Fan Fiction ❯ Will D. Beest ❯ Keeping Enemies Closer ( Chapter 8 )

Notes: Odd how people keep requesting the Titans I decided NOT to use... Yes, this has turned into a crossover of sorts. You can blame both my artistic license and Alan for that. ^_^ Obviously, Jade is a BIT older, but how much is up to your imagination, mostly. On a different topic, would a Cyborg/Raven buddyfic be weird? It's haunting me…

Chapter 8: Keeping Enemies Closer

The dog's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps. Its eyes opened slowly, warily scanning the room for the intruder's approach.

The door opened slowly, and a tall, red-cloaked figure strode into the room, golden cane in hand. "Relax, Yap. Just me." Absently, it reached down to stroke the dog's head with a heavy, gloved hand.

The dog whined softly and settled down, closing its eyes again. The Master was home, and all was well.

The next few minutes were filled with the sounds of battle gear thumping heavily to the floor. Though the gear was finely crafted and mostly clean, there was none of that precision in the way it was quickly discarded.

Fatigue had finally eaten away at the maker, and the reality was beginning to catch up with him. One man could only do so much. One boy...well, the verdict was still out on that.

But then, Lonnie Machin had never had much faith in the legal system.

Suddenly, the sanctum was breached by low, soft bell chimes.

"Screen up, active Caller ID," whispered a weary voice. "Unless it's top priority, MAX, take a message." He turned away, even as the wall split open, revealing a massive computer monitor.

"Caller identified," noted a computerized voice at once.

"Sender IDed as: Black Dragoness."

"Oh." The voice dropped to an annoyed growl. "HER." There was a brief pause before the headpiece was scooped up. "On screen, MAX. Volume low. I have a headache, and this call will only make it worse."

The screen lit up, revealing a grinning face. "Big A! Long time no see! I interrupt some brain fusion?"

"Jade," he muttered. "This had better be important."

"Right. Remember how you owe me for Etrigan not flaying the flesh from your bones and stuff?"

"What I remember is how YOU led the demon to me in the first place!" he shouted, slamming his cane into the floor.

"Okay, okay. BUT! Who gave him bigger fish to fry at the last sec, allowing you to get away relatively flay-free?"

"If anything, I'd say YOU owe ME, for allowing you to keep this number. I'm going to hang up now, Jade."

"Fine then. Hold a grudge! You prolly aren't up to the high-level hacking this job would require, anyway..."

His finger paused an inch away from the End Call button. "Don't waste my time. You know I'm the best hacker you have access to."

"I dunno. The Bat works faster, AND I don't have to pay him."

He snorted. "Don't insult me! I could type circles around him. Batman isn't even in my league."

"Did I say THE Bat? I meant the Batboy."

That was, of course, either the right or wrong thing to say. Hackers were a proud people; the better they were, the prouder they became. And by insinuating that a sidekick was better at hacking, even a Bat-taught one... Well, it was a low blow.

"I'm better than Robin. I'm better than them both!"

Jade grinned smugly; she knew she had him. "Then I got two words for ya, Big A: prove it."

* * * * *

"Okay, best three out of five!" Supergirl insisted.

"I am still not sure what the purpose of wrestling arms is," Starfire said.

"It's arm wrestling, and there's only one purpose: to win! Now, come on!"

"But have I not achieved the purpose with my previous two wins?"

Supergirl scowled at her. "You're winning. You're not supposed to want to quit yet."

"Forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but I am still worried about Raven."

Supergirl rolled her eyes and muttered, "That's what I was trying to keep your mind off of." Aloud, she asked, "Why worry? She said she was okay, right?"

Starfire looked down. "Raven is not one to share her problems. She may have exaggerated to avoid my concern."

"And yet here you are, still concerned," Supergirl pointed out. "Assuming she knows you that well, I don't think she'd bother lying right now. She knows you're going to worry no matter what."

"I suppose you are right," Starfire sighed.

