

"You know what?…I think I remember how to use it."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-





Matt A / I'm glad Jet and Raven's 'uncharacteristically civil conversation'(...whoa) was understandable:D It's been such a long time since they had anything like that(maybe in Chap 2) that it was quite bizarre for me to write it*shakes head*
Terra had decided to stay alone, yet, just for now. Whether she will join the Titans or the Hell, you shell see;)



Thanks to all of you who's read this, and have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

Nice to see one disaster narrowly avoided. I mean, I'd had a horrible suspicion that Terra would want to join The Hell, but I'd also been hoping that you wouldn't actually do it: so, when you threw in her begrudging confession, I was still properly :eek:. Her explanation was well worked-out, in the sense that she clearly didn't have a clue what she was doing but also clearly didn't realise it (business as usual, then). And the way Jet convinced her otherwise was just as quality, alternating between enouragement, logic, experience and, in a style only Jet could get away with, bald threats. The real interesting thing is, which one changed Terra's mind? That, if anything, will tell us what she's going to do next.

By the way, I like the idea of setting that encounter in the canyon. Not only did the end nearly happen where it all began, but this place, if anywhere, is Terra's domain: in her messed-up state, she doesn't even have power here. And Jet's reaction to the idea of a Jet/Raven romance was pretty cool: funny, perfectly in-character, and almost had me worried that his over-reaction would have Terra running for the hills, convinced that maybe the Titans weren't so nice after all. Which, perhaps ironically, they aren't.

Now all we need is to find out what happens next. This story has been joyously unpredictable right from the very start, including your ability to extract drama and emotion from the most unlikely of places: not only is this about Jet and whether bygones can truly be bygones, but thanks to some very surprising developments, it's now as much about Terra and what happens when innocents get caught in the crossfire. What you'll choose to broadside us with next, only you know.

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 35.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Always hide in crowd. Of course, they’re the Demons, they’d attack you still even if you’re among the crowd, but there’ll be fewer chances of that happening. Hide in crowd, never be alone by yourself, and avoid sleeping at your home as much as possible."
"Where am I supposed to sleep then?"
"For God’s sake, Terra, you’re a girl! A teenage girl. Don’t you guy…girls supposedly have, you know, slumber parties or whatever?"
"Well…"
"That’s sorted out then. And practice your power everyday. Be in control. Always."
"I’ll try."
"Stay with your friends as much as possible. But if you’re not sure whether they’re Changelings or not, reflect them on the mirrors and that’d give them away."
"Okay."

Jet smiled and patted her head slightly, in a way a big brother would do to their younger sisters.

"Take care, Terra. Be safe. I’ll come and visit you every week to make sure you haven’t gone to the Hell."
"Thanks."

She smiled back at him, looking tired and worn out but seeming much better.

After making sure that she got into one of her friend’s house safely, he took off, the pebble still inside his pocket.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


It was a few weeks before the alarm sounded again.

"Titans, trouble!"

Robin yelled out, looking excited as if he had been waiting for a trouble for long, long time. Jet’s first response to his announcement was this.

"All rightio. Don’t tell me it’s a Demon."
"Relax. It’s only Cinderblock."

Jet did seem relaxed, even though it was clear that he had no idea who on earth was Cinderblock. Beast Boy sighed, remembering the villain. Just what on earth was he planning now?

"Cinderblock? It’s been a long time since we saw him."
"Yeah, I’ve been missing him for some time now."
"Alright, feeling left out here, feeling stupid here. Who is this guy?"

Cyborg gave Jet a reassuring smile.

"Just a big dude with concrete chunks for body. You’ll learn to love him."
"Uh-huh."





"Okay, team. He’s found at the main prison, the one where the Demons are."
"…that sounds bad."
"Join the club."

Jet replied dryly to Raven, while looking out to the window of T-Car. He had insisted on flying there, but the Titans protested at once; ‘we can’t risk you going there earlier than us!’ ‘I’m not gonna freaking kill him!’ ‘We just want you to be with us, Jet, that’s all!’ ‘Grrr. Fine then!’ Finally they settled on Cyborg, Raven, Jet and Robin in T-Car, with Starfire and Beast Boy flying there. Of course, Robin sat at the front, directing Cyborg where to go; Cyborg was driving; so it were Jet and Raven sitting at the back, never looking at one another.
Even though they had surprised the other Titans by actually ‘talking’ with each other occasionally-their conversation usually went like this: ‘Yo, who cooked dinner tonight!?’ ‘Beast Boy.’ ‘Should’ve guessed. Thanks, Rae.’-, not fighting, their relationship still hadn’t improved a bit. The only thing they shared in common was their concerns about Terra’s well being, but other than they had none. Jet was still very secretive about his past, and gradually the Titans all gave up on it…and when they did, they felt much more comfortable with him. Raven considered reading his mind again, but thought better of it as she remembered how he found out and the way he reacted to it last time. Being strangled to death by a mad cyborg to death wasn’t exactly one of her fanciest idea of death.

She thought about the body of the boy, Tom Drosse, they found the other day. They could be sure he was killed at least a few weeks before they found him; the smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming, and for a moment she doubled up, feeling sick. Jet, looking indifferent-whether it was because he was used to that smell, or because his sense of smell was dulled like others, she couldn’t be sure-and buried the body. They kept silent about him, or Terra, to the other Titans. Jet insisted on it, and Raven didn’t need much persuading.

"Alright. We’re here."

Both Raven and Jet got out of the car in speed of light. They raced to the prison, leaving Robin and Cyborg beside the T-Car, dumbstruck.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Tara!"

Terra whirled around to face her red-haired friend, smiling nervously. She felt for the Titans communicator in her pocket; yes, it was there, and it didn’t seem as if her friend was suspicious. She nearly freaked out when it sounded during her Geometry class. She had to excuse herself, saying it was her mum calling, even though she didn’t have one. Her friends were told that her parents were writers, that they had to travel all around the world for ‘inspiration’ and seldom came back. They, and their parents, all pitied her, and that was the reason she could get away with sleeping at their houses so often. She only slept at her own home once a week or so; and whenever she did, she always had the communicator within her reach.
Her friends and teachers were all bewildered at the sudden absent of Tom, but soon it faded away. It was something that happened very commonly in Jump City these days; missing kids, missing people. It was no surprise, and thankfully, nobody asked her about him.
Jet came to see her at least once a week as he promised; he usually came at evening, when she had some free time between school and going over to her friends’ house. He usually brought some junk food for dinner; pizzas, hamburgers, chicken or Chinese takeaway. She enjoyed his company nonetheless, and no more Demons attacked her so far; life was, again, back to normal.

