32 Productions Presents…
A Teen Titan Fan FictionThe New Titans in…"Tartarus"
Chapter Four
Conjure's Room: After Breakfast
She had to admit…meeting little Stephanie cheered her up a bit. Who knew she had a fan?
Appa: A fan? She likes your dress, not you.
A fan of her sense of fashion then. Appa snorted.
Appa: You're making jokes now? I know you're cracking.
Conjure rolled her eyes. Whatever. Someone out there cared. Without even knowing her, the little girl kept a picture. …if only she was healthier, she'd take a real picture and give it to her. In her current state, why bother? She was ugly…
Appa: Ugly?! Bite your tongue, my little Debra! You're beautiful. You've just lost a little weight, that's all.
Conjure: I once weighed 115 pounds. Thanks to you, I weigh 95 pounds. I'm ANOREXIC because of you, Appa.
Appa: You're talking to me again…out loud. Not a good sign.
Conjure groaned and held her head.
Conjure: I don't care. This is my room, nobody can hear me if I talk low enough, not even my sister.
Appa: Whatever makes you feel better.
Appa laughed in her head. The laughter was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Conjure: The door is open.
Beast Boy opened the door.
Beast Boy: Hey. You missed breakfast again.
Conjure: Actually, I didn't. I got a bite to eat with Hood. Ham and cheese omelet, it was very good.
Beast Boy: …Hood? Are we talking about the same guy who eats in his room?
Conjure: He apparently now has a mask that he can wear and eat at the same time. He's told me he'll start eating with us from now on.
Beast Boy looked skeptical. Conjure crossed her arms.
Conjure: What?
Beast Boy: You really think he'll do that?
Conjure: Why not? He said he would and I've no reason to not trust his word.
Beast Boy: Besides him being a total recluse?
Conjure: Daniel…I'm just as much a recluse as he is. No, more so. I can't even expose my feelings to myself.
Beast Boy: Yeah…but you've got a reason for that.
Conjure: And you assume he doesn't?
Conjure held her head.
Conjure: It never ceases to amaze me how whenever you talk to me, you shove your foot in your mouth.
Beast Boy: Wha…what?
Conjure was usually so polite and even tempered…hearing her snap, even at such a mild tone was a surprise. Conjure gestured.
Conjure: Just go away. Leave me alone.
Beast Boy left, stunned. He didn't have time to think about it before the alarm went off. Trouble.
Museum
The place had been broken into…the broken doors told them that much. Whoever it was, they were either very dumb or it was a trap. Hood deduced all this as soon as he saw the bashed down doors. Caution told him to expect the latter.
Hood: (whisper) I don't like this…stay on your toes, all of you.
M: (whisper) But my feet don't touch the ground.
Skeemat: (muttering) I was almost finished the car too…
Hood rolled his eyes and kept moving through the dark museum. Inside, they found Talos, messing with…stuff.
Ebony: …does this feel wrong to anyone else?
Hood: …very.
Ebony yelped as she was tackled by Lupine who snarled and snapped her teeth, trying to bite her.
M: Hey, only I get to…YOW!
A blue beam narrowly missed M's head as Melvin attacked. Before M could recover, Melvin grabbed him, flying up with him. Appa slid out of Conjure, blocking the sword swing from Nemesis as Beast Boy was flung into the wall by a huge gale. Skeemat found herself dodging the aforementioned stuff as Talos attacked her. Siren let out a shriek that sent Helios reeling, covering his ears in pain.
Phobos: The Teen Titans…back after so long only to leave so soon.
Hood: We'll see about that.
Phobos: The only thing we're going to see is what keeps you up at night.
M dodged another blast from Melvin.
M: You're going to show him coffee?
M teleported behind Melvin and gave him a small dose of his explosive power. Hood attacked Phobos before he could gather enough wits to use his powers on him, striking him along side his head with his nightstick. The suit he wore offered protection, of course, but it was enough to daze him. Nemesis swung her sword again, still getting only Appa.
Nemesis: Come on! Fight me already! This is humiliating!
Conjure: I don't approve of violence. I…oof!
Smirking, Nemesis pulled her fist back. By swinging her sword in one direction, and her fist in the other just as quickly, Appa couldn't block both. Of course, it would naturally block the deadly strike. Nemesis put her sword away and drew her knives.
Nemesis: Too bad. I not only approve, I advocate.
Conjure: You didn't let me finish. I don't approve…but SHE does!
