[IC] Teen Titans: A New Era

[RumikoOhara]

"Who cares if it's Fair; I mean after all other than you an one other I've felt about as welcome as hives on a cheerleader's but." Says Jinx with a giggle as she imagines a row of pom, pom shakers scratching away. She grows silent and serious when a part of her delights in being the cause and actively urges her to find a group of prissy cheerleaders.
"They'd make fun of you and ignore you; they'd call you freak and make up lies" says the voice in her head.

Shaking off such dark and negative thoughts Jinx sighs "You do know that hanging out with a Jinx is no way to be popular?: besides it's dangerous.
I'm a walking, talking disaster area waiting to erupt and the tight rope is getting shaky.
I've tried uniting with the Titans, I do better on my own.
It's time I faced facts; I'm the fat ckick hanging around the cool kids hopeing they'll at least recognize I exist.

Her anger flares as vengeance stretches it's tattered wings deep within her. Her eyes glow with the pink energy that signals her power is overflowing. Her expression shifts from serious to predatory. She raises her hands away from her body as she begins to breath in labored breaths.
"I'm a Monster; In the time of legends heros would have hunted me down so they could display my head as a trophy." the pavement beneath her feet cracks making a pattern like a spider's web radiating out from her. "I am a child of the Titans of Homer and related to Eris Goddess of Chaos. I have tried so long now to fit into a world I wasn't born into, and why?; Because my mom tried and she thinks I should too.

Jinx slows her breathing as she draws her power back in before it gets loose and makes her begin doing bad things.

[DeathstrokeSW]

"A story from my days abroad,huh?" He tilted his head to look at her, a few strands of his hair falling in view of his eyes. "....After I lost my eye, I went back there, back to Nanda Parbat, to the hidden monastery named 'Eth Alth'eban." He looked at her seriously through his hair. "I went back to the League of Assassins. Back to Rā's al Ghul."

"To truly know why, though, I need to tell you what happened before. Losing my eye nearly killed me, Rach. I thought I could get up and keep on fighting, but I couldn't. My depth perception was off, and I missed hitting a guy by a foot. That night, I was beaten with a crowbar. So I knew, I knew I had to go back and relearn everything I knew.....
----------------------------Several months, and several inches of hair ago-------------
Nanda Parbat, Tibet
The Hidden City of 'Eth Alth'eban
Heavy, ornate doors emblazoned with the insignia of the League of Assasins closed behind him a dull thud echoing throughout the cavern. It didn't matter, however, as it was a city hidden in the mountains.

In a strange way, I was coming home, having been raised and trained here since I was seven. My father had tried to find me several times, but each time he failed. Eventually, I gave up hope on seeing my father, and this place became my home.

He walks down the streets, the trainees and even some of the masters paused to pay respect to the young man. It was written in his face, and the bandage taped to his eye. He was coming home to re-forge himself into that which he was: a warrior. High atop the city's sole spire, on a balcony stood the man whom stood most responsible for training him, a man who looked on with a disinterested look, save the small twitch of his mouth. His name was Rā's al Ghūl. Behind him stood his two daughters, Talia and Nyssa.

"It seems," Rā's said, "That Grant has finally come home. See to him, and bring him to me." Though it was not stated, the order was directed at Nyssa, as Talia was his right hand. Meanwhile, Grant arrived at the gates of Rā's palace, only to find that an assassin had been expecting him. There was no baggage, no weapons with him. He arrived as he had all those years ago: unarmed and practically defenseless. There were no words exchanged between his welcoming party and himself, so Grant walked in silence. Upon arrival in the elevator, he was greeted by a woman he considered his older sister.

"Lady Nyssa. An honor." She tilted her head, and greeted him back, more formally than one would expect. As soon as the doors closed, however, the formality dropped, and the two exchanged a more informal hello, a simple, two second hug before Nyssa ripped the bandage off from over his eye, and cleaned it. Truthfully, it was just an empty eye socket now, a hole staring at nothing.

Entering the chamber of the demon, Nyssa vanished, and Grant was besieged by an assassin. This one wielded a sword and struck with clean, swift, smooth motions. Grant did his best to dodge and strike blows when he could, although most were off center of their intended target, and he was left with several lacerations, and he was even pierced in the side twice before his opponent slipped up. He acted as his opponent thrust his sword into a wooden post too deep and pulled in vain for it to free itself. Grant kicked out the other man's knee and slammed his forehead against the post, causing the sword to go through the wooden post enough for Grant to extricate it. Finishing his opponent, he punctured the sword hilt-deep through the assassin's throat.

Breathing deeply, Grant scanned the darkness for further threats when out of the darkness stood Rā's himself. Grant dropped to his knees and bowed his head only for Rā's to lift his chin. "Hello,Grant." The man let his chin drop and motioned for Grant to follow. Grant did so, as one did not disobey the leader of the League of Assassins. Especially not when he was the man who trained you, or rather, a large part of you.

When you train with the League, you train to master every weapon they give you, but after a certain period, you begin to specialize in one specific weapon. Some choose the Bow, hoping perhaps to keep the art of Archery alive. Some, the knife, others, the tomahawk. I chose the sword. In fact, I'm the best swordsman the league has ever trained, which isn't saying much in the face of guys like Sirius and War, men who could snap my blade in half and rip me apart with their bare hands if they wished. I was so talented with it, however, that Rā's was forced to train me personally, lest my skill taper off......but when I lost my eye...