Normal, except the fear that always lurked inside her mind, the fear that a Demon might come and attack her again.
Normal, except the growing guilt of killing a person.
Normal, except the uncomfortable feeling that she was a bomb that was very close to exploding, that she would lose control over her power and kill anybody within range.

No, it wasn’t normal.

"Yeah?"
"What did you mum say?"
"Oh, you know, the usual stuff, like where she and dad’s heading next and stuff. No big deal."
"I guess she won’t be coming home any time soon then, huh."
"I don’t think so."

Her friend gave her a somewhat pitying glance that she nearly cracked up laughing. Keeping a straight face, she stared back at her friend.

"Em, why was I talking to you? Oh yeah! Wanna go to the movies today? Amy’s coming."
"Movies? Cool! But I thought you hated movies."
"Usually I do. But today’s different. It’s the world premiere of Tin Titanium: Trouble in New York! OH MY GOSH!"
"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I’ll go."

Terra, amazed at her friend’s total craziness over that little movie, nodded with a somewhat nervous smile. The red haired girl beamed with lights shining in her eyes.

"COOL! It’ll be so cool, we can hang out afterwards!"
"Yeah…I’d like to go to the sports shop, if you don’t mind."
"Oh, it’s okay. Why do you need to go there anyway?"

Terra just shrugged and gave her curious friend a little smile.

"I could do with some hiking boots."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"He’s heading to the Demons’ cell!"

Cyborg cried out while shooting his sonic beam at the giant villain. Starfire sailed downwards, raining Cinderblock with starbolts; it waved his hands a couple of times above its head as if annoyed, but was way too slow for her. She just dodged it, and it moved on without caring much more about her. Giant iron bars wrapped themselves around it under Raven’s control; it just broke free of them, swinging one of the bars to catch her squarely in her stomach. She groaned as she was slammed against the wall, making small cracks on it.

"Raven!" Robin yelled out while chasing the giant concrete-bodied villain. She gave a little groan and pulled herself up, but was brought down soon again by another of its blow. Cinderblock chuckled slightly and raced to where the three iron-spitting Demons were imprisoned, only to be stopped by Robin’s explosive disks. It growled and flew a huge punch at the Titan, who dodged it by a second. It raised the bar, aiming its deadly blow at his head; it was soon stopped by Beast Boy, who, in a T-Rex’s form, charged into it. It was knocked off balance, falling on the ground with a thud, but soon regained its footings. One angry punch sent the green shape-shifting Titan across the giant corridor to crash into one of the remaining bars. Pulling one iron bar out of the wall, it swung the bar around itself, catching Cyborg and Starfire at the same time; both Titans fell back, their attacks momentarily stopping. It then mimicked Raven, wrapping the bar around those two Titans. Robin landed a hard kick squarely on its head, but soon found his right foot caught in one of Cinderblock’s giant block hands. It slammed the Titan against the ground, once, twice, three times…until the he went limp and unconscious.

"ROBIN!" Starfire cried out, sounding heart crushed; but she couldn’t move, what with being crowded within that iron bar with the biggest team mate out of all the Titans. Smiling satisfyingly, it charged across the corridor to the room, to its goal, to its aim, the reason it came here risking a fight with the Titans…

"No can do, big fella. You’re not gonna get past me."

…and the deadly killing machine, the Guard, who was smiling casually in front of him, his energy balls charged already. It let out a war cry and ran into Jet with enough force to send him cracking into the wall; but it was too slow, too slow for the Guard. One huge golden energy ball sent it flying across the air, landing a few yards further. Jet’s smile got broader as he moved closer to Cinderblock.

"Well, nice to meet you! Let me introduce myself. I’m Jet, the former Guard of the Hell. And you’re not gonna get through me because…"

He stopped dead in front of Cinderblock.

"I’m the Guard, the one who makes sure none gets out."

He smiled again, this time the smile looking much colder somehow.

"…and none gets in."

BA-BOOM!


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Thanks, Matt A! I guess I should answer to your two comments in the next chappie:D Sorry I had to edit the whole thing, I was kinda in a rush when I posted....*sighs*

[Matt A]

Not for the first time, this is where things get a little strange. Cinderblock, a non-Demon (well, probably), has just been hired to bust out all the jailed Demons. I'm thinking his employer is The Hell, but why would they send him when they've still got plenty of pet freaks to use? And they don't really seem to care so much about their creations, so why go to all this trouble anyway? Then again, if it isn't The Hell, then who's suddenly become so interested in recruiting jailed Demons? I doubt it's our mystery messenger guy.

'Course, this isn't going to be an issue much longer, what with Jet about to kick Cinderblock's himey. Or not. You've surprised us before.;)

And whilst I'm thinking about it, that little seque with Terra and her friend was interesting. This new Terra seems to be as good a liar as the old one: cool to see the writers' craft referenced as well.;) But there's definitely something up with her friend. There's no real evidence there, but there's clearly a problem ticking over here. Might be another Changeling, but then again, might not be. With the whole Cinderblock thing, it might not even be a Hell-related problem. I'm thinking Terra's need for hiking boots figures into things somewhere, thought not sure how. Like I said, you're good at surprises.

I'd say I'll keep reading, but there's really no point in sounding like a broken record. This is getting too interesting to back out now.;)

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 36.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Nice job, Jet."
"Yeah, way to go!"
"I thought you guys didn’t like me blasting the criminals."
"We don’t, but you’re always welcome to use that on that big chunk of concrete."
"Okay, then."

The star of the day smiled proudly with arms stretched out wide. Starfire was nursing both Raven and Robin; when the former regained her consciousness, she helped easing Robin’s pain a bit. Cinderblock was hauled back to its cell, more of its mental state rather than its physical state completely blown to pieces by Jet’s cannons. They wouldn’t be seeing much of it for a long time, that was for sure.

"So, seeing he’s completely knocked out…what’re we gonna do now?"
"How about some video game match back at the Tower?"
"The day seems much too glorious and beautiful for us to stay inside our Tower and let it just float away!"
"Er, yeah. In short, I agree with Star; today’s a beautiful day to just sit around at Tower and waste it. You guys wanna hang out or some’ing?"

