"I trust you about as far as I can throw you."

Isaac quipped as Rhea put her hand on his cheek. The act was probably meant to keep Sentinel calm, but all the gesture really managed was making Isaac's cheeks flush. Holdings hands was one thing. The whole 'caressing your face' part? That was another thing entirely. Like, slow down girl. The world isn't ending any time soon. Isaac returned the smile in an effort to hide his discomfort at her touch. He supposed this was his fault, grasping at her hands like he did. Gotta live with the consequences, Isaac guessed. 'Course, things became much more heated when she kissed him on the forehead. Moving very fast, indeed! Luckily the shows of affection soon passed as Rhea went to work fixing Isaac's newest battle scars. He tried to pay attention as she explained how her powers worked. Isaac really did. But there was something bothering him. A tingling at the back of his neck. An itching at his mind. An intuition, warning him of...Something. Sentinel didn't know what. But the feeling was eerily similar to what he felt the day his mother had died. A warning from a higher power, perhaps? Isaac decided to investigate as best he could.

He opened his ears up first, fine tuning his hearing to detect even the slightest sounds within the tower. Music. An accelerated heartbeat. Who's was it? Isaac listened to the frequency more carefully. That was definitely Sandstorm's ticker going off. Heh, he must be watching Ariel flirt with Evan.

Footsteps. A door opened. Where was Accelerate heading off to?

Justin was talking to himself. Sentinel quickly blocked Thermo's self-chiding out. He knew what it was like to need a moment to yourself. Heck, Sentinel had come up to his room for just that. Isaac made a note to himself to talk to Justin more; maybe they had something in common.

Another door just opened. Now who could that be? Sentinel looked behind him and downwards, activating his X-Ray vision. Simone was coming in. Where'd she been? Probably out for a smoke. That girl was going to ruin her lungs if she wasn't careful. Whatever. Isaac shouldn't be worrying about her health, when she didn't worry about anyone else's.

Sentinel turned his attention back to Rhea. He'd observed everyone's actions within the tower in the span of about two or three words. Super senses definitely had their uses. Isaac could do and see whatever he wanted, and no one could stop it. No one would even know. Quite a bit of power over everyone else, if you really thought about it. Sentinel was nearly omnipresent when it came to things inside and around the tower. Sentinel saw all. He heard all. Sadly, he also smelled all. Heh. Maybe everyone should invest in lead lined underwear.

"Oh, no. You're fine. There isn't much that can gross me out. Having you inside me is a nice sentiment." By Rao, that sounded better in Isaac's head. Maybe she wouldn't notice. That's not what Isaac meant at all.

Never stop holding his- Oh. They're still holding hands. Isaac barely even noticed. Was that a problem? That was probably a problem. "Beautiful, huh? That's a new one." Grant had heard plenty about his scars. Most of the time, people thought they made him even scarier. Or more of a badass. But beautiful? That was definitely new. She probably had some deep insight into her comment. Yep, there it was. Isaac mulled over what she meant between each word. With his enhanced mind and reflexes, the young Kryptonian had more time than he knew what to do with. What were merely seconds for other people were like minutes to Isaac. He'd gotten used to the time gaps almost as soon as he had his powers (probably a side effect of how they were applied) but it was still a bit strange. So much time to think. Thinking wasn't always a good thing; especially not for Isaac. He usually ended up digging himself into an emotional sink hole, making things worse with assumption after assumption.

Ha. Strong. Sentinel was far from strong. He might be able to bench press an aircraft carrier, but he was the farthest anyone had ever been from strong. His mind was like a raging storm, never truly calmed. He overreacted to everything. He held on to his past, everything that had gone wrong in his life, and let it fester and boil inside. All that was wrong with the world was what fueled Sentinel's rage. That one, powerful emotion overshadowing all of Isaac's other feelings. He knew happiness, but he rarely found it when all he could see around him made him so angry. Isaac was emotionally weak. Prone to random spouts of explosive anger. He could barely control himself. Physically, he was even weaker. Bench pressing an aircraft carrier? Child's play. Superman has moved planets. Running at mach 2? The Flash perceives things in less than an attosecond. An attosecond! That's the amount of time it takes light to travel the length of a single molecule. And he can see that. Who is Sentinel, standing next to these...These gods? He was nothing. A speck of dust. A single grain of sand. History would not long remember the Teen Titan Superboy wannabe, who spent his life brooding on a rooftop.

Rhea's laughter broke up Isaac's internal brooding session.

"I also have me own scars and I guess ye be seein' them soon."

Huh?! Di- Is- She- W- But- I- Uhhhh. Uhhhhh. Okay, what in the name of all that is good and holy is she talking about? Is she going to take off her shirt to-

"Not all scars ar' on da flesh, y'know?"

Oh. I'm an idiot.

"But, I wud just like to say dat... I'm really happy fer yer trust in me. I know it ain't easy to tell yer story to a woman in bloodstained robes who had carried a tray of earl grey and, to add to that, invaded your privacy. But, know that I am grateful... for everything." Rhea grinned, exhaling a large amount of air. "Yer a good person, Sentinel. Dun let anyone be tellin' ya otherwise."

D'wahhhhh. How sweet. Totally, completely and utterly wrong, but sweet. Rhea...such innocent. Such confidence in a total stranger. She was a better friend than Sentinel deserved. He's not a good person, and he knows that. Isaac's a bloodthirtsty, hate-filled psychopath who's accepted his role in society. He's going to kill all the world's Bizzaros, Jokers and Lex Luthors. Sentinel wouldn't stop, either, until every last murderer and villain was dead. Rhea definitely deserved someone better than a raging vigilante. She needed a real hero. Someone like Microbat or Accelerate or Sandstorm. People who would care about her, who would protect her with their lives. Not Sentinel. Sentinel was meant for something else. Love wasn't on the agenda.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks. Anyway, I'll continue my little story."

"Right, well. Dad used to beat me. I don't want to get into the gory details, but some of these scars? He gave me those before I had my powers. My tenth birthday, I was sleeping over at Uncle Nelson's mansion. When dad came by to pick me up, he couldn't walk straight. So I knew things would be bad. I was sitting in the window sill when he drove up in his old pick up truck. I saw him stumbling toward the front door when I saw this bright light shooting across the sky. I'd heard that people liked to wish on falling stars. That...That they were magic. I was a stupid little kid, so I decided to make a wish. I wanted to fix my life. Bring back my mom. Save my dad from himself. When I was ten, my absolute favorite superhero was Superman. I thought he could do anything! So I looked at that star..." Sentinel look down at Rhea, smiling from ear to ear. His eyes shined with passion as he looked down at her. "And I asked to be like Superman."

Isaac's elation dissipated as he continued to tell his story. But an inkling of that joy, that love, was still there. "I confronted my dad that night. I felt invincible. I told him that he needed to stop drinking. That he needed to stop being such a jackass. I wanted my dad back. I wanted the man who raised me, who vowed to love me until the end of days, to return. Then he punched me in the face." Sentinel laughed. "He broke his wrist just hitting me."

"I gave up on my dad right then, and left. He couldn't stop me. I was Superman! Nobody could stop me! I took all of my things and packed them into a bag and left. I wandered around the United States for a while, using my powers to help people. When I found myself in Coast City, I met my first Justice Leaguer. The Green Lantern. He introduced me to Superman after I told him my story. The rest is history, I guess."

Isaac sighed. It was nice to get that all off his chest again. He'd told a couple of people, but never anyone as close to his age as Rhea. It was nice to have someone in the tower that he could confide in, even if it didn't last.

"Hey Rhea?" Isaac asked after a moment of silence. "If you ever need to talk, you can come to me. This was nice. It's been awhile since I've felt this good." Sentinel took a deep breath before closing his eyes and lying down. Content. There's that word again. It seemed to be cropping up a lot during this conversation.

The rapid sound of feet approaching the tower entered Sentinel's super-ears. Accelerate was back, it would seem. He sounded heavier. What'd Rufus bring back with him? A body bag? No, too light to be a person. A subtle sniff from Isaac's nose answered told him that Rufus had brought pizza. Mmmm. Isaac had always loved pizza. Sentinel didn't need to eat, but he was physically capable. And food tasted pretty good. In all actuality, he could probably eat as much as he wanted with no repercussions. Sentinel didn't need to go to the bathroom since his body would convert all of the pizza into extra energy; even the stuff that would be deemed useless to a human being.

