Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Time was an interesting factor when it came to crossing dimensions. There were some that moved so quickly that decades would pass in seconds if a traveler stopped by. Others oozed by with a slowness that could drive even the oldest of the immortals to insanity. But it was a given fact that if anything was powerful enough to cross a dimensional barrier, it would end up having some effect on the dimensions it crossed at some point or another. For a being as old as Neron, it was easy to ignore the various calls and ripples that echoed through his throne room. At least, that's how it was usually.

Far away in a pocket dimension was the realm of Neron. To the mortals who summoned him, he was also known as 'Wishweaver'. To those who knew of his tales, he was 'Lord of Lies'. To those who feared him in battle, he was 'King of Hate'. But currently, he was seated at a blackthorn desk carved with various scenes of liars and oath breakers being torn into pieces by monsters, sighing over one of his many many contracts. At the moment, he was in his most humanlike form; a handsome man in his early to mid-30s with pale blond hair, a muscular frame, and pale green eyes. Most humans who viewed this form were equally aroused and repulsed, feeling something highly off about the demon.

Many would have said it was his soullessness, which Neron personally found very funny. He was in possession of thousands of souls after all; they were the most common item traded for 'power beyond human comprehension'. Which always made the demon king inwardly roll his eyes because while the power he granted was indeed immense, it was but a single raindrop compared to the typhoon that was a demon's power. But it wasn't Neron's nature to correct such foolishness when it meant he was getting the better end of the deal. It was that skill with bargaining, with temptation, that had allowed him to rise from a weak imp into a demon king of his own realm after all.

But that meant Neron had to keep a close eye on his contractors, to make sure he wasn't being cheated. Currently, he was tapping the end of his quill against the glowing scroll on his desk, pondering the most recent actions of a summoner from fifty years prior. The young lad had demanded enough power to wipe out the species of monsters that had torn through his small village and killed his family. The boy would have died as well if his anger and searingly bright soul hadn't attracted Neron himself. But now, the man appeared to have stopped his crusade to raise a child of the very monster he'd sworn to destroy. Humming to himself, the demon king pondered his options.

"The contract clearly states that he wished to destroy the entire species," he drawled, glancing over at one of the minor demons he had bound to fetch whatever he requested while Neron worked. The odd cross between a monkey, a Gila monster, and a bat chittered in response at Neron. "Considering he has now begun raising a member of that species, this would clearly be a breach of contract, wouldn't you agree?" Another round of chittering, and Neron's calm expression shifted into a smirk. "Excellent." The scroll immediately began pulsating with a dark red light and Neron closed his eyes as a scream of pure terror tore through the silence of the castle. There was a rip in the air as the spirit of the oath-breaker, still screaming, was pulled from his body and into the scroll, which neatly rolled itself up and tied itself together with a red and black ribbon.

"Mortals," Neron mused as the minor demon picked up the completed contract and awkwardly fluttered away to store it with all the others. "So foolish." As he reached for the next scroll on his desk, the door to his office flew open and one of his gargoyles stumbled in, a pale canister cradled awkwardly in its claws. Neron stared down at his servant. "What?"

"My...my king," the gargoyle bowed as easily as a creature of stone could and held out the sealed container. "I was patrolling the border and discovered this. I caught just before it escaped and..." It glanced up and paled at the annoyed look on his master's face, heightened by the green light cast over it from the spell charging in the king's hands. "Sire, it glowed gold."

The glowing instantly ceased as Neron rose to his feet. He strode over and plucked the canister, reaching out with his magic. The gargoyle spoke true; something about this was related to one of his contracts. "Leave," he commanded, and the gargoyle rushed to obey, practically slamming the door behind it in its haste. Once he was alone again, Neron tapped the rug with a heel. Instantly, a containment circle flowed out from under his boot, wrapping the demon king in a tightly sealed space before he released the containment. To his surprise, no scream reached his ears as the wisp of golden energy swirled around him. Instead, there was a powerful wave of pain he hadn't experienced in centuries. "Human," Neron mused as he lightly trailed a hand through the power signature. "And demon. Interesting."