Cyborg’s suggestion was greeted with warm smiles from all the others except, of course, Raven. She shrugged in a way that said ‘whatever’, the way she usually does. Laughing and being noisy, the Titans and Jet walked out of the prison.

One slight movement caught Jet’s eyes at the last moment, just before he walked out of the prison. He stopped dead in his way, his entire body frozen and tense.

"Yo Jet, what’s the matter?"
"Nothing. I think I saw something…nah, must’ve imagined it. Let’s go!"

His trademark broad smile returned instantly as he walked out of the place. He threw a quick nervous glance just before the door shut behind him, only to found the space empty as it was before. Reassured, he chased after the Titans.

"…better enjoy yourself while you can, Jet. After all, happiness never exists for long."

As soon as he and the others lost sight of the building, a human form started emerging out of the heavy metal doors. It was him who Jet saw; a boy, with cold, cold brown eyes, and even a colder sneer playing on his lips.

"And see ya later, old pal."

With that, he melted away into the ground as if he had never existed before.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"We were lucky! The movie’s on after forty-five minutes, and we’ve got time to buy some stuff. Tara, didn’t you want to go to the sports shop?"
"Oh, yeah. See you guys later."
"Don’t you want any of us to come with you?"
"It’s okay. I’ll see you guys later. Meet ya in front of the popcorn stand after half an hour!"

Terra smiled confidently and waved one hand at her friends, and started off towards the sports store. She had long been eyeing on the hiking boots they had; brown, simple yet comfortable. She had been saving her money from her part-time job to buy these boots. She didn’t really need them, but it would be nice to have them with her while training her powers, when she has to balance over the rocks. She smiled as she picked them up and paid for them, feeling so much happier than she had recently.

"Hey, Terra!"

A familiar voice called out her name as she stepped out of the shop, the package tightly enclosed in her arms. She wheeled around to face Jet, beaming as he ran over to her.

"Hi, Jet."
"Yeah. Long time no see."
"What’re you doing here?"
"Well, we had this guy named Cinderblock, who has a cinderblock for body and a way smaller one for brain, trying to break in and bring out the Demons. We kicked his butt, and decided to hang out a bit. BB and Cy’s gone to the video store, Raven to the bookshop, and Robin’s dragged by Starfire to God-knows-where."
"What about you?"
"Heard the Tin Titanium: Trouble in New York was on premiere, so decided to give it a go. This is the first movie I’m watching in my whole life time. Real nervous here. Whoa."

He drew in a deep breath while smiling playfully. Terra laughed too.

"When’s yours?"
"Soon. Very soon. Like half an hour left."
"Cool, mine too. You can hang around with me if you want to."
"What, and be seen as your boyfriend?"

He chuckled at the sight of her angry face.

"Joking, Terra, joking! Yeah, it’s cool, I think I will. So whatcha got there?"
"Some hiking boots."
"Training?"
"Em-hmm."
"Cool. How’s it going?"
"Pretty good. I’m still a bit clumsy on choosing the right rock to stand on, though. That’s why I bought them."
"Keep practicing, and you’ll be good. Real good."
"I hope so."

They walked past a few clothes shops, not paying them one glance while they did. Terra asked this time.

"What do you want to do?"
"Dunno. Maybe get some magazines and some food."
"That’d be a nice example of wasting time. Come on, let’s go!"

She grabbed his wrist and yanked him towards the direction of a nearby bookstore she knew. He laughed and began to run along with her…when a voice so cold whispered behind him.

"Having fun, Jet?…how’s life going for you?"


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Excellent."

A figure in the dark hissed, his mouth stretched into a hideous cruel smile. He was watching the battle of Cinderblock and Titans over and over again on a giant screen that covered one entire wall.

"Excellent…even with horribly reduced power, he can still do that much damage."

The short movie paused at the point where Jet was literally blowing Cinderblock’s top off with his blaster. The whole screen was filled with golden light and then…BOOM! Cinderblock was lying flat on the ground without any hints of movement. He rewound it and watched it over and over again.

"He is…perfect."

Darkness soon consumed his whole body, only leaving a pair of eyes glinting with cold satisfaction.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




This one is a bit brief, partly because in the next chapter there's two mysterious characters you have to figure out, and it'd be better to keep this brief. But mostly, it was because I cut out half of this chapter and put it in the next chapter...*shrugs* But it was the important one, I had no choice!

Oh, and I had to edit the whole chapter 35, because I was in a rush and didn't really think about it when I posted it*sighs* Sorry, guys!:crying:

And thanks, Matt A!:D I bet you're wondering who on earth is the guy that appeared at the last part, and the one who had said something like 'See ya Jet'...:evil: The answer might be closer than you think it is, trust me:D Of course, most will be clear in next chappie:D
No trouble caused by Terra's friends so far!:D

Thanks to Matt A, again, and to all of you who's read this. Have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

Brief, as you said, yet interesting. We already know Jet isn't popular, but this seems to be where his enemies are finally going to step out of the shadows and start kicking some backside. Whatever it is they're after, they clealy want Jet's involvement as well as just Jet's head on a plate: even after all this time, I still have no clue what The Hell really wants from him, but that works quite well for an organisation as secretive as theirs. Speaking of which, I liked the shadow guy: Slade's evil twin, and that's saying something.

The little Jet/Terra secene was cool as well. Even with all the bombs going off around them, and all the things they've had to deal with together, they're still both genuine friends. It was a cute exchange: awkward, banal and yet with a warm you could almost feel yourself. The amount of curveballs you've thrown in so far, I wouldn't be surprised if their relationship went a little further: I'd like to see just how badly Beast Boy would take to that.:evil: It was an interesting note that Jet had never been to the cinema before, but that's the life you have when The Hell gets you.

But as I said above, this can't distract us from the main event. After all the skirmishes and arguments and plot twists, now's the time to see the puppet-masters in the flesh. I can't wait.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 37.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Titans, trouble!"
"On my way."

Raven replied dryly to Robin’s urgent voice and sighed slightly as she took off, abandoning the book she was reading. Two troubles in one day. If it was another one by Cinderblock or Plasmus…

She checked the location. The cinema, biggest one of the city. That was where Jet went, she remembered; he told her that, after their four friends departed. ‘Guess it’s just you and me. Where you gonna go?’ ‘Bookshop.’ ‘Okay. I’m gonna go to the cinema. Tell the others.’ Hope it wasn’t a trouble committed by him, she thought grimly as she landed on the scene.