"Hey, Rhea? You hungry?" a mischievous smile crossed his face as he asked her. A moment later, the intercom went off as Accelerate called an emergency meeting in the kitchen. Then Isaac disappeared. A flurry of wind kicked up the bed sheets as Isaac raced up stairs to the dining area. He briefly appeared, shirtless, in front of the rest of the titans. He reached for the pizza before facepalming. "Ugh, how rude." Isaac chided himself aloud as he disappeared down the stairs and into the dorm area. He reappeared next to Rhea. Scooping the healer up in his arms, he left for the kitchen again. He arrived in just a moment, setting Cell down in the midst of everyone else. Isaac briefly realized he was acting a bit out of character. But, he was feeling particularly happy tonight. For the first time since he met the titans, actually.

Sentinel dug into the pepperoni, mushroom and olive pizza. He grabbed himself a slice before taking a seat on the counter. He took a single bite, swallowing in one gulp. "Someone's at the door." He commented. A second later the doorbell rang. "They're gone now." These enhanced senses were the bomb. The pizza was pretty good, too.

A cardboard box sat outside the tower door. A note, written in plain English was tapped to the top of the box:

Superman asked me to pick up Sentinel's costume so he could fix it at the Fortress later. He's dealing with flooding in South America at the moment, so he's kind of busy. I had two and a half seconds, so I decided to sew it back together and deliver it myself! PS: I took a slice of the sausage pizza while you were all busy. Faster Than Light, ya know? Take care.

With love,

After making the Czarnian bleed, I took a retreat, a slight pause to reassess the situation. Little had changed, but with as many factors as were present it couldn't hurt to just know what was going on. I could've threw in another shriek, or something of the sort, but I didn't feel like upsetting our grounded Kryptonian friend, or amplify what angst I'd already nursed. He wouldn't be killing anyone. That would be sufficient for now.

Quite quickly my teammates wrapped Lobo in a jacket of sand. It was my folly to assume that Sandstorm's grip would hold. It would not.

Lobo's shotgun blast did a number on my wings. The scattershot hit us all more or less, but my arms, with the leather-esque flaps, had been outstretched. Thus I was grounded for a while. I felt energy blasts melt through my wings, thinning them out before burning like wax, a plastic bag over a match. The holes in my skin stretched out, growing like a black hole until they reached their thin, bony base at my arm.

I tried to swoop over as soon as I could feel my arms, pull Pistolera to safety. But she didn't need my help. That much was clear.

Under different circumstances, I would've took to the skies and pursued Sentinel and the bounty hunter. But he was so furious, he probably would've pushed past any agony I set before him. He's strong, physically and emotionally. We're not equals, not even close. Between the impossibility that was presently flight and my own respect for the math he'd done, saving the ten of us at the cost of one life, he's got guts. I wouldn't go that route, but who says he can't? The law someone else chose? The one we never agreed to abide by? We were born into a world carved into someone else's image.

Laws written before superheroes came out of the woodwork and alien menaces could come out of nowhere can't apply to the math that thousands of lives are greater than one.

Ducking under a table, I rolled in a puddle, ending the burn. The fire and smoldering was quenched, but would you look at me? I'm a freak, damp, cold, bruised, tired, alone really... A shapeshifting nightmare someone else made me into, the only reason anyone cares who I am is because I can fight and look cool. If I was normal, if I could be a nobody, I'd love to. This can't last forever. I promise it won't.

It's not self-pity. Just acknowledging what I've become. Nonetheless, it's enough for now.

Changing back, receding my long fingers and drawing my hands in, I see my skin for the first time in days. The burns move to under my elbow, a few on the outside of my ribcage. It hurts to move.

I asked myself what the others are doing.

[I]Who am I kidding? I don't care.[I]

Under the table, I had a moment to myself. My reflection was staring back at me from the dark waxed floor. Just seeing my face without the snout makes me want to cry. No one's coming my direction, I click my tongue for a split-second sonogram. Yep, no one's coming. Just a moment to myself.

I don't want them to come either. They all agree we're not friends. I'm not afraid of losing any of them. None of us are immortal, except possibly Evan. It's not a matter of "If they'll die," the question is "when?". One day I'll lose every one of them. They may as well die by my side. Whether we're friends or not, I'll remember them. Not sure if anyone feels the same about me that's still alive.

Running my hand through my long brown hair, I feel the thick, slick mop sogging and laying down. My green eyes are actually covered, just barely, by the bronze bangs. It was a peaceful moment.

It had to end though. So I sat up at the table and morphed back. I could hear the distant ruckus, but I couldn't really do anything about it. I'm not Superman, or Sentinel for that matter. I'm not Rufus, I can't be everywhere at once. I don't wish I was either.

I just walked in that direction.

So I listened to Sentinel's speech, Lobo's arguments, Superman's intervention, and all of it. And the silence as we rode back to Titans Tower.

---

[/hr]
I'm hardly the social type. Not that I'm an introvert, just uncomfortable. Being kidnapped, isolated, experimented on, dropped into death matches, and forcibly deified took that from me.

Crawling off the T-Wing was the lead-in to what I knew would be a long evening. Who's fault was it? I don't care. We didn't really do that bad. If the army stepped in, I can almost guarantee they would not have been able to do better. The great and powerful Justice League was too slow to respond, so we stepped up to bat.

Rose wanted us to just "be teens," like that means anything. The term teenager was born in a marketing department not long ago. We're just people. In Sparta I'd already be a legal adult.

I watched Sentinel creep off to his room, lonely. We can talk later. I'd comfort him, but I'll give him time. I'd have stood up for him earlier, when the League was chewing him out, but I won't push him to be a killer. I'm sure that he wouldn't be able to stop at one. It wouldn't make sense to stop there either.

I moved to my room to enjoy the quiet of isolation, that and my clock ticking. Avoiding the shattered glass from my chandelier, I found myself restless. I'm not one for drinking, but I felt compelled to join in on the teenaged debauchery and maybe jumpstart some drunken revelry. Sure everyone here may be strong, but I'm scary as hell when people are drunk.

Before I went in that direction though, I remembered, I don't have a clock in my room. The ticking wasn't even in my room. So I listened more closely.

Bat-Boy they call me, and she thinks no one can hear her sneak away. I don't need to follow, I can track her without raising a hand, but my window helps. Call me paranoid, but I can't help but baselessly and aggressively distrust these teenaged warriors, especially the only one who has more in common with an assassin than a superhero. Hot? Yeah, she's a hot girl. And I'm a boy. Now, I may be a stupid teenaged boy, but I'm not a stupid teenaged boy.

When she came back she went to the kitchen with the others. Rufus was setting up for a game of Guitar Hero. Rufus is an arrogant prick, but he's also the only person here besides Madam Missile who can plan ahead for tribulation without panicking. That teenaged debauchery may not be so bad with Pistolera, but I can't compete with the Greek jailbait hosting the shindig.

"I'm down for some Guitar Hero," I'm pretty good at it anyways. I have a thing for the once dead franchise. "Rufus, it'd be Kim Possible for me to get any less than four stars on the original series."

"Dun worry." Rhea retracted her hands, finally finishing the healing process. "I'll talk to ye if I need help so dat ye can be da one to cheer me up." The girl slumped back on the bed as well, feeling the exhaustion of having depleted many of her own cells. "I haven't healed anyone dat intense ever since..." Dane's bloodied face appeared in her mind; that fateful night of December 24, eleven fifty-nine, 59 seconds, 99 milliseconds. Tears threatened to stab at her eyes which Rhea hid quite so quickly with a chuckle. "Years ago." the healer giggled for a while, gazing up at the ceiling which seemed to be more interesting at this moment than the teapot of earl grey. It seemed that Sentinel's past had been riddled with far more complexities than she would have ever imagined. It didn't take a genius to know that he wanted to be just the man who he wished to be on that star. He must have been living under the Man of Steel's shadow all this time. After all, Sentinel did wish to be like Superman. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Sentinel inquired whether she was hungry and, before she could reply, the boy had carried her in his arms at a speed faster than what the squirming healer was used to. Rhea, due to the surprise, had tightly coiled her arms around his neck, hanging on for dear life as she swore that her very cells were left behind on the staircase. Then, Sentinel set her down and, after wobbling, Rhea burst out in a series of soft laughters. "Yer lucky I din't git no whiplash." the woman smirked before dragging her feet to the kitchen, not wanting to be caught in the tomfoolery of her team who seemed so lively than usual.

Still, with the party atmosphere at full blast and the pizza looking sexier and hotter than the demigod who was hosting the party, Rhea decided that she could, at least, try to make the night enjoyable for them. With her skills in the kitchen, Rhea brought out some of their remaining chicken wings, intending to make some spicy wings for the titans. As the boys and girls (Whirlie, cough) began bragging of their skills in some guitar... hero... apparently, Rhea rolled her eyes albeit a smile crawled on her face. God knows what Guitar Hero is but if it means they can smash guitars against a huge monster, then, the healer had no intention of participating. After all, there just so many strings you can pluck before you go whammy all of a sudden, if that ever made sense. If there was something that Rhea prided herself upon, it was her cooking and when the spicy wings were as hot as the demigod... Wait, what? "I must be goin' bonkers..." she couldn't help but smile. If she was feeling these kinds of attraction, then, it means that, for once, her mind had been eased away from her nightmares.