The two men adjourned to a room where a freshly placed tea set was waiting. Both men adjourned to the small table set between two chairs. Rā's was the first to speak. "It's been some time, Grant. How have your travels treated you?" Grant knew the question, innocuous as it may have seemed, was an invitation to explain himself. And so he told of how he came to be back in 'Eth Alth'eban.
------------------------Shortly---------
Rā's sat in silence as he took in what he had heard. It was some time before he spoke, but at last: "The skills are still there, Grant. I saw that with my own eyes. The problem isn't physical, it's mental. Yes, you will need to train yourself to adjust to the depth perception problem posed by your eye, but there is something else looming there, a question that needs an answer, and that question, Grant, is something ONLY you can answer: What are you truly fighting for? Is it revenge for your brother, or is it because you are a warrior at heart, a professional soldier whose cause is fluid?"

The words of Rā's sank into him and he sat for hours in silence. For the next four months he trained with the sword, regaining skill he had thought lost. Then the day came when he left, and went to Russia.
------------------Present Day--------
"But I never forgot my brother, or the hopes he had for me. I decided that I'd become a hybrid of what he wanted me be and what I'm meant to be. I decided I'd become a mercenary, one that has a no-kill code. I traveled to Russia, hired myself out to their intelligence service. To make a long story short, I only got back a little while ago, during the Eden crisis."

Grant finished his story, watching her face as he did so. He knew that he was lying to her, knew that if she knew the full truth of what had happened in those nine months, she'd know he'd changed, yes. But it wasn't the change his plan needed him to show.
------------------Several Months ago, 'Eth Alth'eban---------------
His conversation with Rā's had gone a bit differently than he let on, and those words he would remember for the days to come. "I believe,"Rā's had said, "That you are a warrior, bent on his own cause, his own endgame, a crusader with his own cause. You're willing to kill, Grant. I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your soul."

[Minarawr]

Chev said
Viran chuckled slightly as he heard some of the stories that the other Valkorians had told about Hisel. Some were funny, some were heart-warming and some were just plain odd. But what the Valkorians had in common was their admiration and respect for the deceased leader of the Valkorians. He looked over at Mina and smiled gently as she approached him. "I apologize for the...uh...misunderstanding." He said awkwardly. "I explained to the others that we...I mean...we aren't romantically involved."A loud Valkorian voice cut through the chatter in his native language and the group next to Viran laughed heartily. Viran shook his head. "What did he say?" He asked curiously. One of the other Valkorians chuckled. "He said and I quote, "She would make a good mate for you,"Viran's face turned beet red as he slowly turned to look at Mina. "I...uh...I don't think they know how it works here on earth." He said meekly as his face continued to grow redder by the moment.Rikelis looked at the large group of Valkorians that were exiting the ship in the forest and smiled at them. "Welcome to Earth. The people of this world have accepted us here as long as we do not wage war against anyone. Or bring them to the notice of any warlike races amongst the stars.A short female Valkorian stepped forward. "I am Kelis, second to Valis who led us away from the ways of war and battle. Who has been searching the stars for her father Hisel and her son Viran. We must ask, are they here? Is our journey over?"Rikelis sadly nodded. "You're journey is over. But Hisel is dead. He died by the hands of the one who was once known as Genocide and now goes by War. His Grandson, Viran still lives however and has pledged to protect us. Contact your commander and let her know...you and your people will be safe here. The Heroes of this world have fought the ones known as Death and War before and have learned much of them. They are on the run but they won't be for long."Kelis nodded and pulled out a Valkorian communicator and spoke quietly into it. "Commander, I have met with the Valkorian leader here...Your father Hisel is dead. But you're son, Viran is here. And he lives still."There was a pause on the other end of the communicator and Valis's voice cracked slightly as if she were holding back tears. Rikelis smiled. "That can be arranged. I will get him myself and bring him here." He said quietly.

Mina found Viran, surrounded by other Valkorians and being told tales of his grandfather's life.
She had the same flushed expression on her face that he had and nodded as he told her he had cleared up the misunderstanding of her being his "mate".
It seemed the others were intend on playing matchmaker, as one pointed out she would be a good partner for him.

She blushed slightly and nodded a bit at Viran's statement. 'I think so too.' she said, brushing down her new clothes a bit.
'Do you know if there is food? And drinks? I'm still starving.' she said in an attempt to change the subject.

[Chev]

Do you know if there is food? And drinks? I'm still starving.'

Viran nodded and smiled although his face was still beet red.

"Of course. Over here." He said as he led her over towards a table that was laden down with strange alien foods and brightly colored drinks. He picked up a large blue fruit and sniffed it carefully before taking a tentative bite. As he bit in, his eyes widened for a brief moment and a large smile appeared on his face. He finished chewing and swallowed the piece of fruit. He grabbed another one from the table and offered it to Mina. "Give this a try."

"I have never tasted anything like this before." He said with a smile as he took another of the one he had already bitten. "But whatever this is, it tastes amazing. Almost like a cross between several different earth foods."

One of the other Valkorians approached Viran and pointed towards the forest.

"Excuse me for interrupting you Viran, but you are needed at the landing site. It appears someone from the new ships knows of you. She wishes to speak with you at once."

Viran raised an eyebrow. "Of course. But I think they may have me confused with someone else. The people of this colony and Hisel are the only other Valkorians that I have met so far. Is it possible that she may be mistaken?"

The Valkorian smiled slyly. "I don't think so." He said as he looked over at Mina. "She is welcome to join you in meeting the new arrivals as well. But I would move quickly if I were you. This new arrival is very anxious to meet you."

