A.N. Sorry for the wait! It's the final chapter of Honor Among Rogues and Blackfire's team will now face the Titans!
Hope you enjoy this extra long finishing chapter!
"Alright, let's do this!" Jack yelled, grinning as his armor activated, forming around him. He held up the Eye of Dashi, declaring it's name as he pressed it into the chest plate, the Shen Gon Wu getting protected as well now. His armor moved around his head, integrating with his goggles, his HUD showing up now, displaying information.
Mark Allen held up his left hand, where what looked like a rather ordinary watch rested. He pressed a button on it, his body changing as the nanites in him activated, covering him in a hot molten armor, fire bursting around his hands now, ready to burn as Molten Man.
Charmcaster smirked, reaching into her bag, producing several golems. She channeled her magic and spun, tossing them forward. The golems grew in size, landing with a thud on the ground in front of her, roaring. Energy glowed from her hands as well, preparing another spell.
Rose the Ravager pulled out both swords, slashing the air, eying her opponents with a fierce determination.
Blackfire floated up in front of them, grinning to herself, eyes glowing as she pointed forward.
"Attack!" Blackfire ordered.
Jack flew forward, tackling Cyborg, using his armor to smash into the being, tossing him backwards.
"Uni-beam!" Jack declared, channeling the Eye of Dashi's power into the laser on his chest, sending a powerful blast forward, knocking Cyborg out.
Molten Man threw a ball of fire as Beast Boy shifted into a tiger, hitting the changeling dead on with the blast. Beast Boy reverted back to normal, not getting back up.
Charmcaster swung her arms up, focusing her mana and sending her golems at Raven, who floated upwards, using her shadows to block magical attacks. The golems swarmed at her though, breaking through her shield and tearing her down into the ground.
Ravager darted forward, dodging the initial birdarangs from Robin, her swords flashing as she struck, tearing through him in mere seconds.
Blackfire laughed, slamming her hands together, sending a powerful beam of energy into Starfire, taking the girl by surprise, pouring the energy in until there was an explosion.
Robotic parts rained down, Blackfire smirking. The practice session had gone remarkably well, the robots Jack made for them now little more then scrap. She floated around, looking at her team.
Jack grinned a little, his face revealed again as his faceplate moved to revealed it, but he didn't add that these robots weren't nearly on the same level as the Titans themselves. Blackfire had told him to put these together for basic practice, and to make the others more confident, instead of more apprehensive, like Mark and Charmcaster were. Ravager seemed almost as eager as Blackfire to face the Titans, and Jack himself had stayed surprisingly quiet on the topic now.
"Alright, not bad," Blackfire said, nodding to her group, "This was just practice, but we'll be heading out tomorrow to defeat the real thing. We'll wear them down with some of Jack's robots and Charmcaster's golems, but if we stick to the plan...Remember, stick with your designated target."
Mark pressed a button on his watch, his molten armor disappearing, grinning himself at the device. Jack had managed to find the signal that activated his nanites, and the watch was made to be completely heat resistant and tough to break.
The Ravager just frowned, sheathing her swords and remaining quiet. Slicing robots was all well and good for her, but she wanted to go after the real deal. Mark looked confident, as did Charmcaster.
Jack walked over to Blackfire, his armor shifting off and back into his backpack, sidling closer to the alien girl. Unlike usual he didn't have that goofy grin he normally had on his face when talking to her.
"I'm all for beating down the good guys, but I did just whip up those robots in like an hour," Jack said, "Heck, that Beast Boy Bot was just a refurbished Chameleon Bot of mine. That just require a tiny bit of programming."
"And what are you saying?" Blackfire asked, frowning and looking towards Jack now, narrowing her eyes at the red head. Jack frowned a little, but didn't jump at the glare like he use to. Every day he was growing more and more use to the alien girl.
And with a small frown of her own Blackfire realized she had been growing more use to him.
"I'm saying that when we go up against the actual Titans it's not going to be this simple," Jack answered, "I have to say, I'm glad to be facing a team with another team. But I've been back stabbed enough times to know that when things go down, teams can break."
"I'm not going to back stab you," Blackfire said simply.
"Yah, I trust you," Jack said bluntly, then grinned brightly at Blackfire, "Huh, it's weird. I actually really do...But the others...well..."
He paused, looking back at the others for a moment, then back to Blackfire.