"Look, we can't do anything until she gets here, so we might as well entertain ourselves. If you feel like pounding something, I think I've got some warbots in the back that still work."

"No. I would rather see Raven."

There was a dry chuckle behind them. "Amazing. I never want to hang out with her, and she still misses me when I'm gone."

Starfire's eyes lit up with joy as she turned and launched herself at the visitor. "RAVEN!!!"

Raven's reply was lost as Starfire tackled her, hugging her tightly and spinning them both through the air.

"I was so worried!!!"

"I noticed," Raven gasped. "Can I have some air now, please?"

Starfire relaxed her grip only slightly. "Oh, Raven. They have taken our friends! I thought...you had..." She trailed off, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Raven felt a slight pang of guilt as she carefully touched Starfire's cheek. "I'm fine, and we'll get them all back. I promise."

Starfire nodded silently and let her go. It was then that she noticed the person behind Raven. "Who is your companion?"

"Well, you MUST be Starfire," the girl said, looking the alien girl up and down. "I'm getting a toothache just looking at you."

Raven coughed and cleared her throat. "Starfire, Supergirl, this is Jade. She's...an old friend."

Jade cleared her throat rather loudly.

Raven shot her a look. "A CLOSE old friend."

Jade smiled, apparently pleased. "Nice to meet you."

"You do know your friend is considered a living weapon in forty-seven states, right?" Supergirl asked with a frown.

"Forty-six," Jade corrected. "They dropped the charges in Alaska. And in my own defense, most of the time, I never actually physically hurt anyone."

"Yes, well, I suppose summoning demons is the art of one who likes to keep her hands clean."

Jade smirked. "You're just mad cuz I could kick your butt without touching you."

Supergirl stepped forward, but Raven grabbed her shoulder. "No. Jade is here to help."

"Are you sure we need her kind of help, Raven?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "Unless you're hiding the rest of the JL down your shirt, I'd say yeah."

Supergirl opened her mouth to reply, but Starfire interrupted her. "You will help us save our friends?" she asked eagerly.

"Sure," Jade replied. "Any friend of Ray's is a friend of mine."

Supergirl and Starfire looked at each other in confusion, and then at Raven. "'Ray?'"

Raven closed her eyes. "This is going to be a LONG day, I can just tell..."

* * * * *

Robin's head snapped up as the blond girl stepped into view. He glared at the tan T on her shirt. "Is that supposed to be a sick joke?"

"I like to think of it as irony," she replied. "I have to say, I didn't think it would be this easy. Slade said you were the best. I think he was wrong."

He merely stared at her, as if waiting for something.

"I can only wonder how Starfire and Raven got away."

"As long as you have to wonder, you'll never beat us," Robin said.

"Oh, really? Why don't the two of us go right now and see who gets beaten?"

"I won't fight you."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?"

"No. I don't know if you're doing this because you want to, or because Slade isn't giving you a choice."

She smirked. "Either way, I'm about to kick your butt. You can take it sitting down or standing up. Doesn't matter much to me."

There was plenty of time to dodge, but Robin didn't move until her fist crashed into his jaw, knocking him back a few feet.

"Doesn't taking a dive go against your hero's code or whatever?" she asked playfully.

His eyes narrowed. "Funny you should mention that. If I go down, my friends will just get tougher. If you go down, Slade will get tougher...on you."

"Thing is, I don't plan on going down." She lunged at him again, easily landing a stiff punch to his shoulder.

Robin stumbled back, but stayed on his feet. "There's no reason for us to fight."

"You keep telling yourself that. It'll be easier to break your friends, after I tell them that you didn't even put up a fight." She grinned at him. "Not that it matters much. Slade will probably off them just for being so annoying. Can't say I blame him, either."

The next time she charged, Robin was ready, easily ducking under her punch. She was clearly surprised, because by the time she was able to stop herself and turned around, the heel of his boot was crashing into the side of her head, sending her tumbling to the floor.

