Teen Titans: Twilight of the Gods (IC/Limited Acceptance/S/PG-16)

[Ren✧]

Kiara was only vaguely aware of the other Titans around her. The majority of her attention was focused on the cold arrogance that permeated Vulture's empathetic output. She stared into his eyes amber eyes, she could practically see the apathy pooling up inside of them. The telepath steeled herself for what she about to do. Since becoming a Titan she had learned the fine line she had to walk with her powers. Not only because of others' privacy, but because she knew that misusing her powers could turn her into the monster that she had grown up under. The monster that she was hunting. Kiara had learned to walk a razor's edge. She just hoped that this interrogation didn't cause her to slip.

 

"Can I get something to drink? I'm parched." Vulture's cool tone slid over Kiara's skin like ice water, waking her from her philosophical trance. It seemed that the others had more-or-less cleared the room, though Kiara knew they would be watching from the other side of the glass. Still, at this particular moment, she couldn't help but feel alone. She desperately tried to recall what Cygnus' hand felt like on her shoulder just a half hour before, but her mind drew a blank. Taking an unsteady breath she looked at Vulture again, her eyes having wandered to the ground, but noted that he wasn't even looking at her, instead he seemed preoccupied with something interesting on the barren wall.

 

"Sooo, is that a no on the water or...?" Whatever indignant feelings the Blade of Shira had harbored upon being transported to Titans' Tower, he seemed to have shed them now. Turning slowly to look at Kiara, he leaned in, the cocoon he was encased in making a strange ruffling sound as he did so. "So what's the game, sweetheart? You don't look nearly as tough as that giant that was in here before. And tip, if you wanna try to seduce me, these really aren't the right kind of bonds." Vulture chuckled at his own joke. "I think we both know that your team is out of their depths here." 

 

It was at that moment that Kiara launched her first attack. Immediately, Vulture's chauvinistic dialogue faltered, his bravado replaced by a sense of understanding. "So, that's the game we're playing." 

 

Kiara grit her teeth. Clearly the man had training mental defense, she had hardly taking a step across his psyche before he had sensed her presence. However, she forced herself to keep a cool demeanor. "Then let's play." 

 

Throwing her psyche against his own, Kiara raced further into Vulture's mind, hoping that her speed would compensate for his clearly superior training. Kiara didn't get far though until she felt herself press up against mental barrier. Straining she tried to break it, but the wall only grew. Suddenly, Kiara felt very small. Not like when she occasionally happened upon Cygnus' mind. That sensation was like being in a valley, surrounded by rolling hills under a night sky. This sensation was like being shrunk down to the size of an ant and being forced under the weight of a boot. Ultimately, she knew the boot didn't want to kill her, but it also didn't care. However, more frightening she realized that her death would be meaningless. Meaningless to the boot and everything beyond.

 

Kiara's back was up against the wall, she was still staring into the eyes of Vulture, an amused smile had touched his lips. A tightness had overcome her chest and sweat coated her brow. "Still want to pla-"

 

She was more blunt this time. The first time she had entered Vulture's mind Kiara had tried to be fast and that hadn't worked. This time she crashed through the barriers he put into place, not trying to outrun anything. Though she was careful not to harm any of his naturally occurring thoughts or inflict any real pain on to him. This time she could look around his mindscape, it was quite possibly the most mundane mind Kiara had ever seen. It simply appeared to be a very expensive looking home. Of course, Kiara knew that it was all an illusion constructed by both her and Vulture's mind, but still she was disappointed to find that it was a loosely abstract vulture's nest.

 

Traversing the Vulture's mind, while at first easier than when she had ran in half-cocked, quickly took a turn for the worse when each time she turned the corner in the lavishly furnished house, which was turning out to be more like a mansion, Kiara felt herself shrink in size, or perhaps the house grew. Either way, within moments, whatever secrets lay beyond the doors of Vulture's diseased mind she wouldn't even be able to reach them. Simply having to admit defeat, Kiara again retreated to her own mind, careful to guard against any incursions in case Vulture had any offensive telepathic abilities. 

 

"No round three? Finally realized you can't beat me?" Vulture called after Kiara as she walked out of the room, her head in her hands. 

 

"I couldn't get anything out of him." Kiara wanted to try and explain why. Try to explain how good Vulture was. Also try to explain why she couldn't torture the man, even though he would obviously do the same to any of them. However, instead the only thing that slipped out was. "I failed." 

[Saiba Aisu]

Cygnus rejoined the other Titans on the sofa outside of the interrogation room, though his gaze was slowly drawn towards the one-way glass as if by magnetism, focusing on the two individuals inside, locked in a telepathic battle of wills. The so-called "Vulture"... And Kiara. As always, he couldn't help but marvel at the girl's tenacity. Few people were capable of shrugging off serious combat injuries the way she had, only to plunge headfirst into a psychic interrogation. Then again, Kiara wasn't most people. The young hero had proven herself more than worth her weight in gold tonight. The Saint Dominique rescue, the takeover of ACNN24 HQ, and even helping to contain Spore... Not to mention keeping the team focused and on-task, rather than wasting time snapping at each other's throats like a bunch of stray dogs. Time and time again, Kiara had shown she was up to the challenge.

 

How does she do it, I wonder? the lunar sorcerer mused, only half-listening as Ben and Batsu made their respective apologies. The mere thought of that much responsibility was enough to make anyone queasy, yet the telepath seemed to wear it comfortably, like a second skin. And speaking of feeling sick...

 

"As for you... Alien... I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for what you've done today. Hell, I doubt I'll still be able to look at you without feeling disgusted after all this is over."

 

Ah, yes. Blake. How could he have forgotten? True to form, the supergenius had somehow managed to twist the entire situation and make it about him. Never mind that the slain had been psychopathic terrorists bent on the destruction and subjugation of Aurora City. What did it matter, really, that the lives of a hundred hostages had hung in the balance, not counting the millions more endangered by Spore? Clearly, Blake's personal feelings should have taken priority.

 

And to think that Sybil assigned Kiara and Blake to the same team... What a joke!

 

Normally, Cygnus would have preferred to give Blake a piece of his mind rather than sit meekly in demure silence... Normally. But the truth of the matter was that he simply didn't have the energy for another squabble. Besides, the supergenius had made his opinion of the sorcerer very clear. Murderer. No matter what Cygnus did or said, it was unlikely that Blake would listen. Better to let things be.

 

"Lily mentioned... that Cygnus saw Spore... What can you say about it?"

 

The white-haired boy blinked at the mention of his name, forcing himself to focus on the conversation at hand rather than Blake's silhouette as he stormed off to sulk.

 

"Yes. I saw it."

 

The words hung in the air as he relived those nightmarish moments on the fourth floor surrounded by toxic spore clouds, fighting desperately to keep everyone alive. The mere memory was enough to set off another wave of nausea.

 

"There's not much to say," he continued at last, rather hoarsely, looking even paler than usual. "Spore is... Everything that Sybil and Lily warned us it would be. The perfect bioweapon, designed for one sole purpose. Death."

 

He buried his face in his hands, temporarily overwhelmed by the desire to throw up. The idea that Spore was still out there, still deadly, was almost more than he could bear. All he could do now was hope that Kiara's efforts would prove successful. Once again, the fate of the mission rested on her shoulders.

 

And then it came. Relentless and unforgiving, like the drop of a guillotine blade.

 

"I couldn't get anything out of him. I failed."

[Hälō]

Roxie remained oddly silent as the others chatted amongst themselves. Only turning to absently nod in acceptance of Ben's apology, and to watch Blake storm off. The lion's share the blonde's attention was reserved for watching Kiara as she attempted to work her magic in the interrogation room...

 

"Com'on..." She whispered to nobody in particular whilst drumming her finger anxiously against the wall. The fact that Kiara had been put through so much today, and still found the energy to lock herself in a room with one of Shira's deranged killers and thrust herself into his mind was absolutely awe inspiring to the blonde. Even if she herself wouldn't be of much use for gathering information, the least she could do was stand at the ready, and be the first to bust through the glass should their captive grow bold or manage to escape. 

 

When Kiara finally rejoined the rest of the team in the waiting room, the other girl's expression was all Roxie need to see to know that it hadn't gone well. "I couldn't get anything out of him. I failed." Kiara's words seemed to bring a sense of heaviness to the room. 