Appa lashed out in the form of a snake, one of Conjure's most common uses. A large enough snake can easily bind a crook without hurting them, after all. Nemesis dodged it, hurling one of her knives at Conjure's head. Appa knocked it aside.
Nemesis: I don't think so, Lime-girl.
Meanwhile, Ebony sent Lupine sprawling with a shadow ram. Lupine flipped up, growling.
Ebony: You bit my hand! What the hell, lady?!
Lupine: Whiny girl lucky. Lupine aiming for throat.
Ebony: WHINY?!
Ebony leapt at Lupine, clawing her across the face. Stunned that someone else would use similar tactics of her own, Lupine didn't move until Ebony kicked her in the mouth. Lupine rolled and touched her face.
Lupine: Whiny girl…cut Lupine…
Ebony: Now who's whining?
Lupine: Lupine not whine…
She grinned wickedly.
Lupine: Lupine excited!
Lupine charged Ebony, clawing at the shadow wall she put up to protect herself. Talos swung his huge metal fist at Skeemat, missing her head by inches.
Talos: You call that a battle suit? Looks more like a cheap special effect for a B Movie.
Skeemat: Is that right?
Skeemat pointed her wrist mounted gun at him and fired a concussion blast. It was like getting hit by a battering ram, sending him across the room.
Skeemat: Does THAT feel like a cheap special effect, asswipe? Only a guy would think that bigger makes it better.
Siren: Oh, it does! It does! Excuse me, big guy…you wouldn't want to hurt little me, would you? A big strong man like you against a little helpless girl like me?
Helios paused, his mind fogging. Her voice…it was…so beautiful. So hard to ignore. He completely missed it as Beast Boy used the added muscle of a rampaging elephant to his disposal and charged right through Squall's wind, punching him away. Siren smirked and looked to see who needed help the most.
Siren: Ah…sweetie, be a dear and take care of that masked boy attacking my friend, hmm? I'd be ever so grateful.
Grateful…that was good. Helios grabbed Hood.
Hood: What are you doing, Helios?!
Helios: Gotta do what she says…
Skeemat: You big dummy! Snap out of it, you bloated bastard!
The insults began to cut through the fog. His grip loosened…but it was too late. Phobos triggered his powers on Hood. The world around him faded away. A man stumbled out of the darkness, skin rotting. Yet Hood knew that moustache anywhere. And the bullet holes and blood stained clothes were a good indication as well.
Hood: D…dad?
Hood's Dad: Why? Why did you let me die…? You knew what I was doing, but you didn't even try to stop it…
Back in the real world, Hood struggled frantically, screaming.
Skeemat: HELIOS, LET HIM G…AAGH!
Talos punched her across the face again, the clang of metal on metal resonating in the museum. Helios dropped Hood, shaking his head. Confused, he turned toward Talos, grabbing his arm as he pulled it back to punch Skeemat again. Talos pulled but he was too strong.
Helios: Get off her!
M's continued fight with Melvin took a sudden turn as the next explosive ball he sent at Melvin caused him to lose electrical cohesion. In other words, what kept Melvin in one piece, disappeared. M blinked in confusion.
M: …uh…YEAH! And don't come back!
Told you Melvin wouldn't last long. Upon hearing Hood scream (and feeling his raw terror), Conjure broke off from fighting Nemesis and ran to help him. Before Nemesis could follow, she was hit by Squall. Beast Boy had tossed him with gorilla arm power. Lupine was getting the upper hand as Ebony had slowly lost herself to her instincts, attacking in a manner similar to Lupine's. At the last second, however, Ebony remembered what she was capable of and used her shadow as a net as Lupine leapt at her again. As Lupine struggled to get out, Ebony kicked her.
Ebony: And that's for clawing my boob, bitch!
Which was the reason Ebony lost control in the first place. …that freaking HURT! Thankfully it was only the top of her chest, but still! Come on! That's just not right! Anyway, Conjure was running toward Hood when Siren got in the way, kicking her aside.
Siren: Not so fast, Bones. Let's listen to him scream for a while longer. I wonder how long it'll be before his vocal cords just…pfft. Give out.
Conjure: Move, now.
Siren: Make. Me.
In that instant, something inside Conjure broke.
Appa: Make her. Make her. MAKE HER! MAKE HER! DO IT NOW!
Conjure: FINE! I WILL MAKE YOU!