After placing the wings on a medium-sized plate, Rhea strode over to the treasure that was pizza and placed the plate beside it. Of course, hard work like this required payment and since Rhea was a merciful goddess, pizza would have to suffice. As she happily munched on the delicacy, she took a seat while looking at the titans, no, teens, who were, at least, enjoying the night after what seemed as a first time failure. A relaxed smile formed on her lips, observing the grins and smiles of each of her comrades. If only the world would be as simple as this, if only... Everyone seemed to be sparkling tonight but whether it was just the fantasy-like atmosphere created by laughs and jeers or the pizza, Rhea didn't want anything else but for this moment to last just a little bit longer; after all, before anything else, they were Teens before Titans. Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a person who was already in the kitchen. "Oh, Hatty! It's you. I almost din't see none of ya." Rhea grinned as she looked at what the magician had prepared. "Cereals, huh? Oh, and I guess I ain't da only one who don't like drinkin' wine." Suddenly, she looked down at her hands, realizing that she had left her gloves in Sentinel's room. "Well, I'll just have to git it from him tomorrow, then. Still, I guess he could heat up the remainin' tea wid his heat vision and stuff."

As Rhea shuffled through her robe, she pulled out the torn 'S'. A relaxed sigh escaped her breathing, a knowing smile taking residence. "I'll be takin' dis as a token, then." she mumbled to herself, tucking the cloth back into her robe. Her eyes went back to the magician and with pleading eyes, she relayed her intention. "Ye wouldn't know how to magically summon earl grey tea here, wud ya?"

"Aet Yerg Lrae" With a puff of smoke a small white porcelain tea cup appeared on a white costar. The cup filled with the tea and smoked from heat. "Be care full its hot." He said as he finished his cereal.

After guitar hero was put on, Zane watched with amusement. He wanted to go play but he didn't really know how approach the other team members. Zane always thought that his teammates were uncomfortable around him. Or maybe he was just being weird, Zane didn't know anymore, for now he just wanted to enjoy the night.

He was worried about Sentinel though. He had been cut pretty deep, and he was off licking this wounds. He looked at Rhea, she was brave enough to go talk to him. "So how is Sentinel, he got thrown under the bus pretty bad.?" He asked her with genuine curiosity.
@Cubix

Grounded.
Grounded.
Grounded?!

Gem was furious.

They were Teen Titans. She could build a warhead out of cardboard and tape, and her sister could make it strong enough to level the moon and take out Superman if he got in the way, and just because she'd had an 'episode' - god forbid that constantly seeing how to turn everything into a WMD would occasionally become a bit stressful - they, the both of them, had been grounded. Confined to the dorm floor, barred from missions, taken from quarters to training and back again. Escorted.

"You can't make nuclear explosives from cardboard, Gem." Sia said, reclining on her bed. She didn't even open her eyes. "And I don't have the time in my life to hold a WMD until it vaporizes the Man of Steel." She sighed, crossing her legs and bringing her hands behind her head. "Quit pacing."
"How did you know what I was thinking? You're not doing that freaky twin thing again, are you?" Gem said, brought out of her tantrum by her sister's words.
"No." Sia replied, smiling. "You were muttering. You mutter too loud. Go stew if you have to but be quiet, at least."
Gem just huffed. Sia said nothing, and for a few seconds, it was peaceful.
"But we're GROUNDED." Gem yelled, and Sia opened her eyes this time. No use anyway.
"Yep."
"And we're TITANS."
"Uh-huh."
"And we didn't even do anything wrong!"
"That's a matter of perspective."
"They just went on a mission without us!"
"Mmmhmm."
Gem sat on the floor, crossing her arms. "It's not fair."
"Wrong." Said Sia, standing up and walking over to her sister. She held a hand out and Gem looked at it sullenly, before accepting it and pulling herself up. "We have to learn. That's why we're here, after all. The world needs protectors, and that's what the Teen Titans are for, but sometimes we need protecting as well. You don't realize how wired you get when you're stressed out, Gee, and that leads to episodes, and that leads to bombs." Sia put her hands on Gem's shoulders. "We're not grounded, that's just what Rose called it so she wouldn't seem nice. It's a vacation." Gem sighed, and Sia pulled her into a hug.
"If you say so, Si." Gem conceded, returning the embrace.
"I do. Now be quiet so I can rela-"

There was a rumbling as the T-Wing returned, and Gem and Sia heard echoes of Rose chewing out the team. There was the sound of breaking glass, then they heard Sentinel's dorm door open and slam, and then there was a knock at their's, and Rose opened it.
"Your team is back. You're un-grounded. But the team's on orders to take some downtime. You guys are the newest - so get to know your teammates. They're upstairs."
Gem pulled out of the hug, and looked from Rose to Sia, and then gave Sia a grin that almost frightened her. She shot past Rose and up the stairs.
"Thanks, Rose." Said Sia, sincere.
Rose didn't say anything before she left.

Sia joined Gem upstairs. She'd already grabbed a beer, and was sat watching the Guitar Hero proceedings. Sia settled for a can of cola, and stood behind said sofa.
"Dibs on next game. Winner stays on?"
"Si, you only say that because you always win." Gem said, smirking at her sister while playing air-guitar to the riffs coming from the TV.
"Because I'm good, Gee. Natural talent."
"I'm not sure superpowers count as talent, hun'." Gem remarked, pushing playfully.
"It's not my fault those controllers are so simple. Things practically play themselves."
"They do after you've been holding them for a few minutes." Gem said, and Sia threw her hands up in defeat, walking away as Gem remained.

Sia stopped beside Pistole-Simone. Man, really gotta learn actual names.
"So..." She started, unsure of her words. Simone was rather...imposing. "...how was the mission? We heard Rose yelling...and apparently we've been ordered to 'take downtime'. That bad, huh?"

I'm good at every other game ever.

P-lease

Inconveniently, being a were-bat required Eric to sacrifice use of his hands for the capability of flight. So he walked over to his room, snatched a t-shirt out of his dresser drawer and morphed into his human form. He slipped the shirt on over his muscular body before throwing his hair out of his face and casually walking to the gathering.

"I volunteer as tribute."

Holding the plastic neck in his hand, he flicked through the song list until he'd found his challenge, Hard difficulty-Hero by Skillet. The song started simply enough, requiring he cover the green, yellow, and red frets. Then it picked up the pace, requiring his fingers to dance across the board, shuffling from end to end as the orange and green notes were spammed toward the shapeshifter.

It ended. A four star rating and the message "You Rock" were bestowed upon the shredder.

"Long time, no see, Gem--Siamese. Whichever one you are. You face me as an opponent," he gave a wide smile while sinisterly squinting his eyes.

"That. Be. So. Amazin'!" Rhea beamed with joy as she took the magic-born cup in her hands. The healer tipped the cup to her lips, taking a delicate sip of the only beverage she would go gaga for. As the tea began to warm her palate, Rhea couldn't stifle a satisfied sigh as she leaned lower than what was usual. "If I be havin' powers like yers, Hatty, I'd just be poofin' up tea like dis evry'day." She said with a grin. "Still, I'm curious. If ye can poof up things like dis whenever ye want, ye could just be makin' diamonds and sell dem 'till you get rich!" Rhea exclaimed before settling down in her seat.

As Hatty mentioned Sentinel, the girl chuckled. "If he was thrown under a bus, da bus would be the one to get wrecked." A hearty laugh escaped her lips. "I dun really know how to put it but... he has more layers dan an onion. He be a good person, Hatty. That I am sure. He may seem to be a handful but, I be guessin' that everyone just needs a wee bit of push in da right direction." Rhea stood up as she finished her tea, washing the magically-spawned porcelain ware. After that was done, her hands softly patted the magician's jet-black locks, a slight chuckle resounding from the healer. "Thanks, Hatty. Wud it be okay to say that... we be friends?" Rhea smiled before yawning timidly. "I be guessin' dat I be needin' to hit the hay. I'm more tired dan usual but... I'm also happier dan usual." Rhea took her leave as she slightly noticed an absent member of their team. Well, a former absentee or... absentees. It was the twins! While the healer was tired, she made sure to spare them her greeting. "Gem, Sia... I haven't seen da both of ya fer the entire day!" Rhea giggled before excusing herself. "I feel a wee bit exhausted. Lez just talk tomorrow, aight?"