"I don't think Mark is going to back stab us. He's grateful for the help and the money, and he wants to pay back what he owes to us. He'll see this through, but after that...well...Who knows. Charmcaster...I think she's most likely to run on us. Pretty sure she just wants to use us...But then that means she'll have to see this through. That Ravager chick though...She's just...wooo, scary," Jack said, shivering a little.
Blackfire sighed a little shaking her head. She didn't say it but she found herself trusting his judgment like he trusted her's. And she found that extremely annoying.
"And when did you get so good at reading people?" Blackfire simply asked, "Either way, it doesn't matter. Once this job is done, I don't care where the rest of you go." a slight pause, "But that offer for you is still open."
A smirk from Jack now, "Yah, yah. I guess it depends on how they do. And I still think you'll want to stick around on this mud ball. Lots of neat stuff here. Besides...do you have a Plan B?"
"What do you mean by that?" Blackfire asked sharply.
"Like if we lose. I don't like the idea either, but I've lost plenty of times and bounced back from it," Jack said, "Don't put all your Wu in one basket."
"We won't lose," Blackfire said simply, "That's that."
Jack frowned a little bit, shaking his head, "Yah, yah..." He sighed, turning his head away from Blackfire, watching the others for a few moments for speaking back up.
"Well let's make sure everything's ready for the fight."
It was a pleasant day in Jump City. A month had passed since the incident with The Master and Slade, where five other heroes stepped up and became Teen Titans as well. But now in Jump City where the original five Titans, gathered at the usual pizza place they tended to frequent.
"So I've been talking with Spider-Man," Cyborg mentioned, as he devoured his seventh slice of pizza, "He and Turtle Titan have been working together in New York City pretty frequently, and apparently a team up or two with some of the other heroes over there. Think we could help them out and make a Teen Titans New York?"
Robin paused, rubbing his chin as Starfire sipped a bottle of mustard next to him.
"That's a pretty good idea," Robin said, nodding, "I've heard some good things about some of them out there, like Iron Man and War Machine. Think you'd be up to helping them formally set things up? I mean..."
He trailed off, remembering Titans East in Steel City. They were performing well, but after the incident with Brother Blood...
"Hey man, shouldn't be a problem," Cyborg grinned, "Spidey and that Turtle Titan guy seem to get along well with each other, shouldn't be a problem."
"Ohh, ohhh, I wanna go too!" Beast Boy said, "Road trip!"
"Please," Raven spoke up in her usual deadpan, "Last time Cyborg left, Beast Boy kept bothering me nonstop."
Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at Raven as Starfire laughed, Robin shaking his head and chuckling too.
"If Cy's fine with it..." Robin said, looking to Cyborg, "I'm sure the three of us can handle things here, and if we need some help I'm sure we can call for some."
"Yah, okay," Cyborg said, "But if Beast Boy gets my car dirty-"
Cyborg wasn't able to finish his sentence, when a sudden whirling noise sounded above them, and Jack Bots suddenly appeared from the skies, swirling down at them.
"Gahhh, robot invasion!" Beast Boy yelled, pointing and jumping up.
"Titans, go!" Robin yelled, producing his bo staff and swinging it around, hitting one of the Jack Bots that got close, smashing it into another one.
Starfire and Raven both floated into the air, Starfire letting out a way cry as she fired starbolts from her hands, razing through several of the robots. Raven's shadows grew from her, slicing through the robots, grabbing others and crushing more.
Cyborg leapt from the overhang where they are the pizza, grabbing one of the robots as he fell, swinging it downwards and smashing it into pieces as he slammed it into the ground.
Beast Boy changed as he jumped forward now, becoming a large raptor-like dinosaur, slashing wildly into another robot as he hit the ground.
A snorting sound, and Cyborg and Beast Boy turned, seeing brown golems appear from around the corner, pink veins of energy glowing around them.
"Well these are new!" Cyborg commented, using his sonic cannon to fire at the golems, smashing a few of them as they charged.
"Keep it up Titans, we can beat them!" Robin yelled, a birdarang flying from his hands and knocking off the head of one of the Jack Bots as he came downwards, his bo staff smashing through one of the golems.
Starfire turned, eyes glowing green as she prepared to fire. A purple blast of energy hit Starfire in the back, causing her to falter forward, before spinning around and gasping, as Blackfire descended from the sky.