Appa shot out like an arrow from the quiver, taking the form of a puma and clawing at Siren who just barely dodged it. A tentacle wrapped around her leg and she was flung into the wax models of the cavemen. All Conjure knew was the anger that had been swelling in her heart since she was four years old. Anger that had become pure hatred. Siren was thrown around like a rag doll. Startled by this, Phobos dropped his power. Hood snapped out of it, seeing Conjure ready to kill Siren. Appa took the shape of a swordfish.
Conjure: Are going to MOVE now?!
Siren: Y…yes! I give up, I'm sorry!
Conjure: Heh…no, I don't think you are…but you will be!
She shoved the bladed fish downward. Instead of piercing Siren, however, it hit something else.
Jinx: N…no more…p…please…
Siren: M…mom?
Jinx had heard of the museum break in through former connections that she managed to resurrect for a time. She arrived just in time to see her daughter about to be murdered.
Jinx: Don't hurt my little girl anymore.
Blood ran from her shoulder where Appa had penetrated. Appa vanished and Conjure sank to her knees.
Conjure: I…I won't…I…
Conjure began crying uncontrollably.
Conjure: I didn't mean to…
The other members of Tartarus took the time to escape during the confusion, leaving Siren and Lupine behind. Jinx hugged her injured daughter.
Siren: You shouldn't be here, Mom…
Jinx: Neither should you…I can't stop them from taking you to jail, damn it. Why did you do this?
Siren: I wanted to know who Dad was…and I wanted to be like you.
Jinx: Nadina…my life was crap. You don't want to be me.
Siren shrugged weakly. Her shoulder hurt…
Siren: I was hoping to skip the crap parts. I'm sorry, Mom…
Jinx: I know.
The police came and took Lupine to jail while an ambulance took care of Jinx and Siren. Ebony hugged her shaking sister.
Ebony: It's okay…she's going to be just fine…
Everyone seemed to be okay, not lasting injuries. …well…no physical ones anyway.
Tartarus H.Q.: Main Room
Nemesis kicked the wall in frustration.
Nemesis: Great. Just fricking great! Melvin exploded, Siren and Lupine are in jail, and we didn't do a damn thing!
Squall: I stole some jewels from a case…
He held up some emerald and ruby necklaces and bracelets Nemesis snatched one.
Nemesis: Oooh…this one is going in my room. I take it back, that went well.
Phobos: I have to agree…but not for the same selfish reason.
Talos: What do you mean "went well"?! My armor has dents in it, the systems are damaged and we're down three people.
Squall: To be fair, Melvin wasn't really "people" in my book.
Phobos: We'll find someone else, no big deal. Then we break out the girls, as I had originally planned. We learned how they fight…and we got away with it. Next time, we'll do even better. And if there's a point afterward, we'll do better still. We've got this by the ass.
Nemesis: Eh, whatever. I'm going to go to bed now.
Titan Tower: Conjure's Room
Appa snickered in Conjure's head as she packed her suitcase.
Appa: What's wrong, my little Debra? You know you enjoyed that earlier. Why so glum?
Conjure said nothing, thought nothing. She was going home. …her mother was informed of what happened and she demanded her daughter come home for "treatment". She rolled her suitcase into the main room. Everyone was there.
Ebony: …sorry, sis…I…I had to tell.
Conjure: I understand, Arella. I…I am upset that I have to go, but…it's necessary. I've become a liability.
Hood shook his head.
Hood: Why didn't you tell us it was this bad?
Beast Boy: She just told us. She didn't want to leave.
Conjure wiped her eyes and forced a weak smile.
Conjure: I'll never forget the fun we had. You…all of you…made me happy, even if you didn't realize it. …M, I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and I…and I wish you and my sister the best of luck.
M: Thanks…you get better and come back quick, okay?
Appa laughed again.
Appa: "Get better", I love it! Such stupidity all around.
Conjure: …that won't happen. I'm sorry…it…she's talking to me now...I…I'm not going to come back…and I'm not going to get better. …I don't think I'll be the same person when we meet again.
Hood: …don't say that, Conjure…
Conjure took her cloak off, dropping it.
Debra: My name is Debra Knight. …nothing more. Good bye, my friends. I'll miss you all.
After a big hug, Debra rolled her bag out the tower door.
Appa: I'll miss this place…after I make you destroy it. We're going to have so much fun, you and I! Oh so much fun!
Debra: …I somehow doubt I'll appreciate it much, Appa.
Appa: You will. I promise you that.
A tear rolled down Debra's cheek as she rode Appa in giant bird form back to the house she was raised in…and away from the place she had learned to call home.
END