Green magic wrapped itself around the remains of the soul fragment to lock it away once more as Neron snapped his fingers. The imp, who had been hiding in one of the corners, scurried over to the wall of contracts. It scaled the wall easily, climbing higher and higher until it reached some of the oldest active contracts to date, plucking one free before leaping free to glide over and land at Neron's feet. It offered the contract, which Neron easily snatched and unrolled. He scanned the record briefly before his eyes widened and he threw his head back in the first laugh he'd had in centuries. "Oh, this is fascinating." Still chuckling to himself, he strode over to the large blood-red crystal mirror hanging on the far wall and lifted a hand. The red lightened until it was clear, revealing a blue and white planet before zeroing in on a large metal and glass building in the shape of a T built into a cliff-side. "Let's take a better look, shall we?"

The garden was a beautiful place. The grass underfoot was lush and bright green, with neatly trimmed hedges ordered into a maze to reach the slate gazebo placed at the center. Surrounding small statues were various breeds of flowers, most in yellows and oranges with a few blues thrown in for contrast. Sitting at the center of the gazebo was Kestrel, with hands resting atop her knees as she meditated. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos," the girl chanted as a faint white light pulsed around her. As she completed the mantra, the light flashed out and swirled through the garden. It flew through most of the foliage without touching it, but occasionally froze at the contact of a closed flower-bud. When that happened, the light pulsed again before the unopened flower was ripped apart and a breeze blew the fragments away.

Kestrel knew that her mind garden was different from Raven's night-lit and rocky mindscape. But the idea had come from Starfire, who had suggested the mental metaphor when Raven had been training Kes in meditation and power control. "The emotions of others are not different from your own in many ways," the Tamaranean had commented when Kes had expressed distaste at copying Raven's subconscious. "But you do not wish to keep them in your own mind. Perhaps if they were like the unwanted flowers in a garden? The...weeds?"

Opening her eyes, the girl scanned the area before shaking her head in reluctant amusement. "I don't get how people can think she's stupid," she muttered to herself as she rose to her feet. The sight of the well-maintained garden was soothing as the mental sun shone down brightly. Kes smiled and began making her way through the maze to the archways that signaled the entrance and exit to her subconscious. Just as she reached the rose-covered hedges though, she froze. At her feet, sprouting with surprising speed, was a black-tipped flower. Kestrel's eyes flashed white for a brief second and the flower instantly disintegrated. As the wind blew it away, the heroine caught a petal and rubbed it between two fingers. Desire, curiosity, amusement. And something darker that she couldn't quite identity. That combined with the coloring, which Kes was pretty sure came from her own mind, meant that whoever's emotions she picked up on were dangerous. Swallowing, Kestrel picked up the pace, racing through the archway and into the light.

Kestrel opened her eyes, safely back in her room in the Titans Tower. Normally, she would take her time with the end of her meditation, savoring the peace the regular action brought her. But not today. Picking up her bracelet from the side table, Kes slipped it on before sliding off her bed and hurrying out of the room. Thankfully, repairs had been completed rather quickly from Aqualad's flash flooding so she could check the security tapes quickly.

It had been two weeks since Cinder's death. Sadly, there hadn't been much they could dig up on the cloned daughter of Hotspot. Like Kestrel herself, she had no identity beforehand to trace. No parents, no siblings, nothing. Bumblebee and the Steel City Supers Department hadn't been successful with their digging of the 'generously' donated tapes and records from Sinclair industries, though they'd known from the beginning it was unlikely they could find anything. Even the autopsy hadn't uncovered anything useful; Kes had been hoping they would discover something on her left shoulder that maybe they couldn't test safely on a living person. But there had been nothing, and the girl had been unceremoniously buried a few days ago in a plot paid for by the Titans themselves. The funeral had been quiet. The only people there had been the pastor of the small church, the Titans themselves, and a very awkward and confused intern from Sinclair Industries. Kes had felt sorry for him, as well as curious what exactly he'd done to make Roulette send him there in the first place.