 

"It's alright, my dear..." Roxie placed her hand on the other girl's shoulder before gentle laying her blonde curls against Kiara's head. "Heres an Idea! How about Batsy, Arondite, and I go in there and give 'em the 'ol Jason Todd?" She forced a smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'll go ask Blake if we can barrow a crow bar..."

[King K. Azo]

"As for you....Alien....I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for what you've done today. Hell...I doubt I'll still be able to look at you without feeling disgusted after all this is over." There it was. Alien. He might as well have called him a monster right to his face. He was nothing more than a outsider, one that couldn't be forgiven.

 

He wanted to lash out at Blake, to hurt him, burn him, make him bleed... But that wouldn't fix anything. In fact, it would only make things worse. It would just prove to Blake that he was nothing by a monster. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He needed to calm down...

 

But it didn't work. With his closed eyes, he could see the look of fear of the humans' faces, the disgust they had. He could hear them whispering, 'demon', 'murderer', 'monster'. He gritted his teeth, trying to tune out his mind's eye. He needed to stay focus on this mission.

 

"I couldn't get anything out of him. I failed." Kiara's voice shocked him back into reality. He looked over to her. Failed? How? How could she fail? A spark of fire flickered around his fist, a dark purple instead of the warm orange it normally was. Now Batsu wanted nothing more but to interrogate the man, but he knew very well in his current state of mind, he could very well accidentally kill the man, especially since he still couldn't control his own strength.

 

So he left. He didn't stick around to hear what the others had to say. Instead, he walked out of the room, and headed to the roof. He needed to unleash his anger, and he doubted they would appreciate a scorched and trashed training room. As he walked, the purple flames began to engulf his hands, slowing inching up his arm, causing he to grunt in pain. It burned his arms, but right now, he didn't care.

 

He climbed to the roof and looked up to the heavens. What did he do to deserve this life? What did he do wrong? Why did he have the nightmares, why did people have to fear him, why was he stuck on this team?! With tears streaming down and evaporating as soon as it touched his cheeks, he threw his hands skywards and roared a might roar of anger, frustration, and fear, large purple flames shooting into the sky. He kept roaring and kept firing, hoping the flames would burn away his anger... Instead, they fueled it, and the purple flames began to slowly engulf his arms, burning them as they did.

 

Finally, after what felt like forever, he just... Stopped. The flames died down, and he fell to his knees. He was so tired... He just wanted it all to end... For his life to go back to normal. But it never would... Nothing could ever be the same again....

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: "Spore" (Titans Tower, Biochemistry Lab, 15th Floor, 10:45 P.M.)

---

Lily turned at the sound of the pneumatic doors, watching as Blake advanced wearily into the Biochemistry Lab, as if every step were a colossal effort that bore down as heavily upon him as his armorsuit. Gears clicked and pressurized gas hissed as Satellite swung open, leaving its pilot to emerge from its depths, rubbing his brow with a deep sigh.

 

"I didn't think they were like this, Lily. It's like... they've flipped to the other side of the coin... The one on the bottom... The darker side, I think."

 

"Everyone has darkness in them, darling," Lily replied, trying to be flippant, rotating her swivel chair back to the holographic display. "You. Me. Why should superheroes be any different?"

 

Yet for all the dismissiveness of her tone, she couldn't completely suppress a slight tremor. Truth be told, Blake wasn't the only one upset by recent events. No. Although she would have rather died than admit it, Lily was shaken. To the core. They had come so close—too close—to failure at ACNN24 HQ, with only a few inches of magical energy serving as the difference between life and death. For the first time since accepting the South Korean government's offer to develop Spore, she felt something stirring within her, gnawing at her. Fear? Doubt? Regret?

 

"They said they were going to hang our bodies across the city..."

 

The voice echoed in her mind unbidden, accompanied by the tear-stained visage of the young girl Cygnus had rescued, causing her to shudder deeply.

 

What's that English saying? ... Ah, yes. "From the mouths of babes..."

 

Was she the only one to have realized the true implications of the girl's words? The cataclysmic disaster the Titans had only just managed to avoid? A horde of rotting corpses infected by the bioweapon swaying ominously in the wind, perfectly poised to disperse clouds of deadly spores to the unsuspecting city below... The team had taken on Shira under the assumption that the hostages were nothing more than a diversion, a smokescreen meant to buy time while the terrorists closed in on their true target. But now? She wasn't so sure. Shira had managed to break all the rules in a surprisingly short amount of time. To say that the playing board had changed would be an understatement—it had been upended. It was an entirely new game now, and none of them knew the rules. Except for Shira.

 

All the more reason for Kiara to interrogate the survivor, she thought, trying to reassure herself. As long as the girl managed to wring Vulture dry for the information the team needed, they were still in the game. She only hoped that the young Titan's telepathic powers were stronger than when she had attempted and failed to penetrate her own mental defenses earlier. If that was the true limit of Kiara's psychic abilities, then the group was even worse off than she had thought.

 

Lily's gaze flickered towards one of the many windows on the holographic screen, displaying a live security feed of the holding area and interrogation room, her eyes trained upon Kiara and Vulture, locked in a psychic battle of wills. Hoping. Praying for a miracle.

 

 

"I couldn't get anything out of him. I failed."

 

Silence hung in the air for a moment before the other Titans snapped into action, each of them processing the disappointing news in their own fashion, doing their best to take the situation in stride.

 

"It's alright, my dear," Roxie murmured soothingly, enveloping her teammate in a reassuring hug before playfully suggesting she and Batsu knock the prisoner around a bit. The blonde had never been one to wear kid gloves when it came to handling enemies, so why mince words and start now? Vulture and his gang had tried to kill them, after all.

 

Unfortunately, however, Batsu seemed to have other plans in mind. To say he was smoldering would have been an understatement—the alien was positively blazing with anger, causing sparks of purple flame to shoot from his clenched fists. The burly youth turned abruptly and strode from the room before any of them could stop him, apparently intending to blow off some steam.

 

"There goes Pyromanic," Ben muttered, watching him go with a sigh. "That's some temper he's got... Man, and here I thought Cygnus was the one with a short fuse!"

 

"He'll come around, Benjie, he just needs some time... Speaking of Frenchy-love, he's awfully quiet. Care to weigh in, Frenchy?" Roxie asked, turning back towards the sofa expectantly.

 

The blonde chuckled as her gaze fell upon Cygnus whose head was bowed, his chin drooping onto his chest, clearly dozing off.

 

"Asleep on the job? Oi, that's no good! Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" Roxie declared, giggling as she began to poke and prod the Swan Prince, trying to shake him awake.

 

"Oi, Frenchy! ... Frenchy? ... CYGNUS!!"

 

BGM

 

Roxie's tone metamorphosed from playful amusement to horrified shock as the white-haired boy collapsed to one side, completely unresponsive, his shoulders slack and his head bobbing limply on his neck.

 

"Cygnus!" Ben and Kiara chorused, crowding around their friend in concern, trying and failing to wake him.

 

"Something the matter, pets?" Lily's voice inquired lazily, issuing from a nearby monitor as a new window appeared, displaying a feed of the biochemist in her laboratory with Blake visible in the background, fiddling with Satellite. "How's the interrogation coming along?"

 

"Something's wrong with Cygnus, he won't wake up!" Kiara replied urgently, forgetting her deep dislike for the other woman in her panic.

 

"What? What do you mean?" Lily demanded sharply, her voice taking on a harsher tone than ever before. "Let me see!"

 

The three Titans complied mutely, scooting aside so that the biochemist could get a clearer look.

 

"Bring Cygnus to the medical bay in the biochemistry complex. That's an order."

 

"Lily, wha—?"

 

"Just do it. NOW!"

 

 

"Would someone mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Batsu growled, crossing his arms with a scowl, clearly displeased at having been recalled from the rooftop.

 

The alien's voice was hoarse, as if he had been shouting, and his eyes were slightly red-rimmed. Too much smoke, perhaps? Towering above the other Titans, he glowered in Lily's direction, watching with suspicion as the girl scurried to and fro among the different kinds of medical equipment, her attentions focused on Cygnus, still unconscious on the examination table. The group stood at the edge of the room, their ears filled with the powerful magnetic hum of the invisible containment field. 

 

"I think that's what we'd all like to know," Blake added firmly, his eyes narrowing as he watched the biochemist begin to undress Cygnus with swift practiced movements, until the lunar magician was practically naked, save for his underwear. "Lily?"