Rhea travelled to her room in slow steps, remembering all the memories that had occurred today. Their first blunder, her first friend, her second friend and the wild party that was happening in the poor room. Every single one of them, she treasured close to her heart. Her hands still trembled upon seeing the scarlet stain on her robe but she found courage to face her phobia. How could she have the face to stand alongside her team when she would let a small problem of blood get the best of her? No, she needed to be useful in the future. "As long as I live, none shall suffer." Rhea vowed to herself as she found herself inside her small, humble and warm room. She went over to the chalkboard, focusing on one part of it where multiple items or tokens were attached to its surface. There were key chains and some toys among others. Rhea took out the torn cloth and pinned it to the side of the hung items. "I be guessin' dat it be true, Dane." the woman soliloquised. In Rhea's mind, she believed that no one finds their worth. Everyone is already worth it-- they just need someone to acknowledge their worth. "I was a runt, I stumbled, yes, but Dane didn't deem lil'o me as bein' lost. It was too late fer me to acknowledge my worth but he din't deem me unworthy of saving." Rhea continued with her mumblings. "Das how I feel fer my comrades. Dey might have stumbled but dey ar' not lost. Dey might not have acknowledged der own worth but, I be believin', dat no one is not worth savin'." He is not unworthy of saving.

Rhea took off her robe, sighing as she realized that the blood had bled through the robe and had stained her white nightgown. "Bygones be bygones, Rhea." she mumbled her mantra before taking the gown off as well and throwing the two apparels into the laundry basket. Rhea pulled out one of her new white robes and grabbed something underneath-- another white nightgown. "Dis should be good fer the night." the healer yawned, diving into the comforts of her bed, her fortress of serenity. Her eyes drooped down calmly as she sighed, the lull of sleep ever so near now. She could feel the nightmares begin to stab at her psyche but, for some odd reason, there was a new guardian that prevented those visions to torment her sleep. She knew, oh, she knew so well... that this would be the best sleep in a long time.

Simone's silent watching was disturbed by one of the twins, Siamese. Maybe the rest of the team hadn't taken the time to figure out a way to discern between the two, but Simone had. When one could make a shotgun outta an orangepeel and fairydust, and the other could turn a popgun into a surface-to-air missle launcher, it paid to be able to tell which was which. And besides, their hairstyles were so drastically different it really didn't take a genius.

Simone made a heroic effort not to sigh at the intrusion before turning to the twin.

"It wasn't great. One hostile gave us the slip while the other nearly drew the curtains on ol' bulletshield over there." She answered, lazily gesturing with her ciggie towards Sentinel in case Sia didn't know who she meant by 'bulletshield'.

The world was spinning, and Luke was at the top. Following the discovery that he was attracted to Evan, he'd decided to process the new info with a variety of different drinks; mead, whiskey and the Australian's best friend, beer, all extracted from the fridge. He could have sworn that that thing was an alcohol dispenser. After a thorough rummage, he was certain that it was all it had. Not that he was complaining. There was a party to be had, and he was going to be its king.

He was feeling confident. No one had anything on him. Accelerate? Luke could beat him in a race any day. Evan? He had nothing on Luke. Compared to him, the guy was nothing but a wet dog. And Sentinel? Well, that guy could go stick his angst somewhere else. No one was going to cramp Luke's style. Not on his watch.

Off in the distance, he could make out someone sitting on a bar stool. They were smoking a cigarette. Who was that? Upon closer inspection, he realised that it was Simonera. Pistolemone. Simone. Whatever. And suddenly, there were two of her. How was that possible? Was he really that drunk? Wait, no. It was one of the Lock and Load twins. Which one, he wasn't sure. He never could tell, and anyway, who cares? She looked cute. He was going to talk to her. Mustering up as much gusto as he could, Luke swaggered his way over there, his chest out and smile wide. The girl on the stool. That's who he wanted to talk to.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Luke. Luke Nelson. I don't believe we've met before." Best pickup line ever.

The second time she was interrupted she did sigh. It was a good one, long and full of her frustration and thinly veiled contempt for the person interrupting her. Cards on the table, she'd practiced sighing, just to get the best bang for her buck. She'd practiced so the sigh would say 'fuck off' without her having too. Though when she looked round and seen just how bleary eyed Luke Nelson was she realized that the sigh wasn't going to cut it this time.

Simone twisted on her stool until she was facing him, taking a deep drag of her ciggie while she did. Then, face to face with Sandstorm, she blew all the inhaled smoke into his face.

"I believe we have met before Luke. I remember not being all that impressed then either."

The smoke blasted into Luke, and it was all he could do not to start coughing. What was this girl's problem? Why was she smoking? As far as he knew, the twins didn't indulge in that habit. He supposed they could have started doing so recently. Oh well. That wasn't what concerned him. What concerned him was the girl's reply. Everyone was impressed with Luke. What made this girl so different? Absolutely nothing.

"I'll have you know that I am a very impressive guy. I can do over three hundred pushups with only a little break in-between. I bet Sentinel can't do that, can he? Hey, did I mention that you have really pretty eyes?"

She had to admit, she admired his tenacity. Not many guys could take a rejection of that magnitude and keep soldiering on. That said, the alcohol was probably helping him. She considered getting up off her chair and leaving, otherwise she'd be dealing with this particular impressive guy all night, but when she went to get up she caught a glance of Evan. Feelings of lust threatened to consume her, bubbling up from deep within her nethers. Her eyes began to trace his golden skin, lingering upon his muscular arms, his chiseled abs, his. . .

. . . Jesus, what was wrong with her! Every time she even glanced in his direction all she could think of was sex. She was better than that, so much better. She refused to be some wilting rose for that arrogant Godling to eventually conquer. She had her own objectives to achieve within this team, and becoming a 'notch' on his bedpost wouldn't help them. Hell, they might just endanger them. No, she had to stop this 'crush', sooner rather than later. Marshalling her all determination and willpower she began to turn in his direction once more, promising herself she'd stay in control this time.

Ten seconds later, flushed and breathing heavily, she was forced to concede that she wasn't going to be able to quit Evan with just willpower alone. No, this would take a different tactic. She'd have to be cunning about this. Come at it from a new angle. But what?

Then it hit her. The answer might be standing right in front of her. She turned sly eyes towards Luke.

"Oh yeah, you're right, you are really impressive Luke. I can't believe I missed it before. So, let's cut to the chase here. What are you looking for?"

Luke grinned. He knew she'd see the light. "I think I'd like some chitty-chitty bang-bang, if you know what I mean?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her. Damn, he was seductive.

Well, well, well. Luke wasn't half as shy as she'd had him pegged. That said, he did have half a brewery running through his veins, so she doubted this silver-tongued lothario was really indicative of who he really was. Still, it meant she didn't have to beat around the bush anymore. See, Luke was going to act as the methadone to her Evan like heroin addiction. A little something to help ween her off the demi-god. At least she hoped it would work like that.

"Well, what an enticing offer. Who am I to turn such an impressive guy down." She rose slowly from her stool, drawing her fingernails languorously across his jaw line. She toyed with sacheting her hips seductively while walking away, but really, what would be the point? The fish was already in the boat, no point baiting the hook anymore.

"Well, you coming lover-boy?" She beckoned, making for the sleeping quarters.

Max would have arrived back at the tower sooner had he not stopped to intervene in a few crimes. First was a mugging and then the second was an assault on a guy by a gang of drug dealers. Up until he had been invited to join the Teen Titans Max had not done any hero work above taking on normal criminals, but he wasn't afraid to start testing out newer waters and combating super villains. How he was traveling to the tower was on his skateboard and the busy streets of the city made it a little more difficult to maneuver in and out of the area. He had been with the Titans for about a week now and every now and then he liked to get out to do some skateboarding. Today he had gotten up much earlier than usual and left the tower on his board.

Some of the civilians recognized him and gave waves while others had strange looks on their faces. He assumed that it was because of his reputation for being possibly crazy with how he did stunts and beat up criminals. Max ignored them and kept on his way to the Teen Titans' headquarters. Upon going through an intersection on the crosswalk, some idiot in car ran the light driving at high speeds and slammed right into him. There were screams of horror at the sight and Max felt intense pain from the impact as he was sent flying off of his skateboard and over the roof the vehicle.

The car came a screeching halt as he landed hard onto the pavement proceeding to roll on the ground several times. He was bleeding in several places and his parts of his costume was torn, but none of bones were even slightly bruised. He was however in a lot of pain and cursed at the retard in the car. Max seriously wanted to take out his bat and smash the man's windshield and dent the vehicle to pay him back, but he chose against such an action and knew that the police would be fining that idiot for such reckless driving. He was glad that only he had been hit because anyone would have been possibly killed.

"Hay dumb ass! It's a called a red light for a reason, you could have killed someone you piece of shit!" he shouted at the driver and then went over to retrieve his skateboard. It still hurt to walk, but he was use to feeling pain thanks to his stunts and powers. Thankfully his skateboard had gone beneath the middle of the vehicle and the wheels didn't crush it. After picking up the skateboard Max felt his healing factor start to ease his pain and repair his wounds. He got back on the board and continued on his way to the tower.