Viran looked over at Mina and shook his head in confusion as the Valkorian walked back towards the landing site.

"Ever get the feeing that people know more than they are telling you?" He asked.

[Minarawr]

Mina followed him, glad to be away from the somewhat awkward situation a bit, though she still chuckled a bit when she saw how red Viran's face was.

She looked at the table he brought her to, her eyes shimmering with interest. It was covered with bowls and plates, filled with all types of food and fruit she had never seen in her life. She was glad Viran didn't know it either, it made her feel a little less out of place.

She watched curiously as he took a bite, her eyes lighting up a bit as she felt his happy and surprised response. She gladly took the fruit he handed to her and took a bite, her eyes widening at the explosion of tastes in her mouth. His description was acurate, it was as if she had taken a whole stack of food and shoved them in her mouth, while still keeping it perfectly balanced. It was incredible to say the least and she nodded in response to Viran as she took another excited bite.

As she grabbed a brightly colored drink from the table to give that a try, a Valkorian approached Viran. She could feel his happiness, so she hoped it wasn't another Valkorian that wanted to point out how good a couple they could be.
Luckily it seemed he simply had a message for Viran, something about a person wanting to speak to him.

She finished the brightly colored drink, right as the other Valkorian walked away again. She chuckled lightly and took up another drink, nodding slightly at Viran. 'Because he does know more. It is something that will make you happy though, don't worry.' she said.
'At any rate, you should go check it out. I'll come along if you want me to.' she suggested.

[Chev]

Because he does know more. It is something that will make you happy though, don't worry.' she said.
'At any rate, you should go check it out. I'll come along if you want me to.

Viran smiled as he grabbed another fruit from the table and turned towards the woods. "I would appreciate that Mina. And thanks for giving me a bit of a warning as to what might be waiting for me."

Viran headed towards the woods and raised an eyebrow as he saw groups of other Valkorians approaching the settlement. Many of them carried various machines and others carried bundles and crates full of food. Viran's eyes were drawn to a basket that seemed to be filled with some sort of cooked meat that to be honest smelled quite delicious. He could see more and more of them coming out of the woods carrying various supplies. He looked ahead and saw Rikelis and a female Valkorian who was almost as tall as he was. That was something that caught Viran's interest but the other thing that caught his attention was how similar the way their faces looked to each other. Viran slowly approached and looked at the two Valkorians.

"Uh...You wished to see me?" He asked carefully. The female Valkorian stepped forward and hesitantly let her hand reach towards him.

Viran. Do you recognize me?" Valis asked carefully. She knew that it was most likely a shot in the dark but she had to try.

Viran thought for a moment. Something about her voice was familiar but it was faint. Something from very long ago. He nodded slightly. "I do not recognize you personally, but your voice is...somewhat familiar. Have we met before?" He asked carefully

Valis smiled as tears of joy came to her eyes. "You were sent away when you were but a baby. You may not recognize me after all these years but I still recognize you. I recognize you as a mother recognizes her son."

Viiran's eyes widened in abrupt shock and he almost fell backwards due to the shock but Valis managed to grab his arm and hold him up.

"Mother?" He whispered in a shocked voice as he turned to look at Mina and then back at Valis.

"You...I...You're my mother?" He asked again in the same shocked tone.

[Drakel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONYgxFzPP2A

Sinna looked at Arsenal as she and Rachel talked for a moment. Sinna didn’t have much to say at the time and whatever she was about to say was soon blocked out of her mind after Rachel’s comment about Jilocasin. “I’m uh…” Sinna couldn’t speak as she looked down at the ground, it was so long since she last spoken to her ex-teacher of the magic arts and now she could still barely even imagine herself having to be against him, even after all the horrible things he did and people he hurt. Soon After Viran’s message about how things were fine came in and not too long after Sinna thought of how strange it was for that to happen. A cold chill crawled up her spine and Sinna knew something was completely and utterly wrong with what happened.

Even though the things were strange now was a time of celebration for the heroes’ victory and their reunion, finally all joining together again like the good old days. Listening to Rachel’s comment about Sinna calling her hun made the girl blush completely and soon after their first date was called out by Rachel. Sinna’s mind raced to a thousand thoughts all at once as her face grew red with enthusiasm and blush. It took Sinan a few moment before she took some deep breaths as Rachel disappeared. Without a moment to lose Sinna used her magic to teleport to the main base like the good old days. First shrouding the girl in an orb of black and as soon as the orb started to disintegrate she was now in a summoning circle in the base. Without a moment to spare Sinna ran out of the portal room and into her bedroom, undressing quickly out of her costume as she ran in and slammed her door. Once undressed Sinna ran into a bathroom and prepared the shower. Once she got cleaned up she looked inside six wardrobes and an entire closet in search of the perfect dress, putting on dresses one by one as she continued to plan her first date out in her head, hanging the plan every three minutes, almost as fast as how she changed from dress to dress. In her head the girl was screaming as she desperately tried to find the perfect outfit for the night that was to come.

A few hours passed and outside of the room anyone still inside the mansion could hear Sinna calling on her phone and yelling as she made several arrangements and crashes as things may or may not have been thrown across the room and be breaking. Though once out Marry was finally maskless, her once red eyes are now showing their true bright blue color, her smile shined brightly and her nearly flawless looking skin was hidden from any blemishes as her black and red necklace hung on her neck. The girl was wearing a nice dress for the date and after several last minute reservations Marry was 100% ready as she walked out of the room to see whoever was left in the mansion “umm… H-how do I look?” asked the girl, completely nervous for her private date with Rachel.