 

"It's probably nothing," Lily replied, trying to make light of the situation, her voice slightly distorted as it issued from her biohazard helmet, placing a set of electrodes on the man's chest, temples, and underarms. "Most likely a case of overexertion. This is just a precaution. But still, I have to be sure..."

 

The Titans watched uneasily as she went to work, powering up the surrounding machines one by one, bringing them to heel and using them to begin monitoring Cygnus' vital signs.

 

"Systolic 118. Diastolic 74. Stable. Slightly elevated pulse, 105 per minute. Some indications of minor tachycardic activity with potential arrhythmia. Monitoring. Respiratory is 27 per minute. Minor hyperventilation. Initiating corporal mass index calculation. Axillary temperature 99.6 and rising. Patient is pyrexic. Repeat. Patient is pyrexic. Standby for minor sinistral intravenous line and monosaccharide hydrogen dioxide. Corporal mass index calculation complete. 20.9. Initiating EKG. Standby for endoscopic imaging via probe." 

 

Only Blake seemed to be able to follow along as Lily continued to rattle off an endless stream of numbers and complicated words that left the rest of the Titans utterly nonplussed. Thankfully, however, the computers seemed to understand, beeping and blinking as they copied and stored the information. For the next ten minutes, Lily was a blur of motion, perfectly in her element, seemingly everywhere at once.

 

"What is it? What's he got? Is it serious?" Roxie blurted out, breaking the oppressive silence at last, unable to bear the sight of the usually irascible sorcerer so motionless and vulnerable.

 

"Nothing conclusive as of yet," Lily replied shortly without looking up, continuing her administrations. "Cygnus has a low-grade fever, and his heart and lungs are working a bit harder than usual. These symptoms are consistent with my initial diagnosis of overexertion, but I'm still waiting on a few results to process. The EKG I conducted will be able to tell me more. I've just had him swallow a small remote-controlled video probe, so we'll be getting a live feed of his pulmonary activity in a few moments. Commencing visual broadcast. Standby."

 

Bright blue light flashed as a nearby monitor came to life, a crackling storm of static dancing briefly across its surface before dissipating. Moments later, a blurred image appeared, depicting a confused, heaving tangle of pastel pink and deep red, accompanied by the sound of rushing air. Slowly, delicately, as if she were an artist painting a particularly complex piece, Lily adjusted the lens' parameters, until Cygnus' lungs lay in perfect focus, inflating and deflating like two plastic bags, stretching until their tiny spiderweb folds were almost visible. For a moment, the group seemed spellbound by the sight...

 

CRASH!!!

 

"Lily!" Blake yelped, darting forward as the biochemist swayed dangerously, her legs giving out beneath her with no warning, her flailing arms knocking down several pieces of equipment with a resounding clatter as she fell. He managed to catch hold of her waist at the last moment, gritting his teeth as he lifted her off the floor and into his arms.

 

Behind the pale visor of her helmet, the girl's eyes were wide and brimming with tears, her features twisted in a rictus of utter terror, locked in a silent scream that seemed to last an eternity, like a woman possessed. She spasmed and curled herself desperately against Blake like a child, tightening her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest.

 

"Nooooooo, noooo," she moaned, as jagged sobs tore themselves from her throat. "No, it can't be..."

 

"What is it?!" Kiara demanded sharply, ruthless in her panic as she advanced, reaching out with one hand as if to rip her away from Blake's embrace and shake the answers out of her. Though truth be told, in her heart of hearts, she already knew. They all did.

 

"S-Spore," Lily choked out at last, her voice utterly broken. "Cygus h-has been infected by Spore."

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]Let's get right to it, folks, and pick up from where our heroes last left off, shall we? Dust off those keyboards, stretch those fingers and flex those writing muscles, because from here on out, it's gonna be one hell of a bumpy ride ♡ Lily has just made a chilling announcement that changes the situation at hand entirely. With Cygnus' life in mortal danger, how will our heroes react? What will be their next course of action as they attempt to overcome the challenges that indubitably lie ahead? Take this opportunity to develop your character's reaction (or reactions), to recent events, as well as explore the current tensions between certain Titans, as well as with Lily.

 

Once everyone's had the opportunity to post at least once or twice, I'll move on with the next GM Post. As always, further comments and questions will be addressed in Skype chat. Cheers, and don't forget... Teen Titans, GO~!!

 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

It all happened so fast...too fast...

 

One minute the team, save Blake and Batsu, were just standing around talking. The next...they were rushing Cygnus to the medical bay. It was almost too much for Benjamin to bear at this point. And as the team returned to converge together once more around Lily...things took a turn for the worse.

 

"S-Spore. Cygus h-has been infected by Spore."

 

Benjamin looked distraught as the others. It wasn't possible! They were careful...they took precautions. How could this have happened?! These thoughts swarmed Benjamin's mind as he ran his hands through his hair for a few moments. However, from his point of view, Benjamin couldn't have seen anything that told him that Cygnus was infected. And on top of that... How? It shouldn't be possible. We were wearing the bio-hazard helmets... he thought.

 

Something just didn't seem right...

 

"Lily." Benjamin finally spoke up, trying to gather his thoughts and keep himself from freaking out. "What the hell did you see? How is Cygnus infected with Spore? And furthermore...HOW the hell did he contract it when we were all wearing the bio-hazard helmets?"

[Mr. Hyde]

"Cygus h-has been infected by Spore."

 

Blake paced back and forth in the medical bay's room.  Lily had seen it with her very own eyes...and so had he.  Cygnus' lungs full of the stuff.  But what he couldn't get out of his mind was...how.  

 

"What the hell did you see? How is Cygnus infected with Spore? And furthermore...HOW the hell did he contract it when we were all wearing the bio-hazard helmets?"

 

Ben had caught on to the big question as well.  Blake's mind was rattling like a rabid dog in a cage.  He had been so careful in the designs, building each and every one of them so that they all would be protected from this foul fungus.  The questions were piling on...and with the questions, so was doubt.  If that make-shift electromagnetic pulse hadn't deactivated the helmet's systems for the ones closest to it...that meant the only way this could've happened was if there was tampering with the equipment...beforehand.  His eyes drifted slowly towards Lily.  They were full of doubtful thoughts.  They had trusted this girl with their lives...was she merely toying with them to experiment the effects on metahumans?  No...that couldn't be the case...it just couldn't be.

 

"M-maybe Cygnus' magic tampered with the circuitry," Yeah...that had to be it, "We didn't take into the accounts the effects sorcery would have on the helmets."  It was the only other possible deduction that Blake could think of.  

[Ren✧]

"What does it matter?!" Kiara shouted, her hoarse with pent up emotion as she rounded on Ben and Blake as they tried to figure out how Cygnus had gotten infected. "What does it matter?" She asked, this time her voice more of a whisper, almost a challenge for someone to speak out against her. Tears had welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she just returned her attention to Cygnus. Her teammate. Her ally. Her friend. He had always seemed so...untouchable. No matter what the challenge, Cygnus had always, always risen to the occasion, hardly ever receiving a scratch in return. 

 

"Right now, we just need to help him. It doesn't funking matter how he got infected." Kiara's voice grew cold, had she not been so physically and emotionally exhausted from the events of the day the tone of her voice would have frightened even herself. "It doesn't matter if you made a little mistake on the helmets, Blake. You can stop worrying about covering your own ass. Because, right now, our friend is dying!" She tore her gaze away from Cygnus' pale form, fixing her team and Lily with the deadest of stares. For a moment, she let the silence hang there as she came to grips with what she had just said. That's when the first tear came. Followed by the second. They were big, heavy tears. Warm against her cheeks, they collected in the corners of her mouth. The tears gave way to sobs and the young hero took a moment to break down. Exhaustion. Pain. Trauma. Fear. And pressure. They all came crashing down on her. However, the moment of weakness for the team leader quickly passed. 

 

Quieting her sobs and wiping away her tears, she continued. "He is dying because he stayed up in that room. Saving who knows how many lives. He is dying and its. all. your. fault." Kiara's gaze had locked on to Lily piercing her like a hot knife through butter. "You made Spore, right? All of your brains and what? You make a bioweapon, you let it fall into the wrong hands, and then it infects one of the people that are trying to clean up your mess. That sounds a lot like this is all your fault." Again, Kiara let the silence hang in the room, but she didn't need time to think about what she said, she knew full well what her words entailed. "The least you could do is cure him. You can do that, right? You have a cure? So, just get on with it. After all, what's the point of all your brilliance if you don't have the smallest shred of morality to back it?"