The door to their security room sliding open is what jerked Kestrel out of her thoughts, and she hurried over to pull up the most recent records. Her fingers drummed against the desk as she pulled up nothing. All systems normal, for both regular security and the magical kind. Then what was with that flower? As she pondered, the steady concern of Bumblebee hit her mind and Kes swiveled in her seat as the team leader strode into the room. She lifted a brow curiously at the sight of Kestrel in the chair. "I thought you were meditating."

"I was, but I felt something while I was finishing up," Kestrel admitted, making Bee's eyes narrow. She shrugged at the computer screen behind her. "Scanners don't agree with me though. Nothing within range in the last five minutes."

Bumblebee hummed thoughtfully, leaning back against one of the other desks. "What exactly were you feeling?"

Kes shoved back the relief at being believed and tried to focus on the memories. "It was...negative. They were curious, a bit amused. They wanted...something, but I'm not sure what." Kes sighed and rubbed at her temples. "It didn't last long, but it was strong enough to leave an impression."

"Okay." Bee stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Could it be a distance issue maybe? Out of range of our sensors, but focused and strong enough for you to feel?"

Kestrel chewed her lower lip briefly. "Maybe? I've never felt something like this before, but I guess it's possible." She sighed. "Maybe Raven would have a better idea. I could call her later."

"I'll do it," Bumblebee corrected, smiling at the confused look Kes sent her. "I actually checked your room first before I found you here. The last parts for your motorcycle have arrived." Kes instantly shot to her feet, practically vibrating in excitement. The last couple of weeks had been torture when it came to getting everyone to attack sites; Bumblebee could only carry one person easily and the various suggestions that the twins had come up with were shot down rather quickly. Bee snickered. "Yeah, thought you might like that. Speedy should already be down there."

"Thanks!" Waving, Kestrel rushed towards the basement, skipping the elevator entirely and just using a grappler to rappel down the hole between the stairs until she reached the ground. Speedy lifted his head as the door opened, grinning, and tapping at the small sets of computers ready to be installed. "Bee just told me. We doing yours first or mine?" she asked as she reached behind her head to coil her hair from the loose ponytail into a tight bun.

"Yours, it's already got the dollies on it," the archer decided as he tossed a screwdriver her way. "You get it locked in; I'll connect it to the engine."

"Sounds good." The pair immediately got to work, surrounded by the scent of motor oil as the electronic punk that Speedy favored echoed through the garage. Other than requests for the other to move or grab a different tool, they worked in silence until Speedy pushed himself out from under the bike, a smear of grease on one cheek and grinning. Beaming herself, Kes revved the engine and her smile widened as the computer lit up with a ready lock-on for the two energy blasters built in next to the headlights. "That's done at least. Now we just need the brake discs..."

"Those came in too," Speedy corrected, wiping at his face with a rag. "I installed them before you got here." He shrugged at her baffled look. "I had the time, and I knew you were meditating."

"Thanks." There was a shift as Speedy's bike was locked in and Kestrel parked hers in its usual spot before they returned to work. "I'm so glad we finally have these back."

"You're telling me," the archer snorted as he tightened a screw. "You know how stupid we all looked showing up to fight a few street thugs in the ship? And let's not forget Bumblebee trying to carry you, me, and Aqualad all at the same time."

"Personally, I'm impressed she made it all the way across town," Kes pointed out as she locked in the monitor. "And you're just grumpy because you lost that boot when Aqualad grabbed onto you."

"Do you know how hard it is to replace those? And I nearly stepped on some broken glass; who leaves that in the middle of a sidewalk!?" Rolling her eyes at Speedy's grumbling, Kes paused as that feeling from before rippled through her before vanishing. Closing her eyes, she tried to track it down only to find nothing. A tap on her shoulder made her jerk, whirling around to see Speedy standing there with an arched brow.