---

Spellthief looked at Ace as he started to question him about what happened not too long ago, the anti-mage was looking down at the ground as he felt like his friend and teammates may die from what happened moments ago. “Apparently a machine called Prime almost killed our teammates and a Titan known as Viran tried to help out. In doing so he stopped Prime’s attack against our base… We’ll discuss more on the issue later. You’re free to go and have fun.” Said the Spec-Ops mage as he looked at the screen in the hidden part of the base, watching his friend and his teammates in the infirmary recovering from what just happened not too long ago.

[RumikoOhara]

Jinx turned away from Sirius as a part of her urged her to display how dangerous she could be by making him a target of her power. She started to walk away and before he could something moving fast fell from the sky shattering the pavement between them in a geyser like micro explosion..

As she walked a bit farther a large tree gave a creaking sound as it fell across the drive with a great crash. And try as hard as she might Jinx couldn't bring her negative probability under control.

Oh how she wished she could fly because if she could she'd lift of the ground and fly far away.

When Jinx got to the gate she looked up an down the road with a sigh and just as she was about to walk towards the city center an expensive sports car pulled to a stop beside her. The driver a young man dressed as a mail clad Knight rolled down the passenger window an leaned over saying "Wow you're the hottest Cosplay babe I've ever seen, are you headed to the convention?"

Jinx smiles and answers That's where I was going till my car broke down. I was just thinking of calling a cab but it seems my knight in shining armor has arrived.
Might I trouble you oh good sir to rescue me from so ignoble a method of transport?

The metal ring covered fanboy can't open the door fast enough as he says "Please enter my chariot fair damsel for I am yours to command"

Jinx climbs in an snuggles down in her seat and is soon off to the convention. During her trip with the knightly nerd she is as sweet an complimentary as she can be without choking on her words. When they arrive he's so charmingly clumsy that Jinx can't help but allow him to enter the convention with her on his arm.

They're stopped for their badges and while her escort has his she has to register and purchase one with the other rabble. As she stands in line enjoying blending into the crowd she notices a girl dressed as she and her mom are known to, her skin has even been painted silver gray. Giggling and feeling amused to see another Jinx she notices another then two more, a fat jinx and a tall one as well a drag Jinx with a beard.

After seeing all of the other Jinx she is barely able to talk because she's laughing too hard. Finally after a 45 minute wait Jinx has a badge and heads into the convention. As she walks along she sees several Harley Quinn, Ivy's and three Wonder women.

She's completely anonymous as she explore the geek side and delighted by it all. When she decides to get something to drink and people watch at a little cafe in the hotel where the convention's being held Jinx suddenly becomes aware of a Wonder woman and two Cat women staring at her.

. Jinx wonders if she should be worried when they come over to her table an ask to sit with her. Sighing she tells them yes and is soon delighted when she finds out that they're strange but friendly.

She's actually enjoying herself when two fake Jinx sitting near by look at her and one of them calls her hair the worst wig ever and her costume a poor attempt at originality. As the two giggle over their victory over an inferior Jinx's eyes flash with brief light. Shortly afterwards a conboy running through the cafe trips and hits a desert cart sending it's condiments flying. The two critics are both splashed with strawberry an chocolate syrups.

Jinx laughs her self to tears as the two scream in rage and shame. When they've left and Jinx has stopped laughing she sees her three friends staring at her open mouthed. One of the Cat women leans close an asks "Are you the real deal?"

Jinx thinks of lying but then thinks why should she an answers I'm the one an only

[Chev]

Tyran and Steel were sitting in one of the monitoring rooms of the mansion and were monitoring the Valkorians who had just arrived. A few times Tyran had caught Steel looking at him but whenever he turned to look at her she would quickly look away and he would return to his monitoring of the aliens who had arrived. Tyran's passive scanners had detected that whenever she looked at him, the rate her heart was beating at would increase. In addition it would seem to skip a beat once in awhile. He could see slightly increased facial heat on her cheeks at times which he could actually see without his scanners since she was still in her transformed state. In fact, as far as he could tell he had never seen Steel outside of her transformed state.

He could see a single tear roll down her face as he silently turned to look at her for a moment. "Steel. What's wrong?" He asked carefully as he handed her a small washcloth which she threw onto the floor as she sadly looked at him.

"You are what's wrong Tyran." She said sounding angry and sad at the same time as she stood up. "Do you remember the day we met? You saved my life. You managed to take down at least nine of Doctor Night's henchmen when I was still struggling with my powers when they were new. You have all this information in your head but you don't have simple human emotions or the ability to understand when someone is interested in you!"

Tyran stood up and looked down at her. "I...I'm sorry." He said simply as he felt an unfamiliar emotion beginning to rise to the surface. "But I wasn't built with advanced emotions by Master Sirius! The part of me that is still human...I can't...No, I won't access that part of my brain."

"Why not?!" Steel demanded as she stood and went face to face with him. She was crying openly now.

"Because it hurts." Tyran said quietly. "Before I met Master Sirius, I was human. And I was badly hurt both emotionally and physically. I had lost a woman who I deeply cared for to Doctor Night's henchmen one night. They beat me and left me for dead after killing her. When I met Sirius, I begged him to take away the pain and he did. But he said that I could access them whenever I wanted but I don't want to! I don't want to feel that pain ever again!"

Steel sobbed into her hands as she sat down. "I love you Tyran. I wish you could realize how much I care for you but it's like you don't even notice me half the time! All you care about is the mission." Tyran looked at her and for a brief moment he felt a brief spark from the part of his brain that had been blocked off by Sirius at his own request. For a brief moment he remembered emotions like Love and Passion, and the feeling of caring for someone more than you cared for yourself.