[King K. Azo]

"S-Spore. Cygus h-has been infected by Spore." Funny... the way she was choked up would probably fool one into thinking she actually cared. Everyone's reaction was different. Ben was... somewhat calm, wondering what Lily saw. Blake was more worried how his precious helmet could have failed. And Kiara... well...
 
"What does it matter?!" she shouted with a ferocity that would make even the most battle harden Sufsem pause. She then gave Lily a tongue thrashing as she vented her anger and frustration. Batsu waited for her to finish before speaking up.

​"It does matter how he got infected, because we could all be infected right now, and it only caused Cygnus first because he is weaken from exhaustion," Batsu commented. He was calm, only because this was not the first time he was faced with death... in fact, all the times he saw it was sort of blended together... he was numb to it. "If we are all infected, there would be no one to save everyone else," He folded his arms. "If Lily Lady has a cure, she should use it on Cygnus, but the others of us need to have the checked up on to see if we have it as well...," He closed his eyes, thinking to himself. When was another time they could have been infected...? Somewhere were they were all together and where they did not have the special helmets.

​"Space Duck," He suddenly stated. "We didn't have our helmets on when we 'interrogated' him," That was not an interrogation, it was an embarrassment. "It is possible he could have released a small sample while we were. Yes, it would kill him to, but he is a captured solider... he more than likely would rather die than remained captured," That's how he would be, anyways. "That would be the most optimal time to do something like this...,"

​Or... perhaps Blake had purposely made Cygnus's helmet defective. It was obvious they did not see eye to eye... this would be the perfect way to get rid of him and pin the blame on Shira. He glanced at Blake. The boy genius did not like those different from him... he could do something like this so he would become the second-in-command, and then try to usurp Kiara... he would have to keep an eye on the boy.

[Saiba Aisu]

BGM

 

"What the hell did you see? How is Cygnus infected with Spore? And how the hell did he contract it when we were all wearing the biohazard helmets?"

 

For a moment, Ben's questions seemed to have fallen upon deaf ears. Lily clung to Blake, still trembling, her slender arms tightening around his neck as if he were a piece of driftwood keeping her aloft in a stormy sea. Eventually, however, she took a deep breath and disentangled herself from the man, lowering herself gingerly to the floor, as if she were stepping on glass.

 

"It's his lungs," she replied at last, closing her eyes briefly as if to steel herself before turning back to the monitor where Cygnus' lungs were still on display. "Look. Here."

 

The biochemist's fingers flashed across the keyboard as she increased the resolution of the image even further, panning inwards, zooming in closer to the trembling expanse of perfectly pink tissu—wait. Perfectly pink? Upon closer inspection, Cygnus' lungs appeared to be covered with a thin transparent layer of light blue fuzz, almost like a fabric pattern, or a tattoo. Incredibly easy to miss, unless you knew exactly what to look for.

 

"T-these blue patches are Spore," Lily continued, making a colossal effort to hold it together. "The toxin has already begun spreading across the surface of the lungs. It may not look like much now, but it won't be long before it starts leeching moisture to accelerate its lifecycle. From there, it will spread to the heart and kidneys through asexual reproduction, putting out tendrils to steal nutrients. And from there..."

 

Lily's voice trailed off. There was no need to remind the Titans what would follow afterwards. The group remembered all too well the horrifying image of one of Spore's slack-jawed victims, eyes wide and unseeing, its body littered with shroom-like protrusions that seemed to explode from beneath its very skin.

 

"As for how Cygnus got infected... Well, I think I have an idea about that, too."

 

Stepping outside of the containment field, Lily picked up Cygnus' helmet from a nearby counter, briefly tracing its contours with one trembling finger.

 

"He fell," she murmured, more to herself than the others, her voice so soft it was almost unintelligible. "Twice."

 

She shuddered as she remembered Cygnus' drawn-out scream as he tumbled from high in the sky, cut down by Abyss' sneak attack, followed by a sickening crack as he struck the marble floor helmet-first. And then again, in the hostage chamber when the bomb had triggered, the powerful vacuum that had dragged him like a rag doll towards its epicenter, slamming him repeatedly into the floor along the way.

 

She turned the sorcerer's helmet over repeatedly in her hands, studying it intently until she found it at last. A long crack on the visor's filtration system—no thicker than a single strand of human hair, practically invisible in the overhead lights—curving up alongside the left side of the device to just beneath the ear, like a lopsided grin.

 

I guess death has a smile, after all...

 

The opening was minuscule, but it would have been more than enough for Spore to penetrate the helmet's defenses and begin infecting its host. A sickly wave of nausea rolled over her, forcing her to grip the table for support as she envisaged Cygnus, laughing and talking with the others, unaware of the terrible poison growing inside him like a cancer.

 

"What does it matter?!" Kiara shouted suddenly, interrupting the group, giving voice to her pent-up emotion, angry tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. "Right now, we just need to help him. It doesn't f***ing matter how he got infected. Because, right now, our friend is dying!"

 

The young Titan began to sob, her vision blurring as the tears began to fall heavily, tracing a scalding path along her skin as they rolled down her face. Yet even then, she only allowed herself a few moments of weakness before she was back in control, wiping her red-rimmed eyes dry before turning towards Lily. If looks could kill, the biochemist would have pushing up daisies—as it was, she withered under Kiara's accusatory gaze like a flower before flame.

 

"He is dying, and it's all your fault. You made Spore, right? All of your brains and what? You make a bioweapon, you let it fall into the wrong hands, and then it infects one of the people that are trying to clean up your mess."

 

Lily's hands trembled violently at each of Kiara's harsh words, yet she made no attempt to defend herself. She kept her head bowed, her entire body radiating a palpable aura of shame, as if she wanted nothing more than to be swallowed by the earth.

 

"The least you could do is cure him," Kiara continued. "You can do that, right? You have a cure? So, just get on with it. After all, what's the point of all your brilliance if you don't have the smallest shred of morality to back it up?"

 

"Y-You're right, Kiara," Lily choked at last, her voice hoarse and raw, as if she were holding back sobs. "It's... It's all my fault. I... The cure, I... I'll do it. I'll make things right. I promise."

 

Turning back to her equipment array, Lily withdrew a small vial from her lab coat pocket filled to the brim with a transparent liquid, glistening in the overhead lights.

 

"I managed to put the finishing touches to the antidote during the siege on ACNN24 HQ. Now preparing to administer via hypodermic needle. Standby."

[Hälō]

Roxie remained deathly silent as the others reacted to the tragic news in their own way. Unable to speak, Roxie casted her gaze to the floor to spare herself the pain of looking at the monitor that was display Cygnus's vitals. 

 

"Y-You're right, Kiara," Lily choked at last, her voice hoarse and raw, as if she were holding back sobs. "It's... It's all my fault. I... The cure, I... I'll do it. I'll make things right. I promise. I managed to put the finishing touches to the antidote during the siege on ACNN24 HQ. Now preparing to administer via hypodermic needle. Standby."

 

"..." With the announcement that Lily was preparing the procedure, Roxie found her stomach churning. All the strange equipment hooked up to Cyngus. His motionless body sprawled out like some kind of lab experiment, and all the talk of injections and the spreading of things through his organs...  In that moment, the entire scene made her physically ill.

 

It only took a few seconds for this feeling to become unbearable, forcing the blonde to silently glide towards the elevator with a oddly blank expression to negate the risk of vomiting all over the lab. Though she wanted to be there to watch over her friend, the former knight just couldn't handle seeing him in that state...

 

The elevator was eerily silent as it made it's descent; it's only occupant staring vacantly at it's metallic surface of it's door as her hands twitched feverishly. Within moments, the blonde had arrived back at the waiting room that they had all been sitting in only a few minutes prior, only now realizing that she had left Arondite propped up on the sofa in her panic. 

 

Ignoring her treasured possession, Roxie moved towards the door that she knew led into the interrogation room. Her cyan eyes were now completely void of any light, and as she moved her hands shakily up to the door, the titan allowed herself to embrace her instinct.

 

"Huh?" Vulture's attention was suddenly brought up from the table by the sound the door opening once again. "Did you bring my water?" The assassin greeted the new arrival with a cool smirk that hung at the side of his mouth. Though he would receive no response...