By the time he got to HQ his wounds were almost completely healed, but his costume still had blood stains on it. He entered the T-shaped building and eventually saw his teammates doing what looked like to be drinking and partying.

"Okay.....Did I miss something?" he asked kind of confused as to what had caused them to celebrate.

Rose could feel her temper rise as her cheeks began to sting from Jeremiah's comments. Years ago Jeremiah would have ended up with Rose's blade against his throat but now Rose had to set an example. Or at least up until five minutes ago she had to. It had become clear to Rose that neither the Titans nor the League would see her as anything other than her father's daughter.

"You're right Thermo, that's why I just sent my resignation into the Justice League. They'll be finding you a more qualified leader." Rose said as she slipped her mask off. "Oh and do me a favour, go obey my last order at least." Rose added before stepping into the elevator behind her. "See you around kid." The elevator departed with a 'WHOOSH' as Rose entered the hanger before the sound of a motorcycle could be heard from below as Rose took off into the city leaving the Titans behind.

---

As the party began to turn from drinking and eating to video games, Evan rolled his eyes, deciding that was his cue to break into a senior dorm and use the hot tub. Finishing picking the olives off of the pizza that Rufus had placed in front of him, Evan took the bottle of wine, dropping his pants in front of the new guy before taking the elevator up to the next floor. Without Rose or any of the other senior Titans around the more apartment like rooms around the kitchen were empty. Shoving his fingers into the small crevice between the two doors, Evan pulled the sliding doors apart with a slight grunt as he walked through the empty room before inhaling.

"Smells like Starfire." He muttered to himself, feeling a shiver a pleasure climb up and down his spine. I wonder if she left any of her wardrobe her. Turning on the taps, Evan balanced out the temperature until it was just right and climbed into the tub. Pressing the button on the side, he felt the water begin to bubble as the jets pounded against his back. Finishing off the bottle, Evan put his head back and allowed himself to relax before eventually falling into a deep slumber.

---

Awakening the next morning, Evan panicked as he looked down at the water. Long coarse hairs floated along the surface as Evan jumped out of the tub, quickly covering his lower torso in a towel.

"C'mon!" He muttered to himself as his anxiety began to grow. "COME ON!" Upon uttering the last words of urgency Evan began to feel the carpet beneath his feet as he looked down to see the chiseled legs and wiggled his toes at himself, signing in relief. Turning to the sink, Evan ran the cold water and splashed it on his face, slicking his hair back as he looked in the mirror. Suddenly his eyes went wide with horror as he raised a hand to his forehead, his finger touching the sharp protrusion breaking through his skin.

"Go away!" He yelled before smashing a fist into the mirror, the glass shattering as it fell out of the frame. "Great, now I have to bury that." He muttered as he bent over to pick up a shard and reexamined his forehead, sighing in relief again.

"Get it together Lover Boy. You are a sexy desirable young man." Evan slapped his cheeks as he brushed his fingers through his hair, styling it into its normal tousled look as he dropped his towel and assumed his usual swagger walking out into the kitchen. Looking around, he had only now began to realize it was odd Rose hadn't woken the team up especially since the clock read nearly five in the afternoon.

"Yo Titans?" Evan called out before pressing the intercom button on the wall, the speakers crackling to life before Evan hesitated upon seeing the message indicator on the monitor flashing. Despite the fact it was Rose's job to take missions, Evan activated the message.

"Calling all Titans, Titans come in!" The voice rang out. "Emergency forces are overwhelmed, unknown creatures are attacking the citizen population, infecting them, their numbers are constantly growing we need back up n... The message cut out in crackle of static as Ewan scrambled for the intercom.

"TITANS! Suit up!" Evan yelled. "Where the fuck is Rose?" He cursed under his breath now realizing that when the likely hungover teens arrived in costume he wouldn't have a plan for them to tackle this new threat.

She had never slept this good since she had learned of her abilities. Well, she felt good, partly, because she was able to sleep without the nightmares forcing her awake and, well, she was able to sleep longer without Rose screaming orders into her communicator. Rhea sat up in bed with a smile, stretching her arms as a post-sleep activity. Of course, Rhea went through her daily routine albeit with more beam and gleam. Rhea had woken up at around three in the afternoon, marching to the kitchen where she prepared some tea for herself. Sure, she could bother Hatty for that but it would be imposing too much on her newly found friend. It was relaxing though. No Package, No Rose, nadda! For once, she found solace in solitude whilst she wore her white night gown without anyone there to judge or see her. In time, Rhea took her tea to the gardens, enjoying the peaceful afternoon without them fighting or something. Her hands waltzed over to one of the dying flowers, smoothing her pale fingers over its petals. She had always experimented with non-human living things, trying to see if her cells could also cater to interracial healing. There were some disastrous results, like a flower disintegrating instead, but she had trained her abilities through all the disintegrated flowers. On this particular flower, the petals began to sprang back to life. A wide grin escaped Rhea's face as she did a little victory dance with the teacup in hand. She was improving! Little by little, she was becoming better than usual! Sure, she couldn't collapse buildings or burn something to cinders but, hey, this was her progress and she wouldn't want it in any other way.

After she had pleasantly finished her tea, Rhea knew that her great start was just a joke for a bad day. Package's voice roared out of her communicator, apparently panicking about something bad. Oh, it was going to be bad because, one, why was he the one informing them; where's Rose? Two, Package was not his usual 'swaggy' mood. There was a distinct emotion of panic and, dare she say it, fear in his voice. This prompted Rhea to quicken her pace, rushing towards her quarters and hastily putting on a new white robe over herself as she bolted out of her room. Her eyes went over to Sentinel's room, half-wanting to go there to retrieve her gloves but decided against it, Sentinel might be training or something. Yeah, he did mention that he trained on the roof but she would prefer to play it safe than to be a victim of a flying fist that could topple towns. Hurriedly, Rhea ran towards the kitchen. There seems to be a lot of things that are wrong this morning; in hindsight, her waking up in good spirits should have been clue number one.

"Evan!" Rhea called out, the seriousness of the situation prompting her to call the Amazon by his name. "I'm not even gunna ask why ye be da one answerin' da intercom but..." she paused, realizing that the demigod was still naked. "Befur ye tell us to be suitin' up, ye might want to suit up yerself first." the girl huffed out before shaking her head. Oh, she wanted to blurt out 'Where is Rose' but, heck, as if that would help. "What be the situation?" Rhea inquired, pulling down her hood as she looked at her comrade with a stern glare. "Where be Rose when ya be needin' her?"

Isaac watched his teammates with mild amusement as he snacked on a piece of pizza. Dancing and drinking gave way to intense games of Guitar Hero. He wouldn't be joining them in the festivities, however. Isaac wasn't exactly a people person, and he still felt a bit off about his earlier fight with Lobo. He'd hit the bounty hunter with everything he had and Sentinel had still nearly died. If the Titans' biggest gun couldn't beat someone like Lobo, how in the world were they suppose to get anything done without the Justice League around to pull them out of the fire? Sentinel mused over his teams weakness until he'd finished his pizza. Isaac vanished from sight as he raced down stairs to the ground floor. He came screeching to a halt in front of the front door. Sentinel opened the door and retrieved the package. Huh. Isaac thought as he read the note from Supergirl. How nice of her. Isaac dashed back up the stairs and into his room, dodging around the rest of the Titans on his way. Once up stairs he opened the box and quickly changed into his costume and out of his jeans. As much fun as Grant was having running around without a shirt on, he'd much rather be wearing the colors of his house. Sentinel spun around in a circle as he quickly tossed off his pants and pulled on the Kryptonian ceremonial battle armor.

Sentinel took a moment to look in the mirror. His eyes rested on the 'S' on his chest, a frown forming on Isaac's face.

He didn't feel worthy to wear the symbol of the House of El.

But Rhea was right. Isaac could be worthy. "Just because you stumble doesn't mean that you're lost." Sentinel mumbled to himself. "You just have to try harder." A deep breath later, Isaac turned back towards his door. "Well...Time to be Superman. I guess." Oh boy. Where in the world should he start? "Maybe it'll come to me later." Sentinel said. "Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say." With that, Sentinel raced off upstairs.
Was it weird Isaac was talking to himself? Was that something normal people did? Eh, whatever. He's not aspiring to be normal. Isaac wanted to be Super. Did super-people talk to themselves?