"I don't know who you are, and I don't care," he said flatly. "No one threatens my team."

She stood up slowly, glaring at him. "Aw, did I hit nerve? Guess I'll just have to rip it out!"

"You can try," Robin answered, motioning her forward.

With an angry yell, she charged again, suddenly diving low and throwing all her weight at his right leg. He barely managed to twist away in time, but her shoulder still clipped his knee, and he went down, gritting his teeth to keep from crying out.

The girl was panting as she got and stared down at him. "Get up. You're not hurt that bad. Not yet, anyway."

"You're going to regret this," Robin swore as he stood up carefully.

"You gonna make me?"

Robin smirked. "No. But you will. Trust me."

"Talk is cheap," Terra snapped as she ran at him.

* * * * *

Raven rolled her eyes as the guard scrambled to his feet and saluted before quickly unlocking the gate. "I bet you get that reaction all the time," she muttered to Supergirl.

"Yeah. But I can't tell if they think I'm cute or if they're scared. Does a lot for my confidence either way, though. C'mon, she's down this way. I just hope this works."

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Well, no offense, Raven, but I trust Jade's hacker about as much as I trust Jade herself. Which is not at all, I might add. Do you really know her well enough?"

Raven sighed. "I understand your concern, but I think the real issue is, do you trust me enough to trust her?"

"Raven, you know I do! But you're not a criminal in contact with another criminal that's helping us break out ANOTHER criminal."

"No, but I vouch for the first criminal, and you're vouching for the last one, right?"

"Sort of," Supergirl admitted. "At least, I know she'll help if I promise her a few things."

"Nothing too unreasonable, I hope?" Raven asked.

Supergirl flashed her a grin. "You'd be surprised, the little things that these people really want."

As they walked down the long corridor, Raven recognized several of the names posted on the doors from the Tower's records. It was hard to think of any of them as allies, and she suddenly knew exactly how Supergirl felt about Jade.

They stopped at the last cell on the right side, and Supergirl slid away the small panel that was at waist height. "Hey. Want some exercise?"

"That you, Blondie?" asked a sleepy voice within.

"Yeah. You promise to play nice, and maybe I can get you out for a little while."

"Still tryin' to turn me into a good girl, huh? You know that's a lost cause."

Supergirl rolled her eyes. "You want out or not, Leslie? I'll owe you."

"I want my sentence cut in half," she said at once. "And a REAL interview with Supey. No holds barred."

"You know he hates even being in the same city as you, much less the same room. But I'll meet you halfway. I'll do the interview myself."

"Okay. I'm all yours, Blondie. But you don't think they're just gonna let me walk outta here?"

"You let me worry about that," Supergirl said, drawing back her fist. "Stand clear." With one punch, she flattened the steel reinforced door.

Raven peered into the cell. "She looks like a truck ran over her."

"They keep her heavily sedated. So she won't cause trouble."

"She's that dangerous?"

"She's that loud. Constantly." Supergirl walked in and carefully picked up the prisoner. "Raven, say hello to Livewire, our newest teammate."

"Temporarily," Raven and Livewire said at once.

"Oooh," Livewire murmured, grinning at Raven. "I like her."

"You like anyone with enough estrogen and a pulse," Supergirl remarked.

"So why can't she carry me?"

"Because I'm used to you fondling. She might take it personally."

"Too weak to fondle," Livewire pointed out. "They never let me juice up."

"Well, you'd break out if they did."

"What's your point?"

Supergirl shook her head and started back down the hall. She had only gotten to the next cell when Livewire stopped her.

"Hold on, Blondie. Gotta say bye." At the top of her lungs, she shouted, "HEY, RED!!!"

"Hey, Blue," came the casual reply from the nearest cell. "You walking?"

"Yeah. Be back in a few. Tape Howard Stern for me?"

"You got it. Good luck, Les."

"Seeya, Rudy!" She blew him a noisy kiss.