" Someone was watching us. Just for a second; they're gone now."

Speedy's frown deepened as his hand dropped to his communicator. "You know how close they are?"

Kes shook her head. "It's not...I don't know how to describe it," she admitted. "It's really strong when I can feel it, like whoever's watching us is standing right next to me, and then it's gone. Like a ghost or something." She scowled down at the monitor slowly blinking into life. 

There was a beep and Speedy skimmed the message. "Bee got in contact with Raven, says she wants to talk to you." Kes bit back a grimace and nodded, moving to get off the bike before Speedy firmly placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're almost done with this, and she can wait a few minutes."

"...Thank you." Speedy squeezed her shoulder once before releasing it and sliding back under the bike. The pair worked swiftly and silently until the headlights flashed and Speedy's bike let out a low rumble. Smiling, Kestrel quickly slipped off to let Speedy take control. "You can stay down here if you want."

"Bee's probably going to call us all up anyways in case it's a new security thing we need to know," he pointed out as he parked the bike safely on the opposite side of the garage. "And if not, maybe we can finally finish off Star Wars."

"So, you're finally over it?" Kes asked, and then sighed when a wave of the archer's annoyance pulsed through her. "Look, I'm not going to apologize that Robin apparently knows things through cultural osmosis. Or that there might be a few things from movies he actually remembers."

"The one thing I was looking forward to when you didn't have any memories of movies was your reaction to the 'I am your father' scene," Speedy growled, folding his arms across his chest as he followed her to the stairs. "And what do I get? 'Oh, so that's where that's from.' Seriously? Aqualad had a more entertaining reaction!"

"He's an Atlantean," Kes pointed out. "Robin actually existed in a human society that knows pop culture references." She remained grateful that she could pass the blame onto Robin and hadn't mentioned that she'd put it together because 'vader' was basically 'father' in German. "It was still a good movie."

Speedy grunted as they entered the main ops room. The rest of the team was there, with Aqualad's hair still damp from his most recent swim and Más and Menos perched on a chair, sharing an oversized bag of chips. Bumblebee was sitting in her usual chair, watching the monitor where Raven stood. "Raven was asking about what exactly you picked up, Kestrel," she explained as they slid into the two free seats.

Kes nodded and began signing, going slowly to make sure she was doing it correctly. She was going through lessons quickly but was far from a master. Raven frowned. "If you're getting that much directly for that short of a time frame, it sounds like someone may be scrying the tower."

"Scrying?" Aqualad leaned forward to rest his chin on his hands. "But wouldn't that last longer? The few times we tried scrying in Atlantis, we'd watch for a lot longer than a second or two."

Raven shook her head. "Any form of scrying has two points of high energy; when the scrying begins and when it ends. Once a connection it formed, it can sit there for a long time, like turning on a light."

Kes frowned. "So, the first burst I picked up was when whoever it was started looking at me and the second one was when they stopped?" she asked, signing along. "Then why stop when I started working with Speedy?"

"You went directly to security after you felt the connection?" When Kes nodded, Raven sighed. "Then they might have kept watching to see if you would try other ways to track them down. So, when you appeared to ignore it, they lost interest. For now."

Más swallowed his most recent mouthful of chips and reached into the bag for another handful. "¿Por qué querría un demonio vigilar a Kes?"

"¡Sí, nosotros también somos peligrosos!" Menos added.

"Because I'm part demon," Kes slowly replied. "And that makes me a prime target for possession."

Raven nodded reluctantly as the rest of the team stiffened around her. "We knew that this would happen eventually. You're less likely to be possessed thanks to Robin's memories, and the ones you've developed. But Trigon's energy is very tempting, even as diluted as it is with you."

"Are you saying that we're going to be dealing with demons now?" Speedy asked, leaning back in his chair and groaning. "Great. Do I need to find a holy man or woman to bless all my arrows now?"