"Sister! What are you doing here?!" Starfire asked, then scowled, "This is your fault, isn't it?"
"Of course it is, dear sister!" Blackfire laughed, "I told you I would have my revenge!"
"If you think some cheap robots and-" Robin began, being interrupted by Beast Boy.
"Freaky rock monsters?" Beast Boy supplied.
"...Those things are going to be enough to stop us, you have another thing coming," Robin finished, shooting Beast Boy an annoyed look, who just grinned sheepishly.
"Of course not...I brought some...allies..." Blackfire laughed, then snapped her fingers, "Get them!"
Jack appeared now, barreling forward in his armor, taking Cyborg by surprise and tackling him into an alleyway.
Charmcaster appeared, pink energy flowing from her, wrapping around Raven and tossing her to the side, before chasing after her!
Beast Boy yelped as a blast of fire came dangerously close to hitting him, Molten Man stepping out of an alleyway, before letting out a cry and charging at Beast Boy, who turned and run, trying to find a better way to counter him!
Swords slashed, and Ravager leapt from a building, Robin's bo staff barely blocking the twin swords, being pushed back, swinging his staff around now for a counter attack, the staff being redirected in a haze of sparks as Rose moved it out of her way with one of her swords.
Blackfire laughed, then narrowed her eyes at Starfire, "And I will defeat you, dear sister, and get my revenge!"
Blackfire charged at Starfire, throwing a powerful punch!
Jack slammed Cyborg into an alleyway, blasting through to the other side, coming out into a parking lot of a large mall. Cyborg hit a car as Jack pulled back, momentum causing the Teen Titan to keep going.
Jack Spicer floated in his armor, smirking beneath his face plate, scanning over Cyborg as the Teen Titan got back up.
"Gonna take more then that!" Cyborg yelled, and fired with his sonic cannon! Jack held up his hands, creating an energy shield that absorbed the attack, before firing a repulsor blast, knocking Cyborg back, sending him tumbling, where he smashed into another car, partially flattening it.
"Oh, believe me, I got a lot more!" Jack laughed, "You're dealing with Jack Spicer, Evil Genius!"
"...Who?" Cyborg asked, the name not familiar to him, looking confused.
"I...Ugh, never mind!" Jack yelled, scowling now. The Eye of Dashi in his chest plate glowed, directing energy around it, "Take this!"
Jack fired a unibeam, sending the powerful blast forward. Cyborg jumped and rolled, avoiding the blast that destroyed several cars behind him, before opening fire with another sonic cannon.
Jack didn't have time to block, the attack hitting him dead on and sending him backwards, skipping over the payment for a few jumps.
"Ugh...cheap shot!" Jack yelled, getting back up, only to find Cyborg had pressed his attack, charging forward and slamming a fist into his chest, sending him backwards some, stumbling.
"Don't know who you are, but I got to go help my friends!" Cyborg yelled, continuing to press his advantage, unleashing several powerful blows on Jack, forcing him backwards.
"Ugh...Computer...all power...to...shields..." Jack muttered as he was pounded again. His armor beeped, and as Cyborg brought another right hook around, Jack's shield activated. Cyborg hit it, and was tossed back by the energy, Jack breathing heavily.
"Status report..." Jack muttered, his armor doing a full scan.
"Armor efficiency has been reduced to 60% of full output. Armor is holding, but recommendation to pull back and repair," his armor responded. "Energy at 100%, but armor can currently only utilize 40% of energy at a time."
Jack frowned. The mystical Eye of Dashi had essentially a limitless amount of power for his armor to draw on. The problem was that his armor could only use so much power at a time without overloading it.
Cyborg had gotten back up, still looking unhurt, cracking his neck as he eyed Jack Spicer.
"So what, you a robot, or a suit or something?" Cyborg asked, vaguely curious as he figured out his next plan of action.
"...It's a suit..." Jack answered after a moment, "The most advanced battle suit on the planet!" he focused, then fired two repulsor blasts at Cyborg!
Cyborg dodged to the side, firing two sonic cannons now, one from each hand, Jack darting to the side as well, the two circling each other.
Cyborg then stopped, taking Jack by surprise, then rushed forward.
"BOOYAH!" Cyborg yelled, slamming his sonic cannon into Jack's chest, then fired. The blast hit hard, sending Jack flying backwards, tumbling end over end as he smashed through several cars, finally coming to a stop as he hit the trailer of a semi, seriously denting it and falling to the ground.