 

"Finally resorted to working me over, eh?" His gaze narrowed slightly as he watched Roxie silently stride towards him. He had been in the game long enough to know when someone was out for blood... but this? This was something different. "Hey," He pressed on, only to be met with powerful punch to the center his face that sent him tumbling backwards. Unable to move in his restraints, the man could do nothing but watch from the ground as the blonde continue to her silent advance before extending her hand to grab him. The beating had only just started...   

[Saiba Aisu]

"Now preparing to administer via hypodermic needle. Standby."

 

Kiara only vaguely registered that Roxie had left the room, gliding away as smoothly and silently as a ghost. Perhaps the knight didn't have much of a stomach for needles? She wasn't particularly fond of them herself, truth be told... Or perhaps Roxie had left because she couldn't bear to see Cygnus like this. Either way, she was gone, leaving the rest of the Titans to keep vigil as Lily went to work.

 

To her credit, the biochemist seemed back in control of the situation, her movements brisk and precise as she administered the antidote via intravenous line, draining the container until it was empty. The Titans watched silently as barometric pressure pulled the drops up one by one through the plastic tube and into Cygnus' veins.

 

"How long before the antidote takes effect?" Blake inquired, turning towards Lily expectantly.

 

"As you already know, Spore was genetically engineered in order to drastically accelerate its lifecycle. The antidote I formulated uses many of the same chemical compounds and operates on a similar principle, but in reverse. We should start seeing results immediately."

 

Lily bit her lip at the last word, grateful that she had managed to master her tongue before it betrayed her. Hopefully.

 

She had failed to mention that all of this was hypothetical. The South Korean government had never authorized human testing of Spore--in many ways, the project was still in its initial stages, like an infant that had yet to fully come into its own.

 

That's right, Lily repeated. An infant. Yet how many infants could kill so quickly and so mercilessly?

 

Another wave of guilt and shame rolled over her as she considered the implications. Project Contingency had been a group effort sanctioned by the government, but Spore was hers. The idea, the proposal, the experimental design--all hers. She had been extremely pleased with herself at the time, having secured the position as Head Development Researcher over the heads of several older and more experienced candidates. But now...

 

An insistent beeping sounded suddenly from one of the digital monitors, bringing her dark musings to an end.

 

"What is it?" Kiara demanded loudly at once, her eyes shooting daggers at Lily as if the biochemist were to blame. "What have you done now?"

 

Normally Lily's first instinct would have been to give the girl a good tongue-lashing, but she managed to master the impulse. There were more pressing matters at hand. Doing her best to ignore Kiara's glowering expression, Lily quickly scanned the display, furrowing her brow as she processed the information.

 

No. No. No.

 

"It can't be..." Lily murmured numbly, her expression suddenly haggard, clutching at the desk as if to steady herself, failing to suppress the voice-activated alert.

 

"System warning. Chemical inconsistencies detected. Rogue fungal DNA strands present. Antidote compound compromised."

 

"Isolate and analyze anomaly," Lily commanded, her eyes focused upon the screen, struggling to keep her voice from wavering. She could feel the heat of Kiara's accusatory gaze upon her, like twin lasers trying to bore a hole through her skull. For the first time since she had met the girl, she was afraid.

 

"Error. Biochemical analysis inconclusive. Unknown reagent detected. Please identify in order to proceed."

 

"Identify unknown reagent," Lily hiccupped, half-sobbing, her eyes brimming with tears.

 

"Unable to identify reagent compound. Please identify in order to proceed."

 

"Identify... unknown... reagent!" Lily cried, pounding the desk like a madwoman to emphasize each word, practically screaming. "DO IT NOW!"

 

"Unable to identify reagent compound. System powering down. Thank you."

 

Silence.

[Mr. Hyde]

Blake had been staring long and hard at the display screen, keeping track of Cygnus' vitals as they took a turn for the worst.  As the computer shut down, and sound of electronic devices ceased, Blake looked on in despair.  The virus...had mutated.  It had mutated in such a way that it was unaffected by Lily's antidote.  He saw his teammate on the side of the containment chamber, no doubt in pain...but he couldn't shed a tear.  There was no time for tears now.  Tears wouldn't figure out a solution to any of this.  

 

He looked to Lily, and was surprised to see her in crying rivers.  Why...she had no attachment to this boy?  The only reason he could think why she was doing so was that she felt guilty...guilty for killing their teammate.  Blake turned to Lily with a blank look on his face.  

 

"Well...I guess the South Koreans did it...you made the ultimate weapon.  No chance for a cure...no hope.  Congratulations."  Blake turned out of the room and into the elevator.  He took it all the way to the boy's hallway, where he headed off and went to his room.  He sat at his desk and stared at his computer screen.  Without information on spore...it seemed like there was nothing he could do.  The only ways he could think of were to slow down the process with cryonics....

 

or to end all of his suffering.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

-BGM-

 

Benjamin stood there, his face slowly beginning to lose all color as he just watched everything going on before him. To him, things seemed to be moving in slow motion. His fists clenched tightly, fighting back the obvious tears that wanted to break loose from the young man. How? How could this have happened? For the boy who controlled spiders...he wasn't sure at all.

 

"Error. Biochemical analysis inconclusive. Unknown reagent detected. Please identify in order to proceed."
"Identify unknown reagent..."
"Unable to identify reagent compound. Please identify in order to proceed."
"Identify... unknown... reagent! DO IT NOW!"
"Unable to identify reagent compound. System powering down. Thank you."

 

He could hear this conversation going about. It almost made him sick to his stomach. But still...Benjamin struggled to figure out something...something he could do to help. I-I...maybe my spiders could help! he thought. M-Maybe the spiders...c-c-could make a anti-toxin...a-and...and...

 

"A-And..." Benjamin mumbled to himself, only realizing he couldn't. What Lily had was the cure...and if what was in Cygnus now rejected this cure...

 

"Well...I guess the South Koreans did it...you made the ultimate weapon. No chance for a cure...no hope. Congratulations."

 

Blake was the first of the group to say anything. Benjamin was actually surprised it was him first...even though he and Cygnus were butting heads after they dealt with the assassins. But either way, Cygnus was a comrade...a teammate. It was obvious that the Tin Man was very upset with this, as he walked out. To tell the truth, Benjamin would've stopped him...but he chose not to. After all the Swedish proverb is...Bra karl reder sig själv (a good man manages on his own)...but still...

 

"N-No..." Benjamin said, turning around to face the wall he was leaning against. After a brief yell, he slammed his fist into the wall, only denting it slightly. "No! I refuse to give up! There's got to be a way to fix this!" he shouted, almost on the verge of tears.

 

He quickly turned around to face Lily, making his way towards her. "This is saying Spore mutated, right? Then we mutate the antidote!" Benjamin wasn't sure if doing such a feat was even possible, but it was the only thing he could think of. "Lily...I don't give two shakes of a rats hind end if you helped create this damn virus...if YOU are sincere enough right now...to save our teammate...OUR FRIEND...then you do it."

 

Benjamin clenched his fist again, before looking away at Lily. "All I have are my spiders...but...if that in some way helps...I'll do my damnedest to help!"

[Saiba Aisu]

"Well," Blake said slowly, breaking the silence at last as he turned to Lily with a blank look unlike any he had addressed her with before, almost frightening in its impassiveness. "I guess the South Koreans did it... You made the ultimate weapon. No chance for a cure... No hope. Congratulations."

 

And just like that, the supergenius turned on his heel and headed towards the elevator without looking back.

 

"B-Blake?" Lily hiccuped, still trying to suppress her sobs and failing badly. "P-Please, Blake... Don't go, please... BLAKE!!"

 

Her tearful supplications seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. The elevator's doors closed behind the Titan with a pneumatic hiss, cutting off Lily from one of the very few people she had thought she could count on. The biochemist stood there for a moment in disbelief, utterly frozen, her heart twisting painfully in her chest as if suddenly caught in a vise.

 

This can't be happening... This... It's a nightmare, this can't be real...

 

But it was. All of it. Cygus was going to die, and she was powerless to stop it. Roxie and Blake had been right to walk out on her. For all her big talk about stopping Shira and saving the day, she had failed the team when they needed her the most. Unforgivable.

 

The girl jumped slightly as Ben suddenly slammed his fist into the wall with a resounding yell. "No! I refuse to give up!" he shouted, practically on the verge of tears. "There's got to be a way to fix this!"

 

Lily hung her head in shame, not daring to look the the young hero in the eyes as he began to rattle off a series of desperate suggestions, each more hare-brained and implausible than the last. 