"Speedy," Bee hissed before turning back to Raven. "He does have a point though. What can we do to fight against demons? We aren't exactly a magic-focused team here and getting you or Jinx won't always be an easy option."

"Your best option would be prevention entirely," Raven answered. "It's a lot harder to free a person with a demon inside them than it is to keep them from being possessed in the first place. Jinx and I updated your security before, but Herald never got back to us. I'll try reaching out to him again, see if he can add anything." Her eyes fell on Kes, who fought to keep from shrinking back in her seat. "Try to keep from using your powers. The stronger they get, the more of a lure you'll be."

Kes grit her teeth. "I can't exactly stop them," she pointed out, her hands shaking with the effort of keeping them steady. "If either of us could, our lives would be a lot easier."

"...I know, and I'm sorry." And there came the guilt. Kes bit her lower lip as Raven sighed. "I'll do some more digging, see if there are any options that we missed before. Keep us informed." And with that, the screen went dark. Kestrel sighed and pushed back from the table, ignoring the pulses of guilt and sympathy emitting from her teammates.

"Kes..." But she ignored Aqualad's call as the door slid shut behind her.

The blue-stemmed flowers from the Atlantean’s emotions flowed away on the wind as Kestrel mediated for the second time that day. It probably wasn't truly necessary considering how recently her last session was, but meditation was soothing, and it helped to settle her thoughts. As she sat in the gazebo, she tried to guess which emotions came from which of her friends. Speedy's and Aqualad's were easy to differentiate, while Bumblebee's emotions were rarer and more self-contained, and she couldn't guess between the twins at all.

A series of rapid knocks pulled her from her headspace, back into her room and her bed. Speaking of which, Kestrel mused as she slipped her bracelet back on and went to open the door. Standing outside was Aqualad, Más, and Menos, each with an armful of blue and green glass orbs. "Are those Christmas ornaments? Guys, it's barely September," Kestrel pointed out, stepping back to let the boys rush in.

"¡Son bolas de brujas!" the twins proclaimed, rushing around to string the balls from silver chains and hang them around the room. "Nuestra abuela los hace para proteger a las personas de los espíritus malignos."

"Your grandmother?" Kes glanced over at Aqualad, who gave her a warm smile.

"I filled them up with some of the water used by our magicians," he explained, tapping one of the balls and making it light up. "Not sure if demons count as evil magics, but they're probably close enough. You might not be able to stay here all the time, but at least we can help make sure you can sleep in safety."

Kestrel watched as the witch balls caught the light from the afternoon sun, sending reflections and shadows scattering around her room. She smiled, warmed by her friends concern and willingness to help. "Thanks guys."

Más and Menos froze in the middle of the room, grinning evilly. "¿Significa esto que podemos cenar tapado?"

Aqualad frowned and Kes sighed. "You guys are only asking for that because you know Speedy hates coconut."

"Si." The twins snickered together and Kestrel and Aqualad shared exhausted looks. Thankfully, the conversation was put on hold as the alarm started blaring. Más and Menos streaked out the door, leaving the other two to follow.

As they were the first to the central ops room, the twins quickly pulled up the video on the monitors. They grimaced and shared worried looks as the rest of the team sprinted through the doors. "What's...oh." Bumblebee winced as their video feed showed several large portals opening over the city, releasing what looked to be large gargoyles onto a terrified populace. "That looks a lot like demons to me."

"And me without my magic wand," Speedy snarked, plucking an arrow from his quiver and twirling it in his hands. "You think we should take the ship this time?"

Bumblebee frowned for a few seconds and then shook her head. "No, we could get swarmed and trapped inside. For as many enemies as this, we'll need the mobility." She side eyed Kes and Speedy. "You two have your bikes all set up?" At their nods, she grinned. "Good. Más and Menos, you two get a message out to any magic user nearby to help us close those portals, and then come after us. Everyone else, let's move."