His chest plate sparked, and Jack shook his head.
"St...status..." he muttered.
"Armor integrity failing...shutting down to initiate repair functions," the armor responded. Jack groaned, his head falling backwards as he lost consciousness, his armor powering down as well.
"I'll be back to pick you up," Cyborg said, frowning, "Right now I gotta help my friends..."
Cyborg then hurried off, back towards the others.
Raven hit a street lamp, crying out loud as Charmcaster focused, her pink energy glowing brightly.
"Azerath Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven declared, her black energy blasting through Charmcaster's pink energy. Charmcaster stumbled back, as Raven focused, ripping the street lamp she had hit earlier out of the ground, throwing it at Charmcaster.
Charmcaster jumped upwards, barely avoiding the metal pole, before landing and reaching into her pouch.
"Take this!" Charmcaster yelled, throwing what looked like several small gray stones with pink veins on them. They hit the ground, and five golems grew from them, roaring and charging at Raven.
Raven waved her hand, sending waves of black energy on the ground. One of the golems crumbled from the hit, but the others jumped into the air, managing to avoid the attack. They tackled Raven, forcing her to the ground.
"Got you now!" Charmcaster laughed, grinning as she stepped forward.
Raven scowled, then disappeared through her shadows, leaving the golems confused, and Charmcaster's laugh stopped abruptly, turning around to try and figure out where Raven had gone.
"So are you just running then?" Charmcaster spoke up, "I guess I can't really blame you..."
"Fool...Do you really think your magic is a match for mine?!"
Charmcaster spun, Raven appeared from a black portal in the wall, a shadow claw coming from her, grabbing Charmcaster and slamming her into the building across the street.
The golems roared, charging at Raven now. Raven focused, flying upwards into the air, her shadow arm bringing Charmcaster back, throwing her at her own golems, smashing another one.
Charmcaster was released, scowling as she forced herself back up, shaking her head.
"I don't know who you are, but you better give up now..." Raven declared, floating back down to the girl.
"No...way!" Charmcaster yelled, focusing now, her eyes glowing pink, holding up her hands. Her bag flew open, and several blades glowing with energy shot forward, slashing towards Raven, who dodged to the side, crying out as one of the blades grazed past her arm, inflicting a cut.
Raven bit back a curse, her eyes briefly glowing red as her rage began to boil up. She forced it down, instead holding her hand up as Charmcaster produced more orbs from her bag.
"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted as Charmcaster tossed the orb, grabbing it in a bubble of her own magical energy. Inside, the energy exploded, condensing on itself, Raven starting to push it back.
Charmcaster's eyes widened, holding up her hand as her own mana came to life, shooting towards Raven's bubble, the black and pink energies fighting for dominance.
Soon, however, it started to become clear that Raven was winning, and Charmcaster released her spell, leaping for safety as the power came flying at her, creating a large explosion in the street, sending gravel and concrete flying.
"Po dra bufan uv Ledgerdomain E lymm vundr y dunnahd uv bufan!"
A powerful burst of pink energy shot through the debris, taking Raven by surprise and sending her flying back, Charmcaster racing forward now, her magic flowing more.
Raven stopped her momentum with a flap of her cape, black energy glowing around her, focusing her own magic, the gem on her forehead glowing.
Charmcaster let out a yell, firing a burst of pink energy. Raven focused, disappearing with a swish of her cape, the energy hitting nothing.
Charmcaster stopped, turning, but too late as Raven appeared by her side. Raven's leg went up with a kick, taking the white haired girl by surprise, knocking her backwards. Charmcaster stumbled, and Raven pressed her attack, a knee coming up and hitting Charmcaster in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.
Charmcaster keeled over, and Raven focused, grabbing Charmcaster with her black mana and slamming her into a wall. Charmcaster tensed, then relaxed, knocked out. Her golems' eyes faded, Charmcaster now out of commission. Gently, Raven lowered her to the ground. Raven then put her hood back over her head, then turned to head back with the others.
Beast Boy hit Molten Man, having changed into a rhino for a counter attack, smashing him through a tree, barreling through the nearby park.
Mark grabbed Beast Boy's head, focusing and heating his hands up. Beast Boy let out a roar, throwing Molten Man off, stumbling backwards and changing back to normal, his hands patting at his head.