"RAVEN! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

And she was greeted instantly by Jet’s yell. Jeezums, that was a bit too enthusiastic, she thought sarcastically when a fist made out of concrete caught her squarely on stomach. She doubled over, clutching where she had been just attacked, as the former Guard flew into her way and blocked another blow aiming at her. He looked down at her with concerned face.

"You okay?"
"I’m fine. Is it a Demon?"
"Yeah."
"Who is it? Do you know it?"

Jet shrugged, clearly uneasy. After a while of avoiding her gaze, he murmured.

"I know him, yeah. I know him very well. He’s, well, you know…uh-oh. Raven, FLY!"

He practically threw himself and her into the air, narrowly dodging another attack aimed directly at him. The other Titans arrived, crashing into the door; it wasn’t easy, since people were screaming and scrambling to get out of the place. Robin looked around the trashed place, alarmed, and turned around to yell at Jet.

"Jet, who is this!?"
"Is it another of that thing? That white thing?"

He didn’t answer, only shoving Cyborg out of the way as another fist flew into the way. Countless fists and arms were soaring up and down now, out of the ground, the ceiling, the wall. Starfire grabbed Cyborg and Raven took off while Robin shot his birdarang at one of the arms and flew away, landing safely upstairs. Beast Boy flew away in a form of hawk, and Jet was hovering in the air, an unreadable expression on his face.

Even though it was unreadable, they knew that face. They had seen him wearing that expression only once before, while facing Changeling, in the shapes of his supposedly dead friends.

"Jet, WHO IS THAT!?"

Cyborg bellowed with fear, realizing that he, they, might already know the answer. Sure, the power was strange, the power was different, but maybe…Jet opened his mouth to answer, but didn’t need to; the attack subsided as soon as the question was heard, and the dust slowly cleared away to reveal a figure.

A figure with wild brown hair, hazel eyes, a bit shorter than Jet. They had seen him before, even though it was an impostor then. They had heard of him countless times before, knew him well like a friend of their own.

He was one of Jet’s friends. One of his best friends. One of whom were supposed to be dead.

"Hello, kiddos. I guess you guys are Jet’s new friends."

He smiled casually, a smile that looked so much like Jet’s. But unlike Jet’s, his eyes weren’t smiling at all; they were cold, with hard glints in them. He remained human above his knees, but his legs were completely joined with the floor, in a mixture of marble, concrete, and cement. His arms were morphed into sharp blades that glinted faintly in red.

"He’s…"
"…the Executioner…Jonathan Smith."

Jet finished Cyborg’s sentence, landing to face Jonathan directly. Starfire whispered;

"This…no…this is…another Changeling?"
"Sorry to say that I’m not, young lady. I’m Jonathan Smith, the Executioner of the Hell himself, an old friend of Jet."
"…Jet? Is it…right?"
"Yeah…he’s Jonathan alright."
"Glad to see that you’ve been telling the others about me, old pal. I’m flattered. Why, you haven’t forgotten your old friends at all! Have you told them about the others? Sam? Kamael? Zadkiel and Reriel? How about Iruel?"
"Why are you here? What do you want from him?"

It wasn’t Jet who answered to his question, but Raven, sounding positively furious. She glanced quickly at a citizen lying nearby, his eyes closed and face pale. There was a large gash on his arm, from which blood was pouring out; now she could see how he got it. Jonathan smiled pleasantly.

"Nothing, lady. I just came to see my old friend…and his new friends. Just a friendly visit."
"Seems like you’ve got your vocabulary mixed up, then!"

He glanced up tiredly at Robin, who had his staff out now, and was leaping at the Executioner with all his might. One flick of his eye caused a giant marble arm to crash out of the floor, from which a giant fist was formed and clenched around the Titan. Jonathan smiled sweetly over at him before turning around to face Jet.

"Nice friends you’ve got. Ready to fight for you."
"They aren’t my friends just yet. Answer, Jonathan. Why are you here? What do you want?"
"Wary now, are we. Well, of course, you have every right to be. For who can be comfortable and welcoming when their friend, someone who’s supposed to be dead because of their betrayal, appears in front of them in one piece? Have you told them about your betrayal, Jet? Have you?"
"Jonathan."

Jet almost growled, his fists clenched tightly. The Titans just watched what was going on, mesmerized; there was the magic word again, betrayal. Just what did Jet do? Jonathan continued with a sweet, sweet smile.

"Have you told them, Jet, that the higher ones in the Hell can see everything that’s going around you…through your eyes?"


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Terra. Tara Makov. A former normal girl, now a freak with super power that she can’t quite control. A freak, who was sick of the Hell, sick of the Demons, sick of lying and sick of being scared.

But she was scared. She was so scared that she couldn’t even breathe properly. In fact, she was near scared to death.

"Having fun, Jet?…how’s life going for you?"

They turned around to find her red haired friend, who suggested going to the cinema in the first place, wearing an expression that was quite out of character for her. It was cold and jeering; she had never seen her friend with such a face.
…and then, her friend’s body melted away to reveal that boy standing in front of the Titans right now.

Before she realized it, she was shoved aside by Jet, falling heavily on the ground. He didn’t have time to guard himself because of that; the blow got him squarely on the chest, causing him to fly across a few yards before crashing into the polished marble floor. After that, it was all so fast, so blurred and so…violent.
It was a few minutes before Raven first arrived. Until then, Jet was fighting for the sake of his life with Jonathan, all the while trying to protect her. She saw her other friends running out of the cinema, and a boy about her age getting slashed by Jonathan. He was coming to get her, but Jet grabbed him and crashed onto the floor, which was when Raven arrived.

"I…don’t…like…this…"

She muttered, clutching her head, near tearful as she watched Beast Boy crashing into one of marble pillars. Jonathan was laughing, laughing…

"I hate this…"

She whispered again, tears welling up in her eyes. She had never done anything to deserve this; she had done nothing wrong. She didn’t want to be involved in this business with the Hell, or be deceived by her date and nearly killed by him, or to find her friend being merged into one of the Demons.

She hated this. She hated this. She hated this.

"I hate this."