"Friend of yours?" Raven asked, glancing at the name on the cell.

"Yeah, Rudy's cool. We watch TV together. Well, he watches, and turns it up loud enough so I can hear."

"Sounds like a keeper."

"He's sweet, but his first love is TV. Radio's my thing. It'd never work." Livewire paused, winking at her. "Why, you interested?"

"Down, girl," Supergirl said mildly. "At least let us get outside first."

"She's just jealous," Livewire whispered to Raven.

"Well, time to see if Jade's hacker is any good," Supergirl murmured as they approached the guard station again.

Predictably, the guard was nothing short of indignant when he spotted Livewire. "HEY! What do you think you're doing?! She's not allowed out of her cell! EVER!"

"I think you'll find she was just put up for parole an hour ago," Raven said. "We're authorized to take her into our custody. Check if you don't believe me."

Frowning, the guard ducked inside the station and checked his computer. He emerged a moment later, looking a bit sheepish, and somewhat wary. "Well, the system does say that, but…"

"Be honest with yourself. Do you really want her here any longer than she has to be?"

The guard looked at Livewire, who was grinning merrily at him. He looked back at Raven, and replied without hesitation, "Have a nice day, ladies."

"You owe Jade an apology," Raven said the instant they were outside.

Supergirl glared at her. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Honestly, I could care less. But you don't know Jade, and she's going to hound you until you apologize. Trust me, it's better to just get it out of the way as soon as you see her. Otherwise, you're in for a migraine like you wouldn't believe."

"Think I like her, too," Livewire sighed. "Any chance you dolls could fly through a thunderstorm on the way to wherever we're going?"

* * * * *

Starfire had not made up her mind whether she should be happy Jade was going to help, or suspicious of her motives, like Supergirl had been. Computers were still a mystery to her, so she had made little effort to go through the Tower's files, and consequently had no knowledge of Jade whatsoever. It had occurred to her, though, that Raven had left them alone in the Fortress so they could get to know each other.

Currently, Jade was using the Fortress's computer to familiarize herself with the HIVE agents and Blackfire. Starfire was not sure that Supergirl would appreciate Jade resting her black boots on the console the way she was. Jade seemed to have never heard of privacy, as she'd even explored Supergirl's room. Whatever her intentions, all she'd managed to do was let Supergirl's giant pet moth out. Instead of attacking them for being intruders, though, the moth had contentedly perched on Jade's head and remained there as she browsed through the files.

Starfire watched from a distance for a while, before finally deciding to engage Jade in conversation. Wildy was asleep in Supergirl's room, so there was little else for her to do.

"Jade? How did you and Raven meet?"

Jade didn't look away from the screen as she answered. "I thought you'd get around to asking that. Actually, she tried to bust me for stealing a book from a museum. Said book contained ancient spells intended specifically for world destruction and the like, so I thought maybe I should keep it safe, or at least destroy it. Only Ray took the book from me, and I tracked her down, planning to take it back. I never really did get around to finding out what she did with it."

"Why is that?"

"Because when I found her, she had red eye times four and was ten feet tall. I could've asked questions, but I decided to just kick her shadowy butt and ask questions later."

"I am having trouble understanding how you became friends, then."

Jade laughed. "I used a combo of martial arts and chi spells to stun her, then I flooded most of the bad chi out of her with an overdose of good chi. I thought it would probably kill her, but it just calmed her down. Something in or about the book made her go all creepy, so I assume she got rid of it. After that, we just kinda…I dunno, started living together."

Starfire stared at Jade's back in shock. "What?"

"It made sense at the time. She was still pretty new to the world at large, and she needed someone that could keep her in check, if she went creepy again. I missed having partners, so it was perfect. We had an understanding, and for a while, it worked out fine."

"Then what happened?"