"Augh, hot, hot, hot!" Beast Boy yelled, "Augh it's like the reverse of an ice cream headache!"
Molten Man picked himself back up, the grass around him burning away and leaving a circle of ash.
"Come on man, what's your problem?" Beast Boy wondered, "Have we met before?"
"Sorry, it's a job..." Molten Man answered. He flung his hands forward, throwing a burst of fire at Beast Boy, who changed into a hummingbird and darting to the side, avoiding the blast before changing back to his regular form.
"And it doesn't help you share a certain resemblance with someone I really hate!" Molten Man yelled. Green, pointed ears...a lot like a certain Goblin that got Mark into all this in the first place. He then charged forward and threw a punch, letting out a loud yell as he did so.
Beast Boy dodged to the side, becoming a gorilla and hitting Mark with a punch of his own, wincing as Mark went flying backwards, shaking his fist.
Mark slammed into a tree, breaking it in half. He roared in rage, grabbing the top of the tree, focusing. Fire burnt along it, and Mark tore it upwards with a another roar, throwing the flaming tree at Beast Boy.
Beast Boy trumpeted loudly, turning into an elephant and charging forward, smashing through the log and continuing towards Molten Man. Mark didn't have time to react as Beast Boy slammed into him, sending him flying to the side. Mark flew end over end, falling straight into the pond of the park.
Steam hissed around Mark, the teenager clawing his way out of the water, breathing heavily as he glared at Beast Boy, who had changed back to his regular form, staring towards Molten Man.
"Oh man, that's fire! You're a fire guy! Water!" Beast Boy said. He turned into a cheetah, darting forward. At the last second he shifted into a kangaroo, bringing his legs up and kicking Molten Man in the chest, sending him back into the water.
Steam shot up again, bursting into the air with a terrible ferocity, Beast Boy hopping back and waiting, looking to see where Molten Man might try and reemerge.
Suddenly the steam seemed to stop...and across the pond a figure emerged, shirtless and tanned, pulling himself out of the pond and coughing.
"Got yah!" Beast Boy yelled, jumping into the air, turning into an eagle and flying over the pond. Mark turned, eyes wide as Beast Boy changed into a elephant once more above him!
He fumbled with the watch on his wrist, pressing the button, feeling the nanites start to change him again...
Beast Boy slammed into the ground over Mark, then paused, feeling his bottom begin to grow very hot.
Molten Man roared, picking up the elephant Beast Boy, throwing the Teen Titan away from him, where he hit the ground hard, changing back to normal now.
"Enough playing around!" Mark yelled, fire bursting around his hands now, "It's time to end this!"
Beast Boy sighed, eying Mark carefully. That watch on his wrist...was it changing him...?
Slowly, a plan formed in Beast Boy's mind, and he darted forward again, charging as he turned into a rhinoceros once more, hitting Molten Man.
Mark took the hit, struggling against Beast Boy, trying to burn the changeling as he was pushed back.
With a grunt of effort, Beast Boy moved backwards. Before Molten Man could press the attack, Beast Boy changed into a tyrannosaurus rex, roaring, causing Mark to take a step back. Beast Boy then swung his tail around, hitting Molten Man and sending him once more into the lake.
The steam burst into the air. Beast Boy hesitated for a moment, then darted into the hot water, the steam disappearing soon after wards.
The water bubble for a bit, seemingly quiet, when it suddenly burst open, Beast Boy having become a squid, one tentacle tossing Mark to the shore, another holding the watch triumphantly.
Mark coughed up water, rolling over unto his back, head spinning as Beast Boy walked out of the lake, whacking some water out of his ear, holding the watch.
"Guess without this you can't change!" Beast Boy grinned, then frowned, "The others...I'll be back, don't go anywhere!"
Beast Boy changed into an eagle, flying off, clutching Mark's watch in his talons as he went.
Mark just closed his eyes, drifting out of consciousness.
Robin's bo staff spun around him, blocking Ravager's swords. He jumped backwards, landing on top of a parked car in the street. Ravager let out a yell and jumped forward as well, her swords slashing through the car like it was made of butter.
However Robin had already jumped backwards again, avoiding the attack as he studied Ravager's moves.
"Who are you? Why are you even attacking us?" Robin asked. Her outfit...it was much to similar to his...To Slade's...