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-




Thanks, Matt A!:D
Jonathan's not necessarily one of the puppet masters, but one of the puppets. Just like Jet.
And, yeah, I guess this one was a bit abrupt, but it's Jonathan's appearance here. Whether he is the 'real' Jonathan or not, it's yours to decide;)
Terra and Jet's relationship...yeah, I thought about that a lot:evil: What with Dragonscar's comment long time ago and all, I was thinking about making Terra and Jet flirt with each other; but I'm too much of a BB&Terra fan for that-as you possibly guessed from this story. I do promise there will be some parts like that, though;)
Hope you enjoyed this one:D



Thanks to all of you who read this, and have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

Is that the real Jonathan or not? Jet says he is, and he should know, so I'm willing to trust him...but, then again, he also said that the last time. If he really is Jonathan, then things are about to get pretty damn ugly round here. Even if he isn't, this is still gonna be ugly, seeing as how Jet doesn't look like he can avoid those home truths for much longer. Having him be an unintentional spy for The Hell was a cool idea, both surprising and completely logical: if I gave someone fake eyes, I'd probably tap into their vision too. And it also explains how the Messenger got into the Titans' systems so many times, though the logical conclusion of that answer isn't a nice one. Either way, the time for revelation of secrets is almost upon us: it's going to be quite a ride from here on in, I can tell.:anime:

Oh yeah, and Terra is finally about to go on a kill-crazy rampage. Wicked.:evil:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 38.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"The Hell can what!?"
"He’s joking, right, Jet?"

Jet hesitated for a moment before answering the question. After that, he, somewhat reluctantly, gave the truth.

"He’s…right. The Hell can read through my memories and can look through my eyes and stuff. But they can’t do it any more, I swear!"
"And how do you know that? Hmm? How can you be so sure that they don’t have any access to your brain anymore? You didn’t even know they were having a look inside your head when you were there, remember."
"I know what I know because I know it! They can’t, Jonathan. Stop confusing the others. They can do that only if I’m in the Hell, and I’m clearly not in there right now."
"What’s the matter, Jet? Scared? I guess you haven’t told the others yet then. Of course, if they had known it, they wouldn’t ever have wanted to have one like you among them…after all, they’re heroes."
"Jet, why didn’t you tell us that?"
"I didn’t tell you guys that because I didn’t need to. I told you, they can’t do it anymore, so I thought okay, what’s the big deal, they can’t do anything back there, so why make such a fuss over nothing? I’m out of their control, they can’t use whatever spy ware they have installed inside my body, trust me!"
"We could’ve helped you get rid of them once and for all."
"You could’ve fried my system once and for all. Look, I’ll talk to you guys later. I…"
"Yeah, my old pal Jet’s right for once, kids. Talking gotta wait, we got some physical activities to do."

Jonathan’s mouth stretched into a cruel smile. He raised his arms, which slowly transformed back into those of human’s. Still smiling, he glanced casually around the mall, his eyes sharp and searching. Terra retreated even further back into her shelter, which was formed between the wall and piles of shattered remaining of a clothes shop. She didn’t like that look for some reason; she didn’t, she didn’t, she didn’t…

"I found all of them…hey, wait. Where’s the last one?"

She felt herself going rigid with fear. The last one? ‘All’ of them?

"What last one? What are you talking about?"

She heard Raven asking, her voice suspicious and low. Jonathan laughed pleasantly.

"My targets, of course. My targets, seven kids with powers. I can see you six there, and I saw the other one just before with Jet…oooh, now I get it. We’re playing hide and seek! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Terra squeezed her eyes shut and dug even further down to the pile of clothes that tangled around her. She tried to control her breathing; it sounded too loud, he might hear it. And she didn’t want him to find her, no...she had no idea what he would do when he did, but she could guarantee that it would be something bad.

…but he did find her.

"There you are!"

She felt her stomach literally turning upside down, when she found herself staring directly up at his hazel eyes. He smiled once again, hiding his bloodlust eyes behind the lids for a second; then he opened them, just as deadly as before. Without any hesitation, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her up.

"Let…me…go!"
"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

She would have used her power, to flatten this guy, to make this guy release her if Beast Boy had not bellowed, leaping up at Jonathan. One flick of the Demon’s free hand sent the Titan flying backwards, handled without mercy by countless marble hands. He twisted around, trying to break free of the grip; Starfire flew over to free him, but soon she found herself, too, imprisoned inside a hand of concrete. Robin took out his staff, but Jet shot out a hand, signalling him to stop. He wished to finish this off by himself. Robin lowered his staff, unsure of what to do, but decided to give Jet a chance. Glaring at Jonathan fiercely, Jet said in a deadly, low voice;

"Jonathan, let her go."
"I don’t think you have any right to order to me, Jet."
"Let her go."
"Just because you’re the Guard, that doesn’t mean you can push the Executioner around."
"I’m not trying to boss you around, get it? Just let her go! She’s just a normal girl, look at her!"
"And yet the Watcher says she isn’t."

Jet’s body froze momentarily, his expression both haunted and frightened. He asked, in a voice barely audible, his eyes wide.

"The Watcher? Sam? You mean he’s…alive?"
"Anything’s possible. You thought I was dead, and yet I’m here, whole in one. Sam might be alive, but then he might not be. Who knows?"
"Stop playing around. Jonathan, let her go. Let the others go! We can deal this, one on one…Please."
"What’s the matter? Are you afraid that I might…kill this little girl? Or the others? What’s them to you? You said it yourself that they aren’t even your friends. Why are they so important to you that you even want to fight with me, hmm?"
"It’s not because it’s them. It’s because I don’t want anybody to go to the Hell again, to go through what I…we have gone through together."
"What a saint."

Jonathan jeered, throwing Terra onto the ground. She huddled in a heap on the floor, fear, hatred and fury welling up inside her. Jet made a move, as if trying to run over to her, to check if she was alright; but then he thought better of it, resumed his position and looked at Jonathan again. Instead, Raven flew beside her, checking Terra over. The injured boy was already taken to a place safe, hidden away from here. The Executioner glanced shortly at her, but didn’t pay any attention any more than that; his main target was Jet. That was who he wanted to deal with first. His friend…no, his former friend. The traitor…

"Jonathan…"

Jet whispered almost desperately, his energy ball discharged, completely off guard. Jonathan grinned briefly before working over to him, his smile pleasant and innocent yet deadly.

"Let’s finish this, one on one."
"That’s what I asked for."
"And to do that, I suppose we’d better clear the ground first."