Isaac appeared on the couch, watching Eric finish a round of Guitar Hero. "What'd you blow up this time?" Sentinel asked Gem after Eric finished challenging her to a game. He turned his super-senses to the rest of the room as she stood up and presumably owned Eric's furry ass at the video game. Rhea and Evan both left, off to do whatever it is they do when they're alone. Rhea seemed to be heading to bed, though Eric was going the wrong way if that was what he was planning. The son of Aphrodite dropped his pants in front of poor Stunt Devil as Isaac looked away in disgust. Sentinel turned his attention to Simone, Luke, and Sia. Luke seemed drunk off his rocker an was hitting on Pistolera. Isaac could smell his alcohol breath from all the way across the room. "Three hundred push ups?" Sentinel said semi-quietly, not really addressing Luke. "I can bench press an aircraft carrier." Sandy had some nerve using Isaac's name to flirt.

...

Sentinel's brow furrowed in a combination of confusion and mild anger as Simone actually started to leave with Sandstorm. She must have had some kind of play. Nobody would actually fall for something like that. Right? Or maybe Simone had HIV. Yeah, that was probably it. Why else would somebody want to have sex with that clown?

Ya know, Isaac, Superman wouldn't think something like that.

---

After the party began to disperse, Sentinel decided to head up to the roof. He didn't need to sleep, so what else would he do but train? He spent the next few hours retrieving his training dummies from the bottom of the ocean. He had to borrow a massive fishing net from a commercial fishing liner to speed up the process. After all, he had to swim more than a mile between the tower and where they'd landed in the ocean. The sun started to come up as Sentinel set back down on the roof of the tower. He'd made quite the racket last night, no doubt, dragging giant promethium blocks around and jumping to the roof and into the water from said roof. While he had the time, Isaac improved his training equipment by replacing the chains with a stronger metal and placing a net on one side of the roof to catch any dummies he sent flying.

With all that done and finished, Isaac started to train. He tried (once more) to improve his hand to hand combat skill. Sentinel practiced his striking as well as some basic grappling maneuvers. Nothing too fancy, due to his lack of formal training, but enough to help him the next time he got into a fight with someone like Lobo. Sentinel also spent some time improving his marksmanship with his heat vision. While Isaac was at it, he tried to come up with more ways to incorporate his freeze breathe into his fighting style to maximize his combat effectiveness.

This continued for a good portion of the day. It wasn't until around five in the afternoon that Sentinel noticed anything else was happening around the tower. Remember how Isaac noted he was practically omnipresent within the tower? He could hear a pin drop at the front door from the roof. He could smell a person's sweat from the opposite side of the island. Isaac was use to the constant thumping of his teammates heartbeats in his ears as they slept. So when Amazon started yelling, he couldn't help but hear it.

"Go away!" The boy had practically screamed. The sound reverberated through Sentinel's skull as he ceased his punching. He glanced down in the direction of Evan's sleeping quarters and activated his X-Ray vision. What was that prick yelling about now? No, wait. Not prick. Person. Superman didn't call his friends pricks...

...Even when they were pricks.

Isaac couldn't see the Amazon. Where was he? Sentinel's eyes flew around the entire building at super speed. He checked every room on every floor in less than a second as he looked for his comrade. Of course, Isaac avoided looking into the girls' rooms as they slept. Anyone else might have peeked. Hell, anyone else would have peeked all the time. But not Sentinel. the 'S' on his chest didn't stand for total shithead.

Ah, there he is. Evan is, no surprise, naked in the kitchen. What had he been yelling about? He probably saw a zit in the mirror when he woke up. Hehehe. What a 'bag.

Sentinel was about to go back to his training when Amazon answered the distress signal. "Calling all Titans, Titans come in!" The voice rang out. "Emergency forces are overwhelmed, unknown creatures are attacking the citizen population, infecting them, their numbers are constantly growing we need back up n..." The message cut out in crackle of static as Evan scrambled for the intercom. Isaac looked towards the city and expanded his hearing and activated his telescopic vision. The city was in total chaos! If Sentinel hadn't dulled his hearing (listening to the entirety of San Francisco gave the young Kryptonian a killer headache) he would have known about this the moment it started. Stupid, Isaac. So stupid. The teen hero took a step towards the edge of the roof with the intent of meeting up with the rest of the team before stopping himself. If Rose wasn't around, as Amazon had said, they wouldn't have a plan. The titans would be scrambling around getting ready while the city was ravaged by some unknown threat. But Sentinel could get there before everyone else.

Isaac activated his communicator. "I can get there without the jet." Sentinel said. "Those people need me now." Isaac bent his knees before leaping into the air. The entire tower shook with the force of Isaac's jump as he went soaring through the air toward the city. He used his enhanced senses to find the largest grouping of police and National Guard forces and guided himself towards that location. There was no time to enjoy the flight as Sentinel worried the team would be too late to help. Where was the Justice League? Bah. Sentinel was all these people had at the moment. Isaac prayed he'd be enough.

The hero slammed into the ground, sending concrete spraying with the force of his impact. He marched past parked police cruisers and APCs and found someone who looked like they were in charge. "Give me a rundown on the situation." He ordered, his voice dripping with livid rage. Someone was going to die today for this.

Max was both surprised and grossed out when he saw Even take off his pants in front of him and then walked into the elevator. He spent a moment wondering if this could consider inappropriate exposure and also if the police would even take this seriously if tried to call the law. Shaking his head in annoyance at the non-appropriate son of Aphrodite, Max went to his room and decided to turn in for an early night. Missing out on a mission meant that their leader Rose would probably give a scolding and want him to begin the day early tomorrow as a possible punishment. Once in his room he changed into his night clothes all the while thinking about his place on the team.

Max had heard Sentinel talk about being able to bench press an aircraft carrier just before he left the area to go to his room and the thought made him feel inferior. He just had unbreakable bones and a healing factor, no superhuman strength or the ability to leap tall building in a single bound. But Max just concluded that he was in a similar situation like Simone when it came to not having incredible powers. Climbing onto his bed Max thought about trying extra hard to show how great of a crime fighter he could regardless of not having great powers.

----

Max awoke earlier than most of the team and he decided that it would be good to get some training and exorcise. He started out with some stretching and then began to do as many pushups as his arms would allow. Max then proceeded to lift weights that he kept in room. Sometimes he preferred to do a bit of personal training alone and in peace and quite. After spending a good amount of time with the weights Max decided to go the training room to use the punching bag and he went to go get dressed in his costume and have his gear on him just in case the alarm went off and they were needed.

Once dressed in his costume Max headed down to the training room and quickly found a punching hanging down from a chain that was connected to the ceiling. He began to lay into the training item and practiced his boxing skills on the bag. With every punch thrown Max tried to go faster with his punches. This was all part of the process of helping keep yourself alive in this kind of work. After a while of hard training Max heard the alert over the intercom and quickly ran towards the kitchen where he saw Sentinel, Rhea and Amazon there as well, the demigod was naked of course and that annoyed the hell out of Max.

Max noticed that Rose was no where to be found, but he thought it would be a dumb question to ask where she was since they probably didn't know either because this was very out of character for her. He walked up to his teammates and before he could say anything Sentinel already took off in the air towards the city. Max expected them to think up some sort of plan before just taking off recklessly, that was something he did, but Max didn't expect his teammates to do the same.

"So does anyone have any bright ideas on what to do once we get to the city? Or do we just wing it?" he asked them wanting to get an answer. He was perfectly fine being really reckless, but he didn't think his teammates had indestructible bones like he did. He had his baseball bat in his hands in preparation for action and waited for his team to be ready to go.

Isaac, Eric and even one of the twins had all challenged him, Rufus wrecked house in Guitar Hero for two matches before resigning as the champion, sitting back sipping on a long island tea. The strong alcohol didn't affect him, but he did appreciate the taste of real liquor over beer or wine. They were all far below the legal drinking age, but Rufus could only figure this to be like any other kegger he never really enjoyed. He didn't leave, however. Instead he sat there, quiet and still. Watching everyone else moving around him, he thought about how slow they all were compared to him. Even Isaac as he dashed around the tower almost breaking the sound barrier seemed to move slowly, as if it was slow motion.

What the hell happened to him earlier that night?

The party died down with the other Titans all leaving, Rufus being amongst the last to hit the hay. And as he did he fell asleep almost instantly. His dreams were off his home in Hub City, his mom when he was a kid. Her name had been Monica, and like him she had raven black hair, unlike his father's blond hair. Monica had always taken care of him, endorsed him in his pursue of knowledge and helped him whenever he fell. She had personally shouted at the bullies and at their parents when Rufus was bullied in school. She had loved him with all of her heart. The feelings of love and happiness gave Rufus sound night of sleep.

Monica and Rufus were outside, playing in his dream. It had been out on a field one summer afternoon. Rufus was laughing and running around, his mom called him 'her little ball of energy" as she claimed Rufus always gave her energy whenever she was feeling down. The clouds grew dark and the tone of the dream changed. Rufus was chasing his ball when the rain started to pour and the wind picked up. Turning towards his mother, scared, the little Rufus ran with ball in hand towards his mother, as he came towards her loving grasp the thunderclap rang out.