"I am the Ravager!" Rose declared, glaring at Robin with her one visible eye, "You are responsible for the defeat of my father! The man you know as Slade..."
Robin frowned. So the similarities weren't just superficial...
"Your father is a megalomaniac," Robin said simply, "He needed to be stopped. Is he behind this? Did he bring all of you here to beat us?"
"No," Ravager said simply, "The others come for petty things. Money. Power. Vengeance. I come to restore my father's honor!"
Ravager's sword blurred, slicing at Robin. The sword missed him again, slicing through part of his cape, the Boy Wonder dodging to the side, producing a couple throwing discs.
"You don't have to do this!" Robin yelled, throwing the disc. Ravager leaped high above them, avoiding the freezing gas which would have stuck her to the concrete, slashing another disc Robin threw, parting the two halves to the side as it exploded behind her, landing in front of Robin neatly.
"Have to? Perhaps not. But honor demands it," Ravager said, slashing at Robin, who barely managed to block in time, stumbling back, "You are weaker then I thought you would be..."
"Because I don't want to hurt you if I can help it," Robin answered, narrowing his eyes as he spun his staff around, keeping an eye on Ravager. "I think you're just misguided. We can help you."
Ravager frowned, but paused, puzzled over Robin's words. This was the warrior her father had obsessed over? The one who he wanted to train, to make his protege instead of her?
She gripped her swords still, moving carefully, Robin still watching her every move, both ready to strike if the other moved.
Ravager looked upwards, seeing Blackfire and Starfire battling over the city, locked in conflict, sibling rivalry to it's ultimate extreme. She glanced back down to Robin, then glanced around the street they were on. She could hear the explosions, the fights of the others not too far off.
With a flourish, Ravager suddenly sheathed her swords, then nodded to Robin.
"Alright then...We can talk..." she said quietly.
Blackfire let out a war cry as she tackled her sister, both of them shooting upwards into the air, the Tamarian sisters locked in battle as they tumbled through the sky.
Starfire shouted back, slamming her hands down on her sister's back, forcing Blackfire to let go, the older sister falling down before she straightened up, dodging to the side to avoid a blast of starbolts from Starfire.
"You're not going to win this time, sister!" Blackfire scowled, "Your precious friends can't help you now!"
"I do not need the help of my friends to defeat you!" Starfire shouted, firing a blast of energy from her eyes, Blackfire letting herself drop to avoid the blast, before flying back towards Starfire.
Blackfire through a punch, hitting her red headed sister in the jaw, sending her flying backwards, shooting forward still and letting loose with a series of bone crunching blows, knocking Starfire back repeatedly.
"I will have my revenge! I will defeat you, defeat these precious Titans of yours, then I will be the strongest! I'll be the one everyone cheers!" Blackfire yelled.
"I...what?" Starfire said, confusion in her eyes for a moment, before a sudden understanding dawned, only to be cut short as Blackfire punched her in the gut.
Starfire let loose with a blast of energy, sending Blackfire reeling backwards, holding up her hands and sending a wave of starbolts at Blackfire. Blackfire held up her arms, blocking the attacks, only for Starfire to use them as cover and come flying in, letting loose with a kick that sent Blackfire flying backwards several yards before she managed to regain control of her flight.
"Sister, listen to me!" Starfire yelled, "I have never desired to see you hurt, to see you brought low! I have always loved you!"
"Lies!" Blackfire shouted back, her eyes glowing with energy, "Everyone always loved you better! They thought I was a freak! Not suited for the throne! I should have been the one to rule Tamaran, but you were chosen instead!"
Starfire floated there, quietly for a moment, blinking softly, a few tears forming.
"Sister Blackfire...I...I never knew..." Starfire said quietly, "I never knew that's what you thought...I..."
"Save it!" Blackfire growled, firing a blast of energy from her eyes, Starfire barely dodging them, "You're lying, just like always!"
Starfire clenched her fists, shaking a little, staring at her sister.
"...I am sorry sister. I did not know. Whether you believe me or not, I can not allow you to defeat me and cause harm to my friends," Starfire said softly, then shot forward, taking Blackfire by surprise, throwing her own punch and sending Blackfire flying backwards.
Before Blackfire could right herself, Starfire had continued forwards, firing a blast of energy from her eyes again, before letting loose with her own barrage of blasts.