But he also felt the feeling of loss, and grief and heartache after losing someone. For a brief moment he felt the two sides battling for control and it was at that moment he made his decision. He closed his eyes and after hesitating for a moment...just a moment, he deactivated the block. All at once, he could feel the emotions that had been held back for all those years since his transformation and for a moment it overwhelmed him. His clutched his head for a moment as he tried to make sense of it all. Steel looked up at him as she prepared to finally blow up at him. To finally scream at him and get everything off her chest.

Instead she saw the man that she loved clutching at his head. "Whats wrong?" She asked as she stared at him as he slowly removed his hands from his face and looked at her. A small appeared on his face as he looked her over and it just kept growing. Steel had to admit, she was a bit unnerved by what she was seeing. "What did you do?"

Tyran continued smiling as he joyfully laughed as he pulled Steel into a hug. "I deactivated the Emotional block! I can feel so many things! I can feel so many things that have been blocked for so long!" He laughed as he looked Steel over again and raised an eyebrow as she blushed slightly. "And now that I can actually think clearly...I think I can understand what that blushing of yours means." He said slyly.

Steel backed away slightly as she continued blushing. "Tyran...your being hit with a lot of emotions right now. I can only guess how many." Tyran watched as she backed away from him. "I remember what I felt like when I was in love, and I'm sorry that it took deactivating that damn block to realize what my feelings are for you. You said you loved me and now that I can actually think clearly I think I can show you how much I care about you."

Steel stood completely still in shock as Tyran slowly approached her. Was he saying...what she thought he was saying? She had her answer a moment later as Tyran gently placed his hand on the side of her cheek and placed his lips against hers and gently kissed her. Steel stood completely still for a moment and stared at him in shock as she backed away from his slightly before a small smile appeared on her face. A smile that grew wider and wider the more she processed what had just happened. Steel concentrated for a moment and the unknown alloy surrounding her seemingly vanished into her body. She let out a low groan of pain as the transformation occurred but she didn't care. She looked at herself in one of the reflective surfaces on one of the monitors nearby. She had almost forgotten what she looked like without the alloy covering her.

She was still wearing the same black T-shirt and battered and torn jeans she had worn all those years ago when she had transformed for the first time. She looked down at the belt she was wearing and noticed that the symbol was different then when she was transformed but she didn't care. She threw herself into Tyran's arms and pressed her lips against his. She nearly sent him flying backwards as she nearly tackled him as the two awkwardly made their way into the nearby med-bay, Tyran's arm awkwardly reached around and hit the control and immediately vanished back inside the room as the door closed behind the two of them, leaving the monitoring room empty.

[Stryder]

Archangel was stirring from his comatose state, the monitors began to rapidly beep as his heart rate spiked. The angel’s eyes opened up as he inhaled sharply, taking in a breath of air, how long had he been out, a few hours? No matter the time, it was too long for him to be unable to fight, as he moved to lean forward he let out a cry, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder blades and wings. “What?” He muttered in pain, continuing to strain himself as he attempted to move from the bed, another sharp pain ripped through his body, it was indescribable, like thousands of tiny daggers were stabbing into him all at once, over and over again. He let out a sharp cry out pain, he was doing his best to not let the pain get to him but it proved to be too much. He struggles were halted once the A.I construct created by Ironsight and Shadowhawk entered the room, halting the divine male’s actions.

“I have conducted an immediate analysis on your wings, Archangel.” The A.I spoke in a voice that seemed natural, like she was alive, the feminine construct was wearing the article of clothing she had been programmed with, she could change it but she never chose to. The 5’5 tall robotic stood at the foot of Archangel’s medical bed. The angel just simply looked toward her, awaiting her diagnosis. “Speak, machine, tell me what is wrong with me!” He couldn't help but shout, pain, anger, and fear were mixing into a terrifying cocktail as he pondered what the case could be. In the back of his mind he felt like something was very wrong, that smile, like a forced wide smile which made her show teeth, he had never seen her carry such emotions, it made him very uneasy to say the least. “Your wings have sustained damage beyond my repair, to avoid a life of pain, amputation must commence.” She stated, in that god awfully terrifying cheery voice, her smile still evident, her soulless blue eyes seemed to tearing into the angel’s very core. He knew about her minor yet major design flaw, she couldn't properly distribute emotions for the right time or place, this always disturbed him.

For a moment it seemed like the words rolled around in the boys head as he tried to figure out what she meant. The amputation brought forth horrors in his head., the images of people losing appendages and ligaments due to injury. His heart began to pound in his chest as he had glanced at the foot of his bed, only to see Auntie Dot had moved closer, now at the side of his bed. Peering down at him with her sapphire blue eyes, the angel never truly experienced fear but this was cutting it close. “No, I can’t, I won’t…” He muttered, still loud enough for the A.I to hear him, the mere thought of losing his wings made him feel as if he’d throw up. What would an angel be without wings? A mortal? Would he be seen as one committing a sacrilegious act? “No!” His voice boomed as he willed his pained body to moved, collapsing as he got out of the bed, tearing the leads on his chest away. He stopped once he saw a pair of heels in front of him, he looked up to see Auntie Dot’s bright cheery, strangely ecstatic smile along with those bright blue eyes bearing down on him. “If you insist Archangel, but I highly recommend we remove them, they are of no use to you now.” She said almost happily., it made the boy’s skin crawl and his heart sink. he A.I. crouched down to the boy’s level, looking his begging eyes with her lifeless ones, her smile grew bigger as she continued. “I’m sorry Archangel, but god is no longer on your side. You will never fly again, for your safety please don’t try it.” with that said the A.I. kissed the boy’s forehead before walking out of the room. Archangel’s face was a mask of horror, his body began to shake a little as the words she spoke rang in his head over and over again like a broken record. “N-never...?” He said with a stutter, he couldn't come to terms with what she just said, the idea of being abandoned by his creator hurt more than the pain of losing his wings ever could.