"She got scared. Started saying instead of helping her maintain control, I was making her lose it. I didn't understand then, but I do now. I was too close to her. She couldn't afford to get attached to anyone, for fear that she might hurt them. And even though I was one of the few people best equipped to deal with her dark side, she wouldn't stay. Wouldn't let herself stay, really. I have no doubt that she wanted to, but she cared about me too much, and that was the problem. She seemed convinced that she wasn't supposed to care for anyone at all. Ever. But I guess she's changed her way of thinking, if she joined you guys. Maybe what she really needed was a support group, instead of just one support."

"Raven is still very private," Starfire said. "But she trusts us, and we trust her. She is our friend."

"That's good. She needed friends. I'm glad she finally saw that." Jade sighed a little. "Can't help but feel a little jealous, though."

"She did not stay in contact with you?"

"Sure. But keeping in contact with isn't the same as being with. Maybe I'm just being selfish, but when I first saw Ray again, I could only think one thing. `Finally. Finally, she's mine again.' It's crazy, but I want her back. I'm not even sure why just yet."

"Perhaps you have been alone for too long?"

"Maybe. I have missed being a team player. I just hope I'm not feeling this way for the reason I think I am."

"What reason is that?"

"Can't tell you. Well, shouldn't. You might tell her, and I really couldn't deal with her knowing right now. So I'll keep it to myself. Nothing personal. Actually, it IS personal. Very. So I can't share."

"I understand," Starfire said simply as she walked away, still reeling from the conversation.

Jade frowned thoughtfully when Starfire was gone. Talking about it had made her feel a little better. It was best to remember the old times, and remind herself that there could be no future with both her and Raven in it. Not because it was dangerous, but because it just wasn't healthy for either of them. Anyway, Jade had done some stupid things in the past, and had supposedly learned from them. Why, then, did she experience the same feelings of joy and reassurance every time she looked at Raven? Certainly the feelings weren't coming FROM her, and Jade really hoped they weren't what she feared they were.

Getting close to Raven had been impulsive and foolish. Going beyond that, even without intending to, was downright stupid. The problem was that, despite all her confidence in her abilities, Jade was feeling something she hadn't felt it a long time.

To put it simply, she was feeling pretty stupid.

* * * * *

"This is Summer Gleason with your evening weather. As you probably know by now, our fair Gotham City is in the midst of some strangely powerful thunderstorms. Better start making those rain checks now, Gothamites, because you do NOT want to be outside when these storms start kicking up again later tonight."

Batman paused the feed and leaned back in his chair, frowning thoughtfully.

"Honestly, Bruce. We're in the middle of a war with Mongul, and you're watching the weather?" Wonder Woman asked as she walked up behind him.

"That isn't a normal storm front," Batman replied. "Not for Gotham, not for anywhere. And according to the last feeds I checked, they're popping up in two other places. Either of them seem familiar?"

Wonder Woman's eyes widened as she looked at the map he was holding. "That one's right on top of the Fortress of Solitude! And this one-"

"Is at Titans Tower," Batman finished for her. "Whatever's causing them can't be a good thing. I'd hate to be there when they all meet up."

"You think this could be the start of a natural disaster?"

"There's nothing natural about it, Diana. But we can hardly put our fight on hold. We'll just have to trust that the Titans can handle this on their own."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Next Chapter: Livewire charges up, but can she be trusted? Jade has an idea to toughen up Wildy, but can she be trusted? Plus, a new hero enters the mix!

Reviews!

TheDarkAzar

Go Raven! This is getting good...although I'll probably hate the embarressing part. And make Raven kick Blackfire's butt! I HATE BLACKFIRE!!

-I see you're going by the comic version of Terra where she likes Slade. One of my own characters were like that. No, twice. The second time was a good thing, but the first was just for a little bit of vicious humiliation for Slade and my character. Ter was a bad guy, and so was Slade in that one. Wait-oh. Right. *cough cough* My bad! Nice story, and thank you for not making Raven fall in love with someone! I made the big mistake of reading one of those. Exactly half a chapter later I stopped reading, my arms wrapped around me straightjacket style. Lol. Keep writing, or I'll have my character Luna go wolf on you! -Hee hee, my joke.