Blackfire was strong, even for Tamarian standards. But she was arrogant, always sure of herself. She often lied and charmed her way through things, rather then use brute force.
Starfire was also strong, even for Tamarian standards. And while she preferred to talk to others and find a more peaceful solution, she fought hard, and fought often, as a member of a Teen Titan. Her role as a hero of Jump City often meant training, and real world instructions on how to use it.
And this showed. Starfire was faster, stronger, and in the end a better fighter then her older sister, blasting Blackfire backwards repeatedly, overwhelming her.
Blackfire glared at Starfire, clutching an arm that was in considerable pain after a punch from Starfire managed to hit a nerve. Starfire's expression remained one of some sorrow, which only infuriated Blackfire more.
"I...won't...lose..." Blackfire coughed, holding up her good hand. Energy glowed there briefly for a moment, then died out. Blackfire's eyes closed, and she started to fall...
"Armor reboot complete. Internal repairs have finished enough for movement."
Jack's armor came back online, and a moment later, so did Jack, rubbing his head through his helmet, moaning softly as he picked himself back up.
"Ugh...this feeling is all too familiar..." Jack frowned, "Computer, status..."
"Armor integrity at 23%. Recommend returning to base to complete repairs," the computer chimed. Jack frowned, rolling his eyes.
"Yah, yah, I know that. What about the others?" Jack asked. The computer was silent for a moment, then chimed up again.
"Mark's watch is currently deactivated. No magical energy from Charmcaster is detected. Unable to track Ravager. And Blackfire is currently plummeting to the ground."
"What?! Where?!" Jack yelled, looking upwards. His computer processed the request in a time frame too short to count, highlighting the form of Blackfire. It also showed Starfire, who was trying to catch her.
"Thrusters, on! Plot an intercept course! We're going to catch her!" Jack yelled.
"Warning, unadvised, recommend returning to base."
"Override!" Jack yelled, then shot into the air. He could feel his armor rattling around him as he shot towards Blackfire, angling out on an intercept. He didn't pay any attention to anything else, focused on the black hair girl that was falling.
He held out his arms, and with a sudden start he caught her, twisting in the air to bring his rocket boots to a stop, slowly coming to a stop before he landed on the ground. With his armor on the Tamarian girl was surprisingly light, unconscious in Jack's arm.
"Is she okay...?" Jack asked quietly. His helmet came off his head, receding backwards, the rest of his armor doing the same as it's condition deteriorated too much after his mad dash to catch her, revealing his black coat, red hair, and pale skin.
"We'll find out. But you're all under arrest..." Robin said. Jack looked up, seeing the five Titans coming towards him. He frowned, stepping back. He still held Blackfire closely, eyes darting back and forth, stopping as he saw Ravager behind the Titans. Had she betrayed them...?
Very slowly Rose brought a finger up to her lips.
Jack paused, then grinned. Even with his armor out...
"Jackbots, activated fall back procedure!" Jack yelled suddenly, "Get the others and cover us!"
The Titans turned, as Jackbots appeared from the skies, dropping out of their cloak, swarming towards the Titans.
Ravager produced her swords, dashing forward and taking Robin by surprise. At the last second her hand moved, and she knocked the Boy Wonder out with the hilt of her swords, before landing on a Jackbot and flying upwards on it.
Two more appeared by Jack, one taking Blackfire and flying upwards, Jack stepping on the other one and grinning as he was lifted into the air.
At the park and in the other street, two other Jackbots grabbed Mark and Charmcaster, bringing them up to the air.
"Hahahahahaha! See yah later Titans!" Jack Spicer laughed, holding his arms up, "This isn't the last time you've seen me, Jack Spicer, Evil Genius!"
As the Titans fought off the Jackbots, Jack, Blackfire, Charmcaster, Mark, and Rose got into Jack's jet, which blasted forward, heading back towards Jack's base.
As they did, Jack then finally winced, rubbing his arms and letting out a small whine. Jack was still a wimp in the strength department, and Blackfire had been heavy in his arms...
Jack then sighed, glancing back towards Rose, the only other conscious member of the group right now.
"So...what happened with you?" Jack asked, after a moment.
"When I was fighting Robin, he offered to help me," Ravager answered, "I looked up and saw that Blackfire was losing her fight. I did not think the rest of you would fair much better. I do not wish to take on all the Titans, simply Robin. So when the rest of you are more capable, I will have a better chance at fighting him without needlessly worrying about the other Titans."