[Reaper]

"Why would I invite my team to join me on a date?" Hikari replied with a sly smile, as she strapped a pair of daggers under her skirt. "You still owe me dinner, sweetie, and I'm not so evil as to make you pay for all the Titans." She chuckled before leaving the room, her hips swaying as she left. She waited for the other archer at her bike, after making a few calls to make sure the Titans knew she was heading out for the night, and to ensure that her equipment would be nearby if she needed it deployed.

---

Rachel listened intently to Grant's story, eager to know just what he'd been doing for the past few months. She sensed that there was more to the story than he actually let on, but she wasn't about to press him for information. "Well, it's good to have you back." She commented with a smile after he was done speaking. "You're welcome to drop by any time you want to talk... I don't really live at the mansion any more."

She got back on her feet and headed for the exit back down to the ground floor. "I'd love to catch up more, but I have a date that's long overdue tonight." She paused at the door and turned back around. "Go back to the mansion and let everyone know you're back... Don't be a stranger." She smiled before heading back down the ground level and entering her hideout. Now that she really thought about it, she didn't bring much in the way of clothing with her when she left the mansion. She had a few tank tops and shorts for sleeping or working out, and casual clothing when she absolutely needed to go out in public, but dresses?

"Ah, well." Rachel shrugged and just stepped into the very scarce shower facility she set up in her underground lair. She made sure she got rid of the smell of the battle earlier, at least, and was fresh before putting on her suit. "I suppose I can test the new cloaking tech on my suit now..." She murmured to herself and activated the new feature. Instead of her usual combat suit, it projected the image of a white blouse, black skintight jeans and sneakers.

"This will have to do, I guess." Rachel sighed as she prepared to leave and wait for Sinna to pick her up.

---

Yan chuckled at Sinna as she floundered about trying to look her best. Well, it was apparent to the demon what the mage was up to. "Got a date huh?" She asked with a bemused expression as she wrapped her arms around Sinna from behind and placed her chin on the girl's shoulder. "You look so pretty I want to take you for myself..." Yan joked as she ran a finger under Sinna's chin, trying to tickle the mage there.

"Say hi to Rachel for me." She added as she pushed Sinna out the door, patting the flustered girl on the back. "She's waited months for this you could show up in sweatpants and she would still want to jump your bones. Good luck!"

[Chev]

Viran continued looking at the woman who claimed to be his mother and for a brief moment he thought he heard laughter coming from behind him. The laughter stopped after a moment as Viran turned around and simply began to walk away.

Valis's eyes widened in shock after a moment as she watched her son simply turn and walk away from her. She reached her hand out almost as though she were going to try and stop him only simply hang her head down and she looked at Mina. "I...Can you speak to him for me? I have just arrived here and it seems already he hates me." He said quietly.

I can't...I can't deal with this right now. Viran thought as he continued walking away. He arrived at the Valkorian campground a few moments later and walked up to the teleporter and stepped in. I need time to think. I need room to breath.

"Send me as close as you can to the nearest ocean." he said simply and the Valkorian manning the controls nodded and Viran flashed out of existence for a moment before reappearing on a beach that was hopefully far enough away from the Valkorians and the Titans so he could think.

[Minarawr]

Mina had been looking at Viran, almost giddy at the sight when the woman stated to be his mother.
Her smile vanished when Viran suddenly turned around and walked off. A look of absolute confusion appeared on her face until he passed by her and she was hit with the wave of emotions that coursed through him.
She looked at his mother and she smiled weakly at her, shaking her head in response. 'He doesn't hate you, just overwhelmed. I'll go speak to him.' she said.

She walked into the direction Viran disappeared into when his energy suddenly vanished. After a quick trace she pinpointed the location and teleported his way. Her long white hair waved in the strong wind provided by the sea. A beach, it had been a long time since she last was on a beach, but she could see why he had come here.
She walked over, standing next to him silently. She didn't speak, she would wait for him to say something, he would talk when he was ready.

[Chev]

Viran simply stared out at the water. He could feel Mina's presence behind him and she knew that he was waiting for him to speak.

"I can't allow myself to grow close to her." He finally said as he turned and look at Mina. "I've already lost people I've cared about. I don't want to feel the way I did when we lost Mason and other people who I allowed myself to get close to."

He shook his head as he remembered the worst thing he had ever done. Or rather, the worst thing that Genocide had ever done when they had still shared the same body. "I did something horrible, Mina. I did something that will never be forgiven. It was Genocide's action but it was my hands that did the deed.

He took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering breath. "Back when the Titans first formed...there was another woman in the group besides you and Dawnfire. I can't even speak her name without feeling as though I deserve death for my actions." He said quietly. "She was the first person to care about me, to see me as more than an Alien and more than a hero. She saw me as a person despite the fact that I had a homicidal side to my psych at the time."

He drew in another shuddering breath.