 

"There's nothing we can do, Ben," she replied hoarsely, trying to choose her words with care. "Not unless we know what reagent Shira used to mutate Spore's genetic code. T-Think of it like a puzzle, except we don't know what shape piece we're looking for, or even what kind of image we're supposed to be assembling... Theoretically, I could narrow down the possibilities through trial and error, but that could take days. Weeks. Months, even. And that's time that Cygnus simply doesn't have."

 

She turned towards the examination table and forced herself to gaze upon the sorcerer's pale form—his face delicate and almost childlike in the absence of his usual scowl—striving to burn the sight permanently into her memory. The first of Spore's victims, but certainly not the last if Shira got their way. How long since he had been infected? An hour, at the very least... It wouldn't be long now before other symptoms started manifesting. Labored breathing, painful coughing, fever convulsions.

 

"All we can do now is try to make sure he passes comfortably," she murmured, bowing her head once more, her vision dissolving once more into a blurred haze of tears. "He deserves that much."

[Ren✧]

Kiara could feel the ice forming around her heart as she watched Cygnus in bed. Darkness pulled at the corners of her eyes as she greedily fed off of the emotions in the rumor. Lily's guilt. Ben's reluctance. Farther, Blake's resignation and Roxie's rage. She let the coat her consciousness like a thick tar, too tired to filter through the psychic input. All too aware of the lack of feedback she was getting from Cygnus's ailing form. If she concentrated she could feel his consciousness, or rather unconsciousness, but it felt cold. So much different than just a short while ago when she had felt so close to the sorcerer. The memory was bitter as it passed through her mind, a reminder of how they had gotten to this point.

 

"He deserves that much."

 

Kiara's tongued moved like a blade in the hands of an assassin. "He deserves more than that. More than you could ever give him." Kiara was tempted to push the woman through a wall, but resisted the urge. They needed her fully intact. 

 

Moving like a silent storm, Kiara went to the interrogation room, tracing Roxie's emotional footprint the entire way. Upon opening the door, she didn't make a sound, simply watched as the ex-Knight exacted her own brand of justice on the jabroni the Titans had managed to acquire. In fact, Kiara made no move to do anything until Vulture's eye, nearly swollen shut at this point found her shrouded in the corner of the room.

 

"Two turtle doves--ack!--at once! Must be my lucky day." He said, managing to keep coolly arrogant despite the amount of blood that ran rivers down his battered face. 

 

"That's enough Roxie." Kiara said, her voice dangerously even. Before she could protest, Kiara interrupted her. "I'll pick up where you left off." 

 

---

 

For awhile, Kiara just watched the Blade of Shira, awkwardly maneuver about the room. Groaning in pain every once and awhile, spitting blood at one point, but finally squirming his way to sit up against a wall. Kiara sat on the opposite side of the room, shooting daggers at him. To some people, silence would be an intimidation technique, but to Kiara she was just steeling herself for what she was about to do. Come to terms with the person she was about to become. Or rather, become...again.

 

"You know my friend is dying." Kiara said, her voice just as icy as it had been before, completely void of emotion and yet it seemed to swell with pressure that exposed everything she was feeling. 

 

The next sound in the room was a ghastly scream. It was a scream that mixed sensations of both surprise and pain. Vulture had been prepared for Kiara's attack, she had expected that, but he hadn't anticipated her desperation. Cleaving through his first string of defenses Kiara refused to waste time in searching for the information she needed. Instead, she did the equivalent of spilling hot coals in Vulture's mind and then retreated rapidly before he could retaliate against her. Kiara thought the science behind it was  a little too simple for her liking. Once a person got inside another's head, if they knew what button's to press, then it was possible to make them feel anything. The parietal lobe is responsible for pain reception in the human brain. Located near the center of the brain, it controls the sensations of the skin. The Night Sisters taught her that even trained professionals rarely guard their biological processes, because few people are trained to attack them. Most only attack the conscious, causing psychic pain. And it seemed that Vulture had made that mistake as well. 

 

Kiara and Vulture played this game for a short while. Each round shorter than the first. Kiara really didn't blame him for his defenses growing weaker each time she reentered his mind. If she felt like fire had been lit to her skin, she wouldn't really want to be putting up with an invasive telepath either. Of course, she wasn't a terrorist either, so she supposed they all had to play with the cards they were dealt. 

 

Kiara lost track of how many times she had pressed on Vulture's parietal lobe. Was it the ninth time? Or maybe the tenth? That's when his screams turned to sobs. Again, Kiara had to turn back the vomit that rose in her stomach. Disgusted with herself, she almost stopped, but then the image of Cygnus unconsciousness and close to death refueled her with urgency. 

 

This time when Kiara entered Vulture's mind, it was a ruin of what it was before. She could actually see the devastation she was causing on his psyche. Sensing Vulture's psychic presence, Kiara prepared to set off another chain of horrendous screams that would no doubt leave him preoccupied but was stopped by his voice.

 

"No. Please. Just...just stop. I'll tell you whatever you want."

 

Kiara's eyes opened, information flooding her mind.  

[King K. Azo]

"Well...I guess the South Koreans did it...you made the ultimate weapon. No chance for a cure...no hope. Congratulations."

Blake's word were harsh, the sarcasm dripping like oil. He was angry, that was for sure... but he also seemed to be accepting of it as well. Batsu watched him leave the room... he honestly still trusted Lily Lady more than that bastard...
 
"N-No..." Ben said, turning around to face the wall he was leaning against. After a brief yell, he slammed his fist into the wall, only denting it slightly. "No! I refuse to give up! There's got to be a way to fix this! This is saying Spore mutated, right? Then we mutate the antidote!" Ben paused for a few seconds. "Lily...I don't give two shakes of a rats hind end if you helped create this damn virus...if YOU are sincere enough right now...to save our teammate...OUR FRIEND...then you do it. All I have are my spiders...but...if that in some way helps...I'll do my damnedest to help!"

 

Batsu shook his head. It seemed Ben was in denial. He had seen that look before... the look of hope, thinking you could change fate. Too bad fate was a cruel and fickle mistress.
 
"All we can do now is try to make sure he passes comfortably," Batsu headed out as he heard Lily say that. Right now, he was going to check on Kiara and Roxie. Both of them were going do to something rash. Or they already have, considering the time it took for him to get there... He walked up to the glass, and his suspicions were confirmed. The space duck was beaten up, nearly sobbing. He looked at Roxie... she was angry, and she gave into her anger, pounding away at Vulture. He really wished he could control his strength right now... he wanted a crack at the terrorist.

 

Kiara was using her mind powers at the moment , probably digging deep into the space duck's head, looking for information. It was almost like she was bargaining with his mind, hoping to find an answer... He clenched his fist as he watched her. He wished he still had people like that... people that would do anything to help him. He absentmindedly touched the scar on his chest... he used to have friends like that... but not any more... he was alone in this massive universe.

With a sigh, he left, headed for the couch. After observing all the members, he had managed to determine two things. One was each one seemed to be representing a stage of the five stages of grief. That wasn't important, but somewhat funny to the lumbering alien. The second, and more important thing he noticed was that this team was innocent, which made them blind. They were not numb to death... they still fought against the odds to help their one friend. That's all they were caring about...

 

Not about the hundreds of innocents that might die if they don't stop Shira. 

He couldn't blame them. When it hits close to home, it's easy to forget about the world around you, to hone in on your own desires. This wasn't hitting home for Batsu though. He had been here for all of... two, three days. They didn't like him, and he barely knew them. So, while they were focusing on saving Cyngus, he would focus on saving the city.

It wouldn't be the first time.

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: 

 (Holding Area, Titans Tower,12th Floor 11:10 P.M.)

---

"No. Please. Just... just stop. I'll tell you whatever you want."

 

In the blink of an eye, Vulture's formidable mental defenses crumbled before her like so many bricks, temporarily reduced to rubble by the sheer power of her psychic assault. Kiara didn't hesitate—she plunged into the opening headfirst, racing deeper into the man's mind before he could recover and mount a counterattack, desperate to find something. Anything. She didn't have to search long before she hit the jackpot.