It was a bit too late when Jet realized what his friend meant by that.
His whole body was transforming into a giant mess of concrete, marble and cement that was shaped like him. The whole place was filled with arms, hands and blades of marble or concrete soaring up and down of the wall; Starfire, who finally broke free of the concrete grip, was challenged instantly by a fist made of glass from the window. As she battled her way through, Beast Boy, who broke free of his own prison by turning into a T-Rex, ran over to Raven and Terra.

"Terra!"

Just hearing his voice brought rush of comfort to her. She clung to his arm desperately, sobbing and sobbing. Jonathan glanced at them curiously, then smiling, created a wall between those two kids that forced them apart. Beast Boy growled and threw himself against the wall; he was instantly crashed against the opposite wall, a giant hand tightening around him as if to crash his whole body. Terra screamed when she saw Jonathan’s shadow closing up at her; she squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her head, trying to escape from reality. The thought of using her power to protect herself hadn’t even occurred in her head. The Executioner transformed his arms to glinting blades; it was soaring down at her, aiming at her head, but was stopped by both Cyborg and Raven. The former had sent Jonathan flying away with his sonic beam, and the latter had formed a shield to protect both her and Terra from that attack. Robin threw his explosive disks at the Demon, which, with large explosion, made a few small holes on Jonathan’s body. They closed up soon, just like what the white Demon with power to merge into whatever things that were around it did. Jonathan smiled, and soon both Cyborg and Robin found themselves pinned against the ground, strangled.

"TERRA!"

Beast Boy cried out, trying to escape Jonathan’s attack, anxious of her well being at the other side of the barricade between them. With a large, golden explosion, it was gone, however; Jet flew in, broke the bounds that held him and took him over to where the blond girl was.

"Terra, you okay?"
"Beast Boy…"

They embraced each other in a desperate grip, both crying and crying. Raven blocked another attack, while Jet blasted it. Suddenly, with loud noise, pieces of broken glasses showered over them; Starfire had exploded the glass hand she was facing, causing it to break into countless little sharp pieces. Those who were under Raven’s protection, Raven, Beast Boy and Terra, or the Demons, Jet and Jonathan were fine, what with Jet being a cyborg and Jonathan, at the moment, being a giant mass of concrete and marble; but the others-especially Robin and Cyborg, who were bound to the ground- grimaced as they felt the sharp stinging as the glasses cut into them. Starfire was falling, suffering the shell shock from the explosion she had caused. Jet got her, and flew back to hand her over to Raven. He whispered urgently as he exploded another fist that were coming in their way.

"Raven, listen to me, and get the others out of here. Get the others out of here with you."
"And how are you planning me to do it when the whole place is filled with your friend’s…arms?"
"Use your power. Go through the wall. The one you used last time to save me. Go!"

She nodded curtly. She didn’t like to be bossed around, especially not by him, but it did seem like a good idea. Beast Boy and Starfire were clearly in no state to fight; Robin and Cyborg were hopelessly outmatched; Terra wouldn’t like to reveal the fact that she could use her power in front of the Titans; she had to get Beast Boy and Starfire to the medical room as soon as possible. Even though she didn’t quite like the idea of leaving Jet, by himself, with the Executioner, when his cannons were considerably weakened, he might have more of a chance than they did. Just before she disappeared into the ground, with the others under her power, she asked;

"Jet. What about you?"
"I’ll be fine."

He flashed her a quick smile with the answer.

"I’m the Guard, remember. There’s no Demon I can’t handle. I promise I’ll be fine…so GO, NOW!"

She closed her eyes and whispered her spell quietly. Instantly she felt herself and the others going through the ground, through the wall, to the safety outside.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Finally, the ground is clear."

Jonathan smiled cheerfully, resuming his human form. Jet nodded grimly, his eyes fixed on his opponent, his friend.

"I’m surprised, Jet. I thought you might be more suspicious of me, you know, what with Changeling coming to you in my form and all. I brought a mirror for you in case you needed proof."
"Whatever you think, Jonathan, I’m not stupid enough to forget that."

He raised a hand to point at the necklace Jonathan was wearing. A pendant, a bronze J, with a strap of leather. Jonathan grinned somewhat ruefully when he looked down at it.

"I know that only the ‘real’ you would be wearing that necklace, so I could be pretty assured that it’s you, Jonathan Smith, standing in front of me now."
"Can’t see yours."
"No…Jonathan, why are you here? How come you’re alive? Who’s your target? And if you want to kill me, which I think you do, why don’t you do it now?"
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, we got all day. I’m here because the higher ones had ordered me to. I’m alive because they Demonized me a bit more, so that I wouldn’t be killed by a few stupid bullets. My targets you already know. And yes, I do want to kill you Jet, on behalf of all the other friends of ours, but I’m not doing it now because it’s not fun if I do."
"…fun."

Jet repeated, his voice filled with despair.

"Today’s mere warning, Jet. Today is just a friendly visit, as I told you before. Just to show you that I am alive. To show you that you’re officially being hunted down by me, your friend, the Executioner. To show that your friends, or whatever, aren’t safe. They never will be."

He grinned cruelly, raising a fist and punching Jet on the face. Jet staggered a few steps backward, but didn’t respond to the punch. He only looked at Jonathan with still eyes, his expression grim and sad.

"Because I’m here, the Executioner, DBDM59…and you know what that is, don’t you? Death Bringer DeMon 59."

The Executioner’s grin got wider.

"I’m saving you till the last moment…so you can watch your precious friends being hauled into the Hell, Jet. Watch them getting the torture of their lifetime, watch them falling apart, watch them breaking down, watch them losing themselves. Just like us."

He smiled again, with unwanted tears welling up in his eyes.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Thanks, Matt A!:D Yes, it is the real Jonathan; Jonathan the Executioner himself. Things are about to get pretty ugly, I agree.
The Messenger and Jet, about them...well...I suppose I'll just have to reveal the secret later:D But it is going to be a ride from here, I promise:anime:
And yes, remember that it's Chapter 40 soon, in which I promised to reveal Jet's past...:D


Thanks to everybody who's read this, and have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

Jonathan sure knows how to hold a grudge, don't he? I thought the Changling version was scary, but this dude is just...wow. An pure, unrepentant, cold-blooded murderous psycopath, his idea of a "friendly visit" being mere mega-scale superpowered anarchy. His goal, and seemingly The Hell's goal as well, isn't world domination, world destruction or even just building a private freak farm: what they're after is simply to destroy one man's world, to take everything that keeps him together and put it through a mincer. And all because they're pissed at him. Whether or not Jet really did anything to justify that anger, that's still an extreme form of vengeance.