Waking up with a rush Rufus sat up in his bed, his hands vibrating fast enough to tear through steel. He was hyperventilating and sweating. It was morning and time to get up and his dream was over for now. He got the emergency alarm 'calling all titans'. Rufus grunted, getting changed he heard the boom of Sentinel leaving the tower.

***

The asphalt splattered all around as the kryptonian landed, but he caught all of them as they were on their way to hit several of the police officers. The black and blue speedster looked the 'super' in the eye. "First of all, you're slow." Rufus commented, knowing full well that Isaac was pissed, but he wasn't worried. He knew Isaac couldn't catch him, and even if he did super strength meant nothing against Accelerate. He wanted to make sure Isaac wasn't gonna do a rerun of yesterday's mess. And judging by the rocks he had already sent towards the civilians, the odds weren't in his favor. "Second; Watch it. And thirdly, you good? We have a whole mess here. I talked to Detective Johnson over there" - pointing towards one of the cruisers. "And it's pretty damn bad. Humanoid creatures are attacking the civilians. They're dying."

"I don't think we can go in guns - eyes, blazing. We need a plan, and I don't have one yet. I need you to keep it together. This isn't Lobo, this is much closer to civilians." Rufus admitted, rarely without a plan and even rarer to be willing to admit it. "The others won't be here for a minute, you're the one with the S on your chest, what ya' think?"

JC was honestly not expecting what just happened. He expected more yelling or even threats or even a sword one inch away from killing him. All of those would have been better than what Rose just did. She left the team. This is what he gets for talking. He couldn't tell if she was saying that the League was looking for another leader replacement or if they would find him to be the suitable leader replacement. He figured that it was the latter, though it could have been taken either way. He wanted to call after her, but he didn't want the risk of sounding like the Doctor. Yes, he watched TV too. Great. Now how was he going to explain this to the rest of the team? He did as she said and tried to socialize and be a teen with the rest of the team. When he arrived he noticed that they were either drinking, already drunk, and playing Guitar Hero. Normally he would have played and showed them what's what, but he couldn't get his mind off of what had happened.

As time progressed some of the members left to their room, and others went in pairs. Yeah. He couldn't tell them tonight. Some of them were too wasted and probably wouldn't even be able to remember if he told them that Rose had left. JC decided that the best course of action was to try and bring her back before the morning came. He wasn't ready to be the team's leader. How hard could it be to find a girl with an eye-patch in San Francisco? He slipped away and left through the hangar.

JC searched all night for her and had no luck. He found some crimes to stop and did so before continuing his search. She was good. Though anyone could be good at Hide and Seek when they placed no limitations on where they could hide. He came back to the Tower when the sun rose and made his way to his room. He couldn't believe she was gone.

Hours passed and he had only left his room to eat, shower, brush his teeth, and use the restroom. Not necessarily in that order either. He listened to the call for the Titans on the intercom and immediately sprung into action. This would be his first mission as leader or at least that's what he believed. When he left his room he noticed Sentinel heading off without the team and Accelerator disappearing afterwards. Great. Those two were doing their own thing again. No wonder Rose had a hard time.

He arrived at the intercom where Evan and the others were. He pressed it again for the ones still not here and yelled into it, "Get to the Hangar!! Rose isn't here and won't be here! I'll explain on the way!" He then looked down to see that Evan was still naked. "And Amazon get dressed!!!" He yelled into the intercom despite him being right there.

He didn't wait for them and started heading to the Hangar to get to the T-Wing. He didn't know how to pilot the thing, but how hard could it be to put it into auto-pilot?

"Oh." Sia said, sipping her cola. She wasn't sure what conversation she had expected to get out of Simone, of all her teammates, but it was worth a shot. Or at least it would have been, had Luke not arrived and instigated the shortest seduction Siamese had ever seen. It seemed only a few short seconds of Simone putting her back toward Sia in favour of some drunken desert, and then they were winding their way to the dorms.
"Oh." Sia said again, this time emphatically, putting annoyance and incredulity into her voice. Not that anyone was around to hear it. She sighed at herself, and then turned around to lean against the wall Simone had just vacated and watch her sister. She was playing Guitar Hero, awkwardly, holding a beer in her strumming hand and giggling with each missed fret. Her opponent, the Bat, mopped the floor with her, but from here, Gem was having fun. Sia smiled. Gem so deserved to have fun. Gem graciously handed off the controller to the speedster, who'd suddenly appeared - as speedsters are wont to do, Sia supposed - and then giggled some more as she watched the two battle on-screen, fetching a few more beers as they swapped songs and controllers. Sia went to bed while Gem played on, sleeping well on the thought of her smile.

She was woken up by whispering.
"Si. Si. Check it out! Come on, I know you're awake."
"What is it, Gem." Sia groaned, rolling over. Gem was holding out one of the controllers from the game last night. Or, it used to be. In its place was something that shared the shell, but a crude blade had been fashioned out of a long strip of metal and affixed around the edge of the bottom. The neck was reinforced, and wires ran up and down its length, attached to each button.
"Look!" Gem exclaimed, swinging the modified controller up onto her shoulder. She pressed one of the fret buttons - somehow still intact - and the blade sparked. Electric. Gem pressed another button, and the sparking stopped, but the metal began to glow with heat. Of course. "Get it?"
"Get what, Gee." Sia said flatly, already knowing the answer but not wanting to say it.
"It's an axe!" Gem grinned, delivering her punchline with gusto.
"Gemini." Sia replied, and Gem dropped the controller, her face falling. Gemini was only used when she was in trouble. "Why."
"I...thought it'd be funny." The weapon fell to the floor completely, clattering.
Sia didn't have time to respond before the emergency call went out. She looked at her sister. Her sister looked back, hurt and apologetic. Sia sighed.
"C'mon. Armoury."

Gem and Sia stepped into the armoury and suited up. Is was almost their favourite activity. They both favoured lightweight combat armour - stuff that could block a bullet, but wouldn't mess up their mobility. Rose's training had shown them how important mobility was, and with their powers they needed all the extra skills they could get. Dark gear, a few bits of gray digital camo here and there, and only one small patch per outfit: Gem's was a small padlock, sewn onto the right sleeve of the black undershirt she wore beneath her tactical vest; Sia's was a pistol mag with a single bullet hovering above. Beyond that, both vests and trousers contained pockets, clips, sheaths and holsters, from the torso to the back to the arms to the hips to the thighs to the shins to the boots. But only Sia's were filled with anything - a modern, lightweight sword across her back, a rifle to accompany it; a few knives here and there; a pistol loaded with live rounds on her hip, and another loaded with tazer rounds on the other side; and finally, a little gadget knocked up by Rose and her affiliates that had been appropriated: a small, oval-shaped disk, thick and light, and no bigger than Sia's forearm, with a single button in the middle. That one went on her abdomen. Gem's armour stayed empty, apart from a few canisters on a belt that contained resources difficult to find on the field - gunpowder, ball bearings, adhesives. All of Gem's holsters were waiting to be filled. Gemini and Siamese suited up quick; when they left, Lock and Load stood in their place. The hangar was the next destination. They arrived there after Max - 'Stunt Devil' - but not too late to hear his question.

"T-wing it, Devil." Siamese said, Gem staying quiet, a strange mixture of shame and sheer euphoria etched across her face. "Though Rose usually flew." Sia watched as JC ran off toward the plane. "Unless Thermo's feeling brave. Come on!" She said, running after JC to board and strap in, Gem close behind.

Feeling the building shake as Sentinel took off into the city, Evan felt his hands curl and unfold as the urge to strangle the Kryptonian rose. The team needed to work together to defeat what ever spawn of Tartarus had been released on the city. The worse part is, Evan knew that Rufus would likely follow. For someone who was supposed to be one of the smartest on the team, Rufus could certainly learn to slow down and communicate with his fellow team mates. As Rhea arrived, she unleashed a barrage of questions towards him which caused Evan to nervously run his hands through his hair as he felt the stress rise. What exactly had happened last night?

"I have no idea where Rose is and zombies have overwhelmed the frickin' city!" Evan replied turning to address Max's question when JC stormed into the room and began to give the team order, moving Evan aside from the intercom as he asserted some new found sense of leadership over the team.

"Hold the fuck up." Evan roared as he launched himself forward, tiles cracking beneath his feet as he tackled JC to the ground, wrapping a hand around the other Titan's neck. "Where is Rose? What do you know and who do you think you are holding out on us." Releasing JC, Evan stepped back to give the other man room to stand up again.

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you answer me. Where is Rose, what has happened to her?" Evan stated again, crossing his arms as pain began to radiate in his forehead, skin beginning to break as two small points appeared on his forehead.