 

The girl's eyes widened as a swarm of colorful images danced across her vision, each connected to the next by an intricate web of sensations. Sight. Sound. Touch. Smell. Emotion. The Saint Dominique, cutting through thick clouds of fog as it swept across the inky-black waves. ACNN24 Headquarters, the jagged point of its broadcast antennae rearing high into the sky, as if daring to scrape the very heavens. The time-bomb that Cygnus had attempted to disarm, its glaring red display ticking rapidly backwards, rushing towards the countdown that would endanger the former's life. And there, behind them all, growing more and more vivid by the moment... A massive vaulted dome of white marble supported by tall columns interspersed with graceful statues of politicians, luminaries, and artists. Aurora City's Council Chamber, filled to the brim with the city's political elite.

 

"So tell me, if you were Shira, what part of Aurora City would you target?"

 

For a moment, it was as if she been transported back in time a few days earlier, working alongside Sybil as he helped the team brainstorm.

 

"City monuments. In order to inflict psychological damage to the city's people, to break their sense of unity and their pride."

 

"Crowded spaces filled with easy victims. Anything in order to create a climate of fear."

 

"High-ranking politicians. A symbolic dismantling of the chain of command, resulting in utter chaos at the lower levels."

 

All three of them, the girl thought to herself weakly, her heart sinking as she finally understood Shira's goal. All three.

 

"Like rats in a cage waiting to be exterminated, wouldn't you agree?"

 

Vulture's gaze latched onto Kiara's, his torn lips somehow managing to twist into a triumphant smile despite the blood streaming from his mouth.

 

"Do you see now, little Titan?" he asked mockingly, chuckling hoarsely, rocking back and forth in his spiderweb prison, insanity flashing from his velvet eyes. "Do you understand? Fools. You've been playing into my master's hands from the very beginning. You had better run, run, run, fast as you can...!"

 

The terrorist erupted into a chorus of mad laughter as the telepath withdrew abruptly from the ruins of mind, only too eager to break the psychic connection. Although she was loathe to admit it, the identity of the unknown reagent wasn't to be found in Vulture's mind... But at the very least she knew what Shira's next—and final—target would be. And something—call it intuition—told her that The Agent of Shira, the one with all the answers, wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of watching from nearby.

 

Pausing only to make sure that Vulture was still bound securely, Kiara sped from the room without another backwards glance, Batsu and Roxie on her heels. Her Titan Communicator rang out before she reached the elevator, every toll sounding like a death-bell.

 

"Kiara!! Thank god!" Commander Rookwood shouted, struggling to make himself heard over the resounding chorus of gunfire and yells echoing in the background. "It's Shira, they've launched an all-out offensive on the Council Chamber! They're using some kind of mechanical combat units, unlike anything we've ever seen before... We've been beaten back to the inner sanctum, but our barricade won't hold for long—we're outmanned and outgunned. We need your help! Now!"

 

"We're on our way, Commander! Hold on for just a little longer!" Kiara replied, resisting the urge to curse and severing the connection as the trio swarmed into the elevator.

 

"Assemble the team. We're moving out."

 

 

The T-Jet's engines ignited with a roar, quickly propelling the vehicle away from the tower's hangar and into empty space, leaving the aircraft to twist for a moment as it plummeted towards the ocean far below before its wings expanded with a resounding clank, catching the wind and bearing it upwards. One or two of the Titans grunted softly at the faint whiplash, but for the most part, they remained silent, their eyes trained upon the rapidly approaching coastline of Aurora City, dotted with millions of dazzling lights.

 

"I want this to be a clean operation," Kiara ordered firmly, speaking into her helmet's headset. "We go in, we neutralize the enemy, then we come out. Simple."

 

"Fighting Shira is anything but simple," Blake coughed dryly, brushing off nonexistent dust from his armorsuit's shoulders. "They like to play dirty, remember?"

 

"This time we have the element of surprise on our side," the telepathic princess replied, utterly unfazed. "Not to mention that we don't have to worry about any civilians getting in the way. Rookwood confirmed that everyone has taken cover inside of City Hall, while a local evacuation alert is in effect for the surrounding area... It'll just be us and Shira. We'll hit them fast and hard before they even know we're there. No holding back this time."

 

"What about Cygnus? And Lily?" Ben inquired, speaking up from the pilot's seat without turning around, trying to coax every ounce of speed from the aircraft. "Is it really okay to just leave them alone?"

 

"I'd prefer to keep Lily out of my hair if I can help it. She's done enough damage as it is, if you ask me. As for Cygnus..."

 

Kiara faltered at the mention of the lunar sorcerer, allowing a hint of worry to creep into her tone.

 

"Stopping Shira is our best chance of saving Cygnus. If we can capture the Agent of Shira, there's a chance we can use them to identify the unknown chemical reagent. And if not... Then..."

 

She wanted to say, "He knew the risks," yet her mouth couldn't seem to form the words.

 

"Frenchy's a fighter," Roxie interjected, tightening her grip on Arondite as if to prove her point. "He won't go down easily. Bloody mushroom bioweapon be damned!!"

 

"In any case, I took the precaution of locking Lily inside of the Biochemistry Complex," Blake added coolly. "She's free to tinker around all she wants, but she's not going anywhere. Not until we've sorted everything out."

 

"Target coming into sight," Ben announced. "Aurora City's Grand Plaza... Dead ahead."

 

BGM

 

A massive rectangular square carved from white marble swam into view on the horizon, its four corners stretching out almost as far as the eye could see. The central avenue of the complex was lined with tall trees and elegant flags, while its periphery was dotted with graceful sculptures and murmuring fountains―or rather, what remained of them. Heavy clouds of smoke and dust twisted up into the sky interspersed with low-burning flames and the blasted remnants of wooden benches and toppled columns, marring the tranquil beauty of the scene like a fresh wound. And there, at the other end of the Grand Plaza―Aurora City's Council Chamber, its usually glistening surface dull and shuttered, like an animal retreating into its shell. Bruised, but not broken. Yet.

 

"Put us down nice and slow between those buildings at the edge of the plaza, Ben," Kiara said, her eyes narrowing in disgust at the sight of such wanton destruction. "We'll continue on foot from there. The last thing we want to do is get shot out of the sky by another of those short-range missiles."

 

Ben murmured an affirmative as he coaxed the T-Jet through the narrow space, taking advantage of a nearby cloud of smoke to cloak the aircraft and conceal their descent.

 

As they hovered towards the ground, Kiara faltered, momentarily caught off-guard by a powerful shroud of menace emanating from somewhere nearby, close to the pockmarked ruins of the battlefield. Moments later, the psychic impression vanished completely from her radar, as if it had never been. Could it have been her imagination? No... The last time she had felt something like that, she had almost been cut in two from behind. Better to trust her instincts. 

 

"Shira's down there," she said grimly, her tone leaving no room for uncertainty. "Stay sharp. And remember... No holding back this time."

 

 

The T-Jet touched down almost silently tucked around the corner of one of the narrow streets bordering the Grand Plaza, practically hidden from sight. The Teen Titans descended en masse, their helmets glinting dully in the gloom, helping to filter out the surrounding smog and improve visibility. The night air was cold and crisp, the sky overhead dotted with a handful of pale stars, and all was perfectly still...

 

CLANG! DIN-DIN-DING!

 

Kiara whirled around as a pair of unseen feet collided clumsily with an aluminum can and sent it skittering across the pavement ahead of them, registering a pulse of surprise and fear from the same direction. Batsu barreled forward without hesitation, snatching into the gloom with all six arms, eliciting a high-pitched yelp.

 

"Hey! Lemme go!"

 

The Titans watched as the alien warrior returned, carrying what appeared to be a small squirming mass of fabric and whirling limbs, desperately trying to free itself. It wasn't until Batsu placed his find on the ground that the Titans realized it was a person. Or rather, a child. Ten, perhaps eleven years old. Pale and stringy with a heart-shaped face and blue eyes wide with fear, framed by lanky brown hair.

 

"Please," the boy gulped, swallowing nervously as his gaze swept across the team's impassive helmets, trying not to burst into tears. "Please don't hurt me!"

 

"Relax, kid," Ben murmured gently, raising both hands. "No one's going to hurt you. We're the Teen Titans. You're safe now."

 

"I... I lost my mom," the kid managed to choke out, sniffling and wiping his nose with one hand. "She was right there with me, but then the bad men came and... I don't know what happened. What if she's still back there? What if she's hurt? Please, you have to help her!"

 

The boy burst into shuddering sobs while the Titans exchanged looks.

 

"So much for no civilians to get in the way of things," Blake muttered dryly to Kiara, who chose to shrug off his remark.