Oh yes, and you see to have a way with giving Jonathan such utterly awesome lines. To quote:

It’s not because it’s them. It’s because I don’t want anybody to go to the Hell again, to go through what I…we have gone through together."
"What a saint."

I’m saving you till the last moment…so you can watch your precious friends being hauled into the Hell, Jet. Watch them getting the torture of their lifetime, watch them falling apart, watch them breaking down, watch them losing themselves. Just like us."

Spine-chilling genius, pure and simple. And the best part is, we'll be getting to see a lot more of this guy now.:evil:

-Matt A-

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 39.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"Why did you guys save me?"

Terra asked quietly, after she regained some control over herself. She stopped shaking, and she could focus on what was going on around her now. She stopped crying too, and she had to peel herself off Beast Boy. A part of her never wanted to let him go; she wanted to hug him, squeeze him, so tight that they won’t have to part again, and tell him how glad she was to finally see him after a couple of months. But the other part of her was telling her not to do that, that she would only ruin her chances of ever being a normal girl, that she would be ruining everything she had done so far. She would lose her friends, her school, her everything. Torn between those two parts of her, she, as always, chose to be a normal girl when it was clear even to her that she wasn’t.

"We saved you because saving citizens is our job."

Raven answered in a flat voice, showing no hint of emotions; she wanted to ask the lonely girl in front of her about how she was feeling, or her powers, but knew it would be pushing Terra further to the edge of the cliff. The only thing that kept her still sane was the feeling that she had somebody, Jet, to understand what she was feeling. If she felt as if she couldn’t trust him either about keeping her secrets, she might even go and join the Hell or something. Jet had warned Raven about that a few weeks ago.
The hooded Titan handed Terra her hiking boots, which were tossed away when she was shoved by Jet to the ground. Terra received it, looking as bewildered as one can possibly get. After a while, she stood up somewhat shakily but with a determined look on her face.

"Thanks, anyway. I think I should get going now…"
"Terra."
"I’m sorry for being such a burden. Sorry. Thanks again."

She ignored Beast Boy’s weak voice on purpose, feeling her heat breaking in half. She clenched her teeth and walked away purposefully, her brand new hiking boots clutched tightly in her hands. Even if she had to surrender to fate someday, and tell the Titans the truth, it wasn’t going to be today. She wanted to enjoy the life she had so far, the life of a normal girl, while she had the opportunity.
Whether she still had that ‘normal life’ she could enjoy, she couldn’t be sure anymore.

"And we also saved you because…"

Beast Boy’s haste voice caught her. Terra stopped dead on her way, listening intensely to his words.

"…because in a past you can’t remember, you were our friend."

She froze momentarily, but soon regained herself. She looked back, gave them a small smile before disappearing into the crowd. She felt for the Titans communicator hidden deep inside her pocket; yes, it was still there, something that guaranteed safety while she had that normal life she always wanted.

"Poor kid. Seems like she’s destined to be in trouble."

Cyborg thought out aloud while staring at her small figure. Robin shrugged, wincing as he felt the sharp pain on his right arm. It seemed as if he had broken it or stretched the muscle or such, when he was banged against the floor. Most of the small cuts by glass pieces were gone now, thanks to Raven’s little magic.

"Worry about her later. We have to think about Jet. We…"

Just then, Jet himself crashed out of the building, lying tangled among bits and pieces of marble and bricks, obviously attacked by Jonathan. His eyes were closed for a brief moment, but he soon opened them, staring widely at the Titans. Gingerly he pulled himself up, shaking his head as if he couldn’t quite wake himself up.

"…I think we got a bit of talking to do with you, Jet."

He just smiled a rueful smile at Robin.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"…Jackson."

Jonathan muttered the name while sitting on the pile of the remaining of the building and watching as Jet and the Titans left. A figure, a boy, with startlingly silver hair appeared out of nowhere, his eyes closed. His garments were nearly all white, and where it wasn’t white it was grey so that it looked as if he was an angel of light…or of shadow. He stood beside Jonathan, silent.

"Find out more about them. You can do that, can’t you?"
"I can."
"And tell me about them. Everything. I want to know all about Jet’s new best friends as soon as possible."

Jackson nodded silently, his eyes still closed. Jonathan slowly stood up and stretched a few times before turning around to face Jackson.

"After all, watching and figuring out things is your job."

He smiled innocently like a child, but Jackson didn’t respond to it; possibly because he had his eyes closed so he couldn’t see, or just that he didn’t want to, or couldn’t.

"I mean, you are the Watcher, aren’t you?"

Jackson’s eyes popped open, revealing eyes that were still and gentle, eyes that looked as if they could see anything, everything. He closed them again soon.

"I am."

Jonathan just smiled.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


"You said that your past is gone, and so we won’t have to know about it. But you were wrong, and there are things coming out of there, and we have to know about your past desperately if we ever want to defeat Jonathan. Jet, you have to tell us. Tell us about your past, about what had happened back there, back then. Please."

Jet just stared up at Robin, who now had a cast around his right arm. He then glanced back down at the floor, his expression hollow and grave.

"Jet…"
"I guess I’ll have to. My past. To you guys. Tell it."

He said his answer phrase by phrase, as if his language was breaking under the stress, the sadness, the pressure. Starfire came to sit beside him, putting a reassuring arm on his shoulder. Cyborg sat on the other side of him, patting his back a couple of times to encourage him. He closed his eyes briefly, sighed and started.

"From the very beginning…or at least, the very beginning of what I can remember. When I woke up, the first thing that…"


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-



Righto. I've got Chapter 40, which, as you can guess, is Jet's past. Then I'm off to Korea, so, I think, I won't be able to post for three weeks or so. I might be able to from time to time but I have high doubts about it.



And thanks Matt A!:D Jonathan is, well, yes, a psychopath; it'll come out later, but his nickname between his friends were 'Psycho'. But nonetheless, he did cry at the last part of Chapter 38. He's not all that bad...I think:p Don't be so sure about his-and the Hell's-goals yet though!;)
And thanks for your compliment on Jonathan's lines. I thought hard about them, I'm glad my effort paid off:D



There's a new character here, Jackson, the Watcher. He's gonna play a mega-important part, so be ready, guys!...of course, what with the next quiet a few chapters being Jet's past, you won't be seeing much of him for now...:evil:

Thanks to all of you who read this, and have a nice day!:D

[Matt A]

I get the feeling Terra's going to regret walking away again. But, as one of the Titans said way back when, if anyone deserves one last shot at a normal life, it's her...then again, as Cyborg said here, she's also seems to be the one person who'll never achieve normality. Poor kid indeed.