Raven would have more of a score to settle with Jinx (for turning Wildy on her), and Starfire might be better suited for the kicking of her sister's butt.

I've been combining elements of the show and the comics. Mind you, Terra did a LOT more than just LIKE Slade in the comics. You could argue how touchy they got on the show, behind the scenes, etc., (not counting when he hit her), and I'd be hard-pressed to disagree. I see Terra as not wanting to be alone, and Slade providing what she thinks she needs: discipline, companionship, and someone to be proud of her. I'm just hinting as far as the story is concerned, but I'd like to think TV Slade only shows Terra affection to get a better grasp on her loyalty, not to get his white-haired mack on (comic Slade has always been an older man, but in great shape). It's more likely Terra's crush is one-sided in that respect, but that Slade encourages it solely to better hold her as his apprentice.

I don't think Raven can't fall in love, just that it would be extremely dangerous and difficult if she did, so that she usually wouldn't. Sure that story you read wasn't Titans: Revealed?

(I recommend reading the classic "The New Teen Titans: Judas Contract" for more info on Joey, Terra, Slade, and the Titans themselves)

Telekinetic Raven

You are doing a Jackie Chan Teen Titans Crossover? Not exactly my choice but it is still pretty good. Keep it up!

Don't worry, only Jade and her three stooges will be showing up from that show. I won't say this crossover is limited to JC, though I will say EVERYONE else is a DC character...

kosumi

Shendu? Shadowkhan? Is that JADE from Jackie Chan?! hahhahaha... das weird. Isn't she like 9 or something?! Woah... das crazy... well I hope you can explain their whole relationship in the next chapter. When you said gueststars... i thought they would be from the show or the comic books. But crossovers are fine too. Great chapter. Please continue!

Glad to see you know your JC history. Aside from Jade, all other guest stars will be DC characters. But realize that I encompass a LOT of sources when I write. I'm a big fan of the old comics, not just the newer ones, and I draw from both. Not only that, but I'm taking shows into consideration (JLU, Batman/Superman Adventures, etc.)

As for Jade (she's not 9 anymore) and Raven, I explained a lot THIS chapter. But more is sure to come. Don't worry, ALL my Titans stories won't end up like Titans: Revealed. That was largely an experiment. And maybe that's not a good word to use…

Amethyst

Meh... He's still hot. *blinks* Jackie Chan Cartoon crossover? Cool...

I'm sure His Liquid Coolness is rather fond of you, too. He told me so. As he was on his way out. Of the fic. Forever. Sorry...

As for the crossover...I can neither confirm or deny that. Legal technicalities and all. You understand. :)

kosumi

I LOVE this fic!! really awesome. I'm really enjoying it!! I'm so amazed at how you manage to fit in all these characters! You also make it very easy to read and not at all confusing! I'm really liking your character Sylvan also, and I'm gald he's not becoming a marysue. I can't wait for the next chapter... hey... anyway you could add in Aqualad and Speedy? They're both favorites of mine!! Anyways, AWESOME AWESOME fic. Keep it up!

Glad you like the fic. Sylvan is very powerful, but people who can knock you over with a finger aren't all that mysterious, so I gave him limits and personal problems to make him more interesting. Guess it worked. Sorry, Aqualad & Speedy aren't on the guest list as of now. They're busy, remember? The flimsy excuses were there for a reason. And they were more MY excuses than theirs. ^_^;

Trivia Fact: I'm surprised Cyborg was able to get away with moonlighting as Stone, but not for the reason you might think. As it turns out, there's a MARVEL Comics character named Stone with the exact same powers (well, his aren't a hologram). The main difference being that Marvel's Stone is a bit older, white, and the last time I saw him, bleeding on his shower floor, (he wasn't in stone form at the time) courtesy of Sabretooth. Someday, these government idiots have to learn to stop trusting that guy...