"We were walking one night. Enjoying the peace and quiet when Genocide managed to sense weakness. He...He took control of my body for what felt like hours but in reality was only minutes. He grabbed her by the throat and began to crush her neck. I remember screaming...I...just screamed from the inside of my head as he dropped her, allowed her to catch her breath and then began to crush her throat again."

"Until finally...she died. She died with a look of despair and betrayal on her face as my hands crushed the bones in her neck one by one. I remember her blood covering my hands. I remember Genocide laughing in my head when I managed to take back control."

"I remember screaming. For what felt like hours."

He looked up at her again. "I know a small part of him is somehow still in my head. I thought it was all ripped from my head when Death ripped him from my body but something is still there. A little voice that always seems to be whispering to me, reminding me of what I have done and what I could do in the future."

"My mother... If Death or War find out who she is...they will kill her to get to me. They'll kill you to get to me. To lose you Mina...I honestly think I would die." He said quietly.

[Minarawr]

She looked at Viran when he spoke up, shaking her head faintly at his words. 'You cannot live in solitude Viran, you have to stop shutting people out because of fear and grief. I did the same thing after Mason died and it drove me away from all of you.' she said.

She looked saddened when he spoke of the woman that had cared for him and how Genocide had taken her life.
She shook her head and placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. 'Viran it was not your fault. It was Genocide that did that, not you. You fought him, with all your power, but at that time the power you had wasn't enough.' she said.
She smiled at him encouragingly. 'We all got stronger, we got better, we won't lose anybody anymore.' she said.

[DeathstrokeSW]

Grant nodded, and left the warehouse, slipping into a barbershop nearby and gave himself a quick haircut before slipping on the bi-colored mask. Though when he first started being a mercenary, he had decided against wearing the same mask as his father, events in the time he was away led him to don the mask as a way to honor him. He checked his armor one last time before heading towards the mansion. He had decided to heed Rachel's advice and let his former teammates know that he was, indeed, back. The decision, of course, was not completely out of his plan, and in all honesty, he needed them. The team had strengths he was lacking, and powers that he would never be able to access.

He knew he could avenge his brother, but it wasn't a one man job, unlike what he planned for the archer who took his eye. And if there was one thing he was going to handle alone, it was that he was going to completely destroy his personal life, and beat him as badly as he had been all those months ago. But that was the near future, and this is now. Grant parked his bike and walked up to the mansion, the holster on his hip and the gun in it bouncing slightly from his walk. He knew that there were magical defenses, but he didn't believe in magic, not really. No, Grant preferred to think of magic as energy sources not yet within science's grasp. He was a cynic and a realist, cold and hardened by the experiences in his life, more recently by the things he had encountered, choices he had to make during his time away. Nevertheless he had to appear to them as a much lighter version of himself, still cold, but perhaps less so than what he really was.

His father had trained him to fight. The League had trained him to be a killer. The Russians had trained him to be a ghost. But he had taken his training, a lifetime's worth, and made himself into what he really was. A mercenary.

Of course, he expected shock at his missing eye, questions at where he had been, but they were an accepting lot. Then again.....he looked down at his hand. The tremors had returned, and while he was able to hide them temporarily, when the full-body tremors came, it's be impossible to hide and they'd see just how much rage he walked around with, how much anger he carried from 18 years of living. Rā's had seen it from an early age and had taught him to harness it, but even then, he knew. This kind of rage can't be put on a leash, can't be controlled, at least not fully.

Grant Wilson was an angry, enraged person beneath the calm exterior he put forth. He liked to think of himself as a planner, a tactician, but the moment he gave into that well of rage beneath the surface, it became less about the plans he put in place, and more about breaking bones, making his enemies suffer underneath his hands.

A rustling from behind him caught his attention. He walked over, rage evident in his eye behind his mask and ripped Katya Dobrova from her hiding place. She flew through the air for a foot and a half before hitting a tree. He turned to see Sinna leave, probably to a date, judging by her state of dress. Katya's landing against the tree sounded in tandem with the door slamming shut and it was fairly dark outside by now so she couldn't see them. Grant turned back to Katya.

"How long have you been following me? HOW LONG?! Since Rachel?" He bellowed. Grant's heartbeat began to pound in his ears. His hands shook uncontrollably now, as he undid the straps to his mask, which fell to the ground. Grant yelled in frustration and punched a nearby tree, bark flying off, before running. He had to go, to get away before he killed someone and by extension, his plans.

Katya grabbed his mask and ran inside the house, clutching his mask tight against her. She spoke in fluent English with a very thick Russian accent.

"Help me save the man I love. His name is Grant Wilson."

[Chev]

'Viran it was not your fault. It was Genocide that did that, not you. You fought him, with all your power, but at that time the power you had wasn't enough.' she said.
She smiled at him encouragingly. 'We all got stronger, we got better, we won't lose anybody anymore.'

"And as we get stronger, so do they." He said quietly. "Do you remember the first time we fought War?" He asked quietly. "He was like me but stronger. Now he's seemingly Death incarnate and he simply keeps getting stronger and stronger thanks to his time in purgatory. He nearly destroyed the city of Eden. He will always take people from us." He said as he clenched his hands into fists. "I want him dead." He said in a soft voice. "I want both of them dead."

Viran rose to his feet and looked down at Mina. "I've thought about the future, Mina. Even since we learned that Tyran and Steel both came from a point in our future I've thought of asking them of what happened to the Titans...to you." He said quietly. "But I've seen the way those two look at nearly everyone and I see the sadness and despair in their eyes when they look at us. When I see them look at us, I think I know what happens to us where they came from."