And then Jet got thrown out of a building, so everything's alright again.:evil: But seriously, I can't tell you how happy I am that chapter 40 is almost upon us. It seemed that Jet relented a little too fast (I'd have thought he'd fight it one last time, at least), but he kinda does need to spill all this time. Though we already know a fair bit about The Hell and Jet's backstory, it's going to be fun seeing the whole lot. Especially the betrayl, the one thing we know least about.

Is it just me, or is Jackson going to be the creepiest Demon yet? He seems to be that kind of buttoned-down psycho type: an "Ethan Rom"-style whacko, if you've ever seen Lost (and if not, why not?:p). Based on him being the new Watcher, I can guess what his powers are, and I can guess that they'll be spelling trouble...especially 'cause this seems to mean that Sam isn't alive after all, so we have to wonder why Jonathan lied.;)

Oh yes, and enjoy Korea. I've never been to that part of the world, so I'm very jealous. Try and say hello if you can, but don't worry about trying to post whilst you're out there: I'm sure I can cope. [twitch]:p

-Matt A-

[SecretNinja]

For the third time trying to post this! kay so HOLY POO i just read this whole thing...and it took forever. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! I love how you continued the series by entering new characters and then using Terra again. Its awesome.

You keep up the writing dude!

PS. I think this song fits this fic well. Its This Could Be Anywhere in the World by Alexisonfire.

the streets are in distress,
the sun suffocates behind darkened skies
the grass is growing under my feet
i'm thinking it wont be long before you get

the line-up seems endless,
underneath the salvation sign
we are the dead ones, we are the lost cause
we are the people who will not blame ourselves from this cause

the city, the city is haunted, by ghosts (ghosts) from broken homes (homes)
because this city, this city is haunted. theres no hope. (hope) left for these souls (souls)

every step i take, i leave a small piece of myself behind soon there will be nothing left

[Death_lash]

the Inferno, Chapter 40.



-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


Before me Nothing was created,

If not Eternal, and Eternal I shall endure.

O ye who enter, Abandon all hope.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


The first thing that greeted him was blinding light, and blinding pain.
He lied there, looking straight into the bright light that hurt his eyes, lying on the metal bed that hurt his whole body, distantly feeling people touching and occasionally hurting his legs beyond imagination.
After a while, he finally got used to the light, and finally could see himself reflected on a giant sheet of metal above.

Hair with the colour of sunset, and brown eyes. Familiar. Nothing wrong there. But his hands, neck and legs were bound with straps, and he was sure he wasn’t meant to be tied down onto a metal bed while left half of his chest was bare, the machinery inside not yet covered with artificial skin like the other half. Slowly and painfully he shifted his glance downwards. His legs. They were bloody, with bones and electronic wire and unfamiliar machinery mixed together. He then remembered the unbearable pain of his arm, and again, slowly, skidded across his reflection to have a look at them. They looked normal, except the two holes in his palms that looked as if it had endless depth. Somewhere deep inside his mind he knew this was wrong somehow, that his body shouldn’t look like that, but he was too tired and too hurt to care.

‘I see you’re awake!’

His eyes were dry. He had to blink, but it hurt, just hurt so much. Gradually he closed them, but he was afraid of opening them again. It was after he painfully opened them again that he realized someone was talking to him.

He…she…whoever was smiling down at him, his…her face’s down half covered by a mask. He stared up at the stranger, not even curious of this person’s identity.

‘I guess you’re in a shock…it’s okay, it’s okay! With a little dose of this, you’ll soon be going back to sleep again. When you wake up, you won’t feel a thing!’

His…her…voice sounded a bit too joyful at the last sentence, but again, he didn’t care.

‘Welcome to the Hell, SJDM45.’

Distinctly he remembered that his name wasn’t SJDM45, but he couldn’t remember what his real name was then. Distinctly he remembered having normal legs and hands, but he couldn’t be sure what ‘normal’ hands and legs would have looked like. Distinctly, he remembered being in another place, full of fresh air…distinctly, distinctly…

He felt himself inhaling sweet tasting gas. He breathed in, and out, and in again…until he was lost in a sleep without dream once more.


-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


When he woke up again, this time it was in a little cage in a little room without anybody else. He gradually pulled himself up on one elbow because the cage was so low he couldn’t stand up nor sit up.

‘Who. Am. I?’

He muttered, glad that it didn’t hurt to talk. Gingerly he stretched out a hand to touch the cage, but soon quickly held it back as he felt a jolt of electricity flowing through that bars. Groaning slightly, he slumped on the ground again, feeling the cold metal pressing against his cheek. Strangely enough, he couldn’t feel its temperature.

‘SJDM45, time for breakfast. Go to the Dining Hall.’

Suddenly, the heavy metal door of the room burst open, and a man in his twenties walked in. He had one green eye and one blue eye, his skin pale and his hair black. He was wearing black clothes and a grim, sad expression. SJDM45 just stared up at him, unsure of what to do, unsure of how to react. SJDM45…that wasn’t his name. Could that guy be referring to him?…but his name wasn’t SJDM45…

‘SJDM45, wake up, get up and get out of that cage. Go to the Dining Hall.’

When he still didn’t respond, the guy with odd-eyes sighed once, knelt in front of the cage and opened the door. He then reached out and pulled SJDM45 out of the cage.

‘Let me tell you something that would come really handy while living in this place. First, when I tell you to do something, you do it. I’m the Guard, and I have the power and the right to kill you off anytime anywhere I want to. Second, when other Demons with stronger power or the higher ones in this place tell you to do something, you do it. It’s for your own good. Third, you go to the Dining Hall. Now.’

The newly-created Demon stared at the Guard, not knowing what to say or what to do. The Guard smiled softly when he sensed his confusion.

‘Call me Isaun. The Hell calls me SJDM44, but I know that Isaun is my real name. Hopefully you’ll find out your name soon. Now come on, and let’s go to the Dining Hall.’

SJDM45 nodded, and shakily stood up to follow Isaun. The air was hot and stuffy, and under the dim red light i