"Fuckin' Tartarus." Evan growled as he took a deep breath, trying to ease himself and find his concentration as he appearance returned to normal.

"Well speak up Hot Flash!" He snapped again.

Oh, they were getting heated and not in that kind of way. This was the first time that Rhea had ever seen the spunky demigod seething with rage. Usually, he was the reason that they were annoyed or mad, but now, they were the reason that he was mad. Dare she say it, Evan seemed to be the new teapot in her eyes. With Rose's disappearance linked with Thermos' alibi and with Sentinel and Tulip rushing off into the depths of 'screw the team', the teens weren't so much titans after all. With this situation, they were as vulnerable as a newborn child; they were at the mercy of the elements. The kitchen became crowded as more of their comrades rallied to the call, however, soon, the ones who had arrived quickly dispersed as they traveled to the hangar. Well, Maker knows who among them knew how to pilot a jet. Who knows? They might crash and they all die... the end; which is not so bad of an ending in Rhea's opinion. Of course, she hastily regretted even thinking of that thought as she quickly swatted away her worries. The die had been cast; they had drawn the cards and came up short. What was left now was to gather the pieces and reforge their shaky relationship as a team. Her eyes caught a glimpse of some weird dots on the Amazon's forehead but, as quickly, she attributed it to her imagination and, upon looking at Evan once more, indeed, the spots were gone. Yep, me imagination be runnin' wild.

"Evan." Rhea said in almost like a whisper, approaching the angry demigod. "Please, we be needin' to go to da city." she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, resisting the urge to sate her hormones and just take a peek already. Of course, it was difficult to concentrate when her relaxed mind screamed for her most primal of urges to drive her fingers down the contours of his torso. Thus, Rhea closed her eyes and bowed her head. She bit hard on her bottom lip until a sliver of sanguine liquid bled through the skin, snapping her back to reality. "As we be speakin', innocent lives be at stake, Evan. Remember, the mission always be comin' ferst. Dis be what we were made fer, why we be created fer; protectin' da lives of dos' who be harmed by critters much darker dan dem. I know dat you be upset with Rose disappearin' but yer not da only one who be worryin'. I am worried fer her but dis mission be our top priority. Completin' da mission above all else, that be what Rose would be wantin'." Rhea eased her hand away from her comrade, stepping back a few inches before pulling down her hood over her head. "We din't do well in our ferst mission but it don't mean dat we can't do better. Now be our chance to be makin' things right, Evan. If Sentinel and Tulip don't want to be comin' to us, then, we'll be goin' to dem. We'll show dos fuckin' dumbbells dat only through unity can der be a chance at victory."

The healer turned around as she headed for the hangar without as much as a glance back at the demigod, opting to look at Max instead. "Skelly, we be needin' to go now. If we be delayin' any longer, der won't be a city to be savin'. We'd need to break a leg or something." The thought of losing so many lives due to her incompetence was something that made Rhea's blood boil. While they were here bickering over whose tiara was the shiniest, lives were being endangered by more than just zombies; oh, zombies weren't the biggest threats there. No, she wouldn't have another stroke on that chalkboard. She couldn't have another Dane... never again.

Once she reached the door's frame, her eyes glared back at the demigod. "United we stand, divided we fall, Evan. As of now, we dun need a leader, laddie. We need a team. We dun need a mob of teenagers wid flaming fists or super strength, we need the Teen Titans, Amazon. Rhea ushered in a small smile before disappearing from the doorway. However, after a few seconds, her head popped back. "Oh, and suit da fuck up." Or, so help me, I'll do it myself.

Shut the fuck up, brain.

---

Rhea arrived at the hanger as she saw some of her allies already tinkering with their transportation. She hurriedly boarded the aircraft as her eyes surveyed her teammates. "Ye have some biggy-big things ye be needed to be explainin', Thermos. I din't be wakin' up as fresh as a daisy just to be greeted wid a magical 'screw your day'." Rhea mumbled before strapping herself in, burying her face in her hands.

Zombies

Great, just great! The world had a bad habit of screwing the healer and it wasn't abating in its insults. Sooner or later, she'd jump off a bridge. Still, zombies were something that were not entirely unfamiliar with her. Zombification bordered more on cellular infection than anything else. She could be useful this time... assuming that those two dunderheads already at the city weren't off wiping out everything in their path. In all honesty, she was more afraid of her team than she was of the zombies. A Sentinel could wipe out more lives with a single punch than a walking cadaver and a speeding Tulip can destroy more things than a stifled shambler. Still, in this mission, her main job was to ensure the safety of the healthy civilians. Her control over cells were not so elite where she could reverse the process of necrosis, much less zombification.

What would they do this time though? Were they going to go Rambo at everything they could attack? Hopefully not. Would they work as a team this time? Unlikely.

JC had never felt so violated in his life. A naked demigod pounced on him and tackled him to the ground without warning. George Takei would have a field day with this. He could already hear the "Oh my." from miles away. He wasn't even sure that his body was ready for this. Wait, why was he even thinking that way? Dammit, he'd have to make some anti-handsome demigod device. Get your thoughts back on track JC. This isn't you. This is some weird magical power or something that you wished could be turned off. Fortunately Evan got off of him almost as soon as he tackled him.

He got up and turned to the naked Amazon and wait. What was that? He could have sworn that he saw something or two somethings on his forehead. He must have been from being tackled. Being tackled by a guy with as much strength as he did had to have some side effects. Rhea came and started trying to ease Evan. She was exactly what Jeremiah needed right now. Her childlike appearance and butchered English was exactly what he needed to get his hormones back in check.

English aside Rhea certainly got her point across. It may have taken an extra two or three minutes to completely understand what she was saying, but when you put it all together it definitely was coherent in thought. He felt that he really needed her here. He didn't exactly know how her powers worked, but she was the only one on the team other than perhaps Magi that he thought could help them with a zombie threat where you'd want to revert people instead of killing them. If it couldn't be done in the field he could try freezing one specimen so they could work on it. He'll figure that out along the way. Right now he needed to address Evan and his question.

He sighed heavily before brushing the hair from his eyes. "Rose left. She quit the team. I searched for her all night and got nothing. I'm sorry, but like I said. We can talk about it more on the way there. We can't waste anymore time." His words were dry and almost cold up until the point where he got to "can't". That word was more stern and poisonous. It was as if he was prepared for any retaliation from the warrior and that he'd put it to rest if he had to. "And another thing. Don't. Ever. Tackle. Me. Again." He then turned back around making sure not to look down Evan's body. He started running once again to the hangar. He had a city to save and a team to lead.

Blue Paladin IX

"Jesus, is that a missle!" Cried out an officer standing near Sentinel and Accelerate, hand stabbing out at an object that had just cleared the city skyline several blocks away. Several sets of eyes swiveled towards the scene. If it was a missile then it's flight path was erratic, darting this way and that, etching across the sky in a confusion of zigs and zags. It swiveled once more, now pointing directly towards the police cordon, shooting towards the block with alarming speed.

The officers, nerves frayed already thanks to a zombie apocalypse, reacted typically: They panicked. Cries rang out as they ran for cover, some going so far as to drop their own weapons. You can run faster without a gun. Any that waited behind realized all was not as it seemed though. The closer the missile got the less it looked like a missile.

The not-missile crashed through the corner of a nearby bakery before careening into the street, brick and mortar sent flying through the air by the impact, thick, cloying dust obscuring vision. From inside the cloud came the deep groans and low growling that the officers had come to associate with the undead.

"They're shooting zombies!?! Game over man, GAME OVER!" Cried out one of the officers. Suddenly a bright blue beam of energy exploded from the cloud, ozone blistering in it's trail. Another followed it. The smoke began to recede, revealing a silver figure grappling with one of the walkers, two more undead lying motionless at his feet. The figure lost his hold on the slippery zombie, which immediately pressed it's advantage, jaws latching down on the figure's shoulder. Rotting teeth ground against metal armour. One has to imagine that if zombies felt pain then he'd be feeling a lot of it now.

"Someone's gonna need a dentist!" A voice rang out from the figure, robotic undertones part-way concealing a Welsh accent. The zombie moaned in reply. The figure smashed his armour plated fist into undead's rotting face, his foe dropping without much more sound. The armoured figure seemed to regard the fallen enemy for a moment, before shooting it in the face with another blue blast from his gauntlet. He murmered something to himself, always double-tap. Then the figure's helmet, fashioned to resemble a streamlined knights greathelm, turned to Sentinel and Accelerate.

"Superboy, Kid-Flash! What're doing just standing there, like a pair of spare nerds at the prom? There's a zombie apocalypse going on out there, in case you hadn't noticed! It's full on Romero out there! I could use a hand!"