Jack smirked a little, shaking his head, "That little faith in us?"
"No, Spicer," Rose answered, "I had enough faith that we would still be able to try again another day..."
Jack was working on his armor, holding up a glove and inspecting it, trying to figure out where he could better place the power lines to give it a better oomph. It had been a few days since the fiasco at Jump City.
Mark, Charmcaster, Rose, and Blackfire were still crashing at his plate. His parents hadn't noticed the increase of food Jack brought into the basement. They all had different reasons to stay.
Mark had nowhere else to really go. He talked briefly about heading to Vegas, but hadn't still, even after Jack whipped him up a new watch to turn his nanites off and on. He couldn't head back to New York City. The city was on complete S.H.I.E.L.D. lock down, after some kind of attack had decimated part of it, with a sudden increase of super powered gangs...
Charmcaster tended to wander, but lately she had been staying here too, often going over various books, one in particular that she had stolen from Tokiomi Tohsaka back when they recruited her. She often kept a bit to herself, but still joined in conversations with the others between her breaks.
Rose the Ravager also had nowhere else to go, and Jack's many Jackbots provided entertainment for Ravager as she sliced and diced them with her swords as she continued to train.
As for Blackfire...she was often quiet, frowning a bit. She had paid the others, even if they weren't successful. But now she was often listless, not floating around, instead walking around the basement Jack used for a room and workshop.
Blackfire wandered towards where Jack was, taking a seat and watching him for a minute as Jack worked. After a small sigh, she finally spoke up.
"...Ravager told me you caught me when I was falling," Blackfire said, after a moment, "If you've been looking for a thank you, you shouldn't be. I'm tough, I'd have been fine."
Jack smirked, putting the glove on and pointing it towards a target across the room, flexing the fingers before he looked back towards Blackfire.
"I know," Jack answered, "But we're a team. Gotta stick together. And speaking of which, I had an idea..."
Blackfire frowned, Jack turning towards her now, grinning brightly.
"It's been kind of cramped here. I was thinking we should get our own place," Jack began.
Blackfire's eyes widened, and for a brief moment Jack could swear he saw a blush, before it was quickly replaced by glowing eyes and a glare.
"Spicer I don't know what you're thinking-"
"Woah, woah, woah! Not us. I mean...us," Jack said, holding up his hands, indicating himself, Blackfire, Mark, Charmcaster, and Ravager, "Get some place, fix it up. Turn it into a headquarters. Room to expand."
"Expand into what?" Blackfire asked, frowning and calming herself down now.
"Well...you're going to run out of money eventually. I was thinking, we could be some kind of villains for hire. Do things for people, steal stuff, provide cover, things like that," Jack answered, "I've been looking around, and with H.I.V.E. busted down, there's no competition."
Blackfire paused, thinking it over. It wasn't a bad idea. Blackfire didn't exactly want to stay on Earth, but...she didn't exactly want to leave. She told herself it had nothing to do with Jack, or the others, but simply because she hadn't gotten her revenge yet.
"...Alright. And what do we call ourselves?" Blackfire asked.
"Spicer and The Spicer-ettes," Jack said with a grin. Blackfire narrowed her eyes and shot a small blast of energy, Jack yelping and jumping back.
"Kidding, kidding! Geez it was just a joke, you look like you needed one," Jack said, brushing off his shirt, "I was thinking...The Outlaws."
"Outlaws, huh?" Blackfire said, mulling that over, then smiled.
"Blackfire and The Outlaws? I like it," Blackfire said, "Let's do it."
A.N. And so Honor Among Rogues comes to an end!
Is this the last you've seen of the villainous group that's now for hire, going by the name of "The Outlaws"? Of course not! Expect to see them appear in later stories, and possibly a starring role in others! There's a lot happening in the world of Earth 42.
For now, I'm heading back to Avengers Assemble to get that story wrapped up. So prepare for the Ray Sphere Blast to finally happen in that story, and the Avengers of Earth 42 gather to take on Kessler, The First Sons, and other villains scrambling for power in the Big Apple!
Blackfire, Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Rose the Ravager from Teen Titans
Jack Spicer from Xiaolin Showdown
Mark Allen/Molten Man from The Spectacular Spider-Man
Charmcaster from Ben 10