"I think we died. All of us. And I have a feeling that there is no way to change it. If there was, they would have told us as soon as they came back."

[Minarawr]

She frowned a bit. 'Yes, so did they, but they won't win Viran.' she said.
She blinked a bit when he asked her about the first time they fought War and nodded.
'He was strong back then, even stronger now.' she admitted.
She could feel Viran's hatred burn on her skin and she could feel her body shivering because of it.

His thoughts about the future were grim, it sort of surprised her how Viran had changed.
He had been so positive in the time she had known him, now he could only think of the worst possible outcome.
She got on her feet as he finished speaking and hugged him tightly, holding him for a few moments before pulling back and smiling softly. 'If there is one thing I know, it's that fate is never sealed. The ever changing energies of the world cannot be bound so easily.' she said.
'We will fight and we will win. The only two that are going to die are those two things and I will see to it that they will suffer for what they did to us. All of us.' she said, her eyes blazing.

[RumikoOhara]

The cosplay girls can barely contain their excitement till Jinx leans back with a sigh saying
Now I know you're thinking how can we get her to show us how her powers work or what are the other super types like but sorry I'm on vacation, matbe permanently

"What are you saying you're giving up?" Asks a Catwoman

I guess I am, I mean just look at me?
I'm silver gray, my hair is an unnatural Pink ad I'm a walking disaster area wait to go off.
Let's face it I'm what I am a Jinx and everyone's better off without me Says Jinx in an off handed manner as if it means nothing to her

"I think you're one of the coolest Titans there is" says the cosplay Wonderwoman

Jinx laughs her voice loud enough to attract attention from the other tables around her

That's the thing you see I'm not really a Titan. Sure I've hung out with them an even lived with them a little but I guarantee that only two maybe three of them even know I'm here in the city.
Heck as far as I know this trip only Sirius knows I'm here. she says with a forced sound of humor in her tone

I was kind of mean to him when I left an he is either confused or pissed at me right now.

Her eyes begin to glow brightly as she struggles with her darker aspect
You girls are nice an I don't want anything happening to you so I gotta go.

Jinx stands and as she does all the glasses hanging from the nearby bar racks suddenly begin crashing into the floor and bar top causing the two people working behind the bar to run for cover.

Jinx tries to run away but the convention crowd fascinated by the breaking glasses gets in her way.

Move it you dumb asses! she shouts just before the overhead sprinkler system goes off

Panic ensues as the crowd runs in every direct seeking cover, plants all around Jinx begin wilting and dying in mere seconds. She grabs her head an screams her shriek so loud an high pitched it shatters mirrors and the glass wall on her side of the hotel lobby.

Looking through a scrying disk the Goddess Discordia laughs enjoying the display of chaos

[Chev]

'We will fight and we will win. The only two that are going to die are those two things and I will see to it that they will suffer for what they did to us. All of us.'

Viran smiled at the thought of those two dying in pain. In agony. Being made to suffer everything that they had ever inflicted on people a thousand times over. His eyes were cold and angry. He almost didn't notice the hug that Mina gave him as for a moment before he tentatively returned it before letting her go. His eyes seemed to be filled with warmth for a brief moment before they returned to their normal state as he recalled all the tragedy that had occurred so recently.

"I appreciate your words Mina." He said quietly. "But I think I need to go back to the mansion for awhile." he said as he stared past her for a moment as the very corner of his eyes turned red for just a moment before returning to normal.

Titan's Mansion

Steel staggered out of the room she and Tyran had occupied with a large grin on her face. Her shirt was on backwards. She was closely followed by the Android who also had a large grin on his face. She quietly turned around and softly kissed the top of Tyran's head. "I...uh...Thank you." She said quietly as Tyran chuckled softly. "I should be the one saying Thank you." He said with a smile. Steel grinned. She hadn't felt this safe in a very long time. Come to think of it, she had never felt as safe as she did now.

"Uh...Steel?" Tyran said with a laugh

"Yes?" She said as she turned around and look at the Android who was trying desperately not to laugh even harder. "What? What is it?"

"Your shirt is on backwards."

"Oops. Glad you caught that before anyone else did." She said with a laugh as she quickly took it off and put it back on facing the right direction. She caught Tyran looking at her with a faint smile. She sat down in one of the chairs in the monitoring room and Tyran sat down to face her.

"I think we need to talk." He said quietly but the smile was a bit smaller. "We need to talk about where we came from." He said to Steel who nodded in agreement. "If we do have the option to go back...do you think we should?"

Steel shook her head and gently held the Android's hand. "I...I don't know." She said. "Do we even have the option to go back? I mean, those portals were ripped open by our battles with Doctor Night. Massive amounts of energy would be needed to rip open a time portal and even then we most likely wouldn't arrive in the same time that we left."

Tyran looked down at his arms and a small control panel popped open. He looked down at the screen and looked at the recorded data from his own battle with Doctor Night. "I have data from my battle. I will not lie, I've studied this data and it might be possible to go back. But the real question is...should we? Nearly everyone we knew is dead. Viran was captured and as far as we know, Master Sirius is one of the few remaining ones left. For all we know he could already be dead."

"But the future is still being controlled by them." Steel said quietly. "People are suffering. And I can't help but wonder what they were planning before we left. There were massive shipments of magical items and advanced technology being moved to unknown locations. For all we know...they could be planning to destroy everything and rebuild our world in their image."

Tyran thought for a moment and placed his hand over hers.

"We need to make a decision. But if we do go back...I hope that there's something left to save." Tyran said quietly.