 

"Don't worry, we'll help your mom," she replied, placing a firm soothing hand on the child's head, though she wasn't all that much taller. "But first, I need to you to find a hiding place and stick to it. There's a possibility that the bad men might come back and I don't want you around if they do, okay? Can you do that for me?"

 

The boy nodded, his breathing still rather shaky, yet calmer than before. "I'm good at hiding. I'm always the last one to be found when we play hide-and-go-seek."

 

"A talent not to be wasted," Kiara encouraged, smiling in spite of herself before she remembered she was wearing a helmet. "Now, go find a good hiding place!"

 

"I think I'll hide... WHOA!!! What's that?!"

 

The boy's mouth dropped open, his eyes wide as dinner plates at the sight of the T-Jet, tucked away neatly in the depths of the alley.

 

"That, little man, is our ride," Ben answered, unable to restrain himself from patting the aircraft's side fondly. "Isn't she something?"

 

"Is she ever! Wow! How fast does she go? Can I get a ride?"

 

Roxie cleared her throat loudly in Ben's direction, twirling Arondite with one hand, visibly impatient to skip to the ass-kicking part of the mission.

 

"Uhh, next time, alright?" Arachnid replied sheepishly, coming back to his senses. "Now get moving kid, no time to lose!"

 

The boy saluted briefly before edging his way over to the main street, peeking around the corner to make sure the coast was clear, and scurrying out of sight once more.

 

"Now," Kiara said, turning back to the team grimly, cracking her knuckles audibly. "Let's get to work."

 

 

"Look! There!"

 

The other Titans turned as Kiara's voice issued from their helmets' speakers. One by one, they picked their way over to the team leader with care, clambering over the splintered ruins of the battlefield as they went, trying to make as little noise as possible. They found the telepath crouched cat-like behind a toppled column, peering warily over its soot-stained surface.

 

"What in the bloody hell... Just what are those things, Kiara-love?" Roxie murmured, cursing softly as she wiggled into a position that let her spy over the former's shoulders.

 

Less than 200 meters away, a pair of bizarre mechanical contraptions stood watch, their smooth metallic carapaces gleaming dully in the angry red light. Bizarre, but obviously deadly. Each stood about 8 feet tall, featuring an armored body with jointed arms and two segmented legs, bent slightly backwards. There was an unnerving, almost crab-like quality to the machines―no, not crab-like. Insect-like. Like ants, or perhaps grasshoppers, standing guard over their hive, chattering harshly to themselves as they skittered from side to side, patrolling with a terrifying single-mindedness.

 

"I assume those are the mechanical combat units Rookwood mentioned," Blake scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Most likely controlled from the inside... They don't look nearly as tough as the big guy we fought at ACNN24 HQ."

 

"You're right," Kiara breathed, closing her eyes briefly as she extended her psychic awareness, just enough to confirm the presence of sentient minds. "Those devices are being piloted by members of Shira."

 

"It doesn't look like we'll be able to sneak by easily," Ben observed, clicking his tongue in disappointment. Why did things always have to be so complicated?

 

"What are your orders?" Batsu inquired of the team leader, deferring as always to authority. "Just say the word and I'll start smashing."

 

"I'm with Batsy," Roxie growled, gritting her teeth. "I've got a bone to pick with these punks for what they did to Frenchy. Several bones. Preferably broken."

 

"We stick to the plan," Kiara replied evenly, trying to keep her mind off Cygnus. How much time did he have left? Hours? Minutes? Seconds? She had no way of knowing.

 

"We hit them. Hard. Fast. No mercy. Once they're down, we keep moving until we've secured the plaza, taking out any hostiles we encounter along the way. Any questions?"

 

Her question was met with a resounding silence, broken only by the nearby enemy's chorus of mechanical clicks.

 

"Good. Teen Titans, GO!!"

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]Alright guys! Thanks for your patience! I blame Paris for the delay... Anyway, I'll save the tearful Oscar acceptance speech―I'd like to thank the academy!―and jump right into the action. The ultimate goal of Shira's dastardly plans has finally come to light: a systematic elimination of Aurora City's high-ranking political leadership, trapped inside of City Hall, leaving its people to topple into pure anarchy. Thankfully, our heroes are back and ready for business. And speaking of business, let's get down to the nitty gritty...

 

Our heroes' way forward is blocked by two new members of Shira's terrorist army. Known as M7NTI5 ("MANTIS") Assault Walkers, these powerful bipedal mechanical units are designed for ground-based offensives. While less accomplished than the G0LI7TH Unit in terms of sheer destructive power and defense capacity, they possess several tricks of their own that make them just as deadly, if not more so. These include a single machine gun blaster, a state-of-the-art motion tracking system, and several short-range shoulder-mounted ballistic missiles, to name just a few... Fortunately, however, our heroes have the element of surprise on their side this time. As with the G0LI7TH Unit, you are free to take command of them for combat purposes, provided you do not take them out of commission. As always, I will be stepping in regularly to take control of the enemies as needed. Further questions and comments will be addressed in the Skype chat. And now, as Kiara said it best... TEEN TITANS, GO~!!

 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Aurora's Grand Plaza and the Council Chamber...he felt a little stupid that he didn't even consider this as the next target Shira had in mind. Needless to say, Arachnid didn't think much about the next target...not with a fellow Titan currently nearing death's door. As he set the T-Jet down where Kiara wanted, he let out a sigh. Shaking his head, he did what he could to steel his mettle.

 

Stay focused, Ben... he thought, standing up from the pilot's seat. Cygnus...along with everyone else in Aurora are counting on you...

 

 

As he exited the T-Jet last, Arachnid followed behind the others. The night sky seeming like its pale stars slowly were fading away, at least from his point of view. Stars beginning to fade? That actually be an interesting idea for a book. Maybe-... No focus, Ben! Arachnid quickly thought, shaking his head. He had a job to do, stopping Shira.

 

But at the same time, there weren't any civilians here so things might be smooth sai-

 

"Hey! Lemme go!"

 

Arachnid stopped before noticing Batsu currently holding a young child, no more than ten, in his arms. A civilian...a child, no less. And what was more, he was scared...

 

"Please...Please don't hurt me!"

 

With a shake of his head, Arachnid raised his hands some. "Relax, kid. No one's going to hurt you. We're the Teen Titans. You're safe now." It wasn't much, but Arachnid could see a bit of hope flash in the kid's eyes, even if it was a glimmer it was still something.

 

"I... I lost my mom. She was right there with me, but then the bad men came and... I don't know what happened. What if she's still back there? What if she's hurt? Please, you have to help her!"

 

They took the kid's mother? So they have a hostage... Arachnid thought, his fist tightly clenching at the thought of this. And as the other Titans began to comfort the kid and told him to hide, he obviously was too engrossed at seeing the T-Jet. And...well, Arachnid couldn't help but feel a little proud about it. After all, he was the one who was flying it recently.

 

However, now Arachnid couldn't help himself and was already patting the side of the T-Jet. "That, little man, is our ride. Isn't she something?"

 

"Is she ever! Wow! How fast does she go? Can I get a ride?"

 

About to answer the kid's question, Arachnid was cut short by the sounds of Roxie clearing her throat and twirling Arondite. Oops...he got caught up by this and not intending to. He sighed a bit, before replied to the boy in a sheepish manner. "Uhh, next time, alright? Now get moving kid, no time to lose!"

 

Seeing the kid scurrying out of sight, Arachnid couldn't help but be worried about him and hoped that he found his little hiding place. So now they had another mission in the midst of this...stop Shira, save Cygnus, and try and save that kid's mom. The life of a hero...it's never a dull moment....

 

 

.....and apparently NEVER easy.

 

"It doesn't look like we'll be able to sneak by easily." Arachnid clicked his tongue, sighing in defeat as he too noticed the the robotic units that were standing guard. Not as tough as Clavicus, but still... Why did things such as this have to be so complicated? Furthermore... How does an organization like Shira have enough money to even fund the development of these bots? he thought, shrugging.

 

"We stick to the plan. We hit them. Hard. Fast. No mercy. Once they're down, we keep moving until we've secured the plaza, taking out any hostiles we encounter along the way. Any questions?"

 

Arachnid only shook his head, before putting his hand on the ground, letting his spiders pour from his pores for a moment. "I'm going to try and trip them up. Once their down, you guys can go on a smashin' spree." he said, as he began to focus on the M7NTI5's legs, watching his spiders slowly making their way towards the first one.

 

Having reached its legs, the spiders began to slowly spin their webs in quick fashion, in order to get the bot to fall.