If there was one small blessing, it was that the gargoyles appeared to care less about the people. They clawed at buildings, tore up street signs and through fire hydrants, broke windows, and glass doors, but completely ignored the screaming and terrified civilians rushing around and away from them. But that didn't last when Bumblebee fired her stingers and reduced one of them to rubble. Instantly, all heads turned to the heroes, who were swiftly joined by the twins. "Teen Titans, go!" With that war cry, the heroes leapt into action with Bumblebee launching herself forward with her wings to tackle a gargoyle into the ground. She wrapped her hands around its head and squeezed, crushing it with some effort.

Más and Menos darted around, Más on top with a broken half of a stop-sign in his hands while Menos clung to his ankles. A pair of gargoyles dove for them, only to slam their heads together in the process. Instantly, the twins were on top of them, with Más slamming the sign down with all his strength. But that just left the twins with a severely dented stop-sign and a rapidly growing group of gargoyles glaring at them. Más and Menos grinned, dropped the sign, and sprinted away in terror.

Aqualad gripped a monster by the wings and started spinning around, only for the wings themselves to rip off as the beast flew into another of its kind. Slightly dizzy, the Atlantean shook his head to clear it as one of the gargoyles came up from behind and wrapped his arms around his hips. That's when one of the few remaining fire hydrants erupted from the ground, soaring into Aqualad's captor, and shattering its legs. Breaking free from the stony grip, Aqualad whirled around and slammed the wings into the gargoyle's head, crushing both into rubble.

Kestrel took advantage of her agility, leaping from gargoyle to gargoyle and sticking bombs to each of their backs. Once her group was all loaded up, she fired a grapple and soared away, leaving them to burst into pieces. She grinned at the rocks and pebbles left behind, only to frown and whirl around when a new portal opened right behind her. She reached for her staff but paused when a pair of arrows soared from behind her, catching the newest gargoyle in the chest before exploding. The already unstable portal quickly sealed up. Speedy smirked and nodded at Kestrel's relieved wave before both dove back into the fray.

Knocking the newest broken bits aside, Bumblebee took to the air to scan the horizon. She grimaced at the sight; while the Titans were handling this group just fine, more portals were opening across the city and new gargoyles were pouring out in droves. She dove back to the ground where Más and Menos were darting between the legs of some very confused gargoyles. "Más, Menos, I have a job for you." She pointed to one of the portals nearby. "These things aren't smart enough to be sentient. If there's a supply line, we need to shut it down. Can you get through those portals and do that for me?"

The twins paused long enough to salute before they dodged another punch to the pavement. "Más y Menos, sí podemos!" They sprinted for the portal, only for it to flash with a neon green light. There was a blast of energy, and the speedsters were sent flying, losing their grips on each other as Más flew to the left and Menos bounced to the right. Más groaned and lifted a hand to rub his head as shadows fell around him. He looked up to find he was surrounded by gargoyles and smiled nervously.

"Grab on!" A grappling arrow soared between the legs of one of the gargoyles to land at Más' feet. He immediately grabbed on and waved as he was pulled away to safety. He sighed in relief when he saw Kestrel freeing Menos from one of her own grapples. "I don't think any of us are getting through there, Bee," Speedy pointed out as he fired a trio of exploding arrows into the crowd of gargoyles, which burst into pieces.

"I can see that!" Bumblebee yelled as she kicked one gargoyle so hard, he spun through the air before crashing on top of a car five blocks away. "But unless you have a better idea..."

That's when the sound of a horn began echoing across the city. Far above them, a large black portal split open the sky, and the gargoyles started to get sucked into it. Some of them tried to run or fly away, but all were caught in the pull. Not even the broken ones were spared as bits of gravel and pebbles were lifted through the air and into the sky. The Titans all sighed in relief as their city was cleared and a familiar figure in black, silver and blue appeared on one of the buildings, happily jamming out. "It's about time you got here," Speedy griped with a grin as Herald finished his solo and lowered the trumpet from his lips.

"Hey, you try jumping through seven different dimensions in fifteen minutes," the Titan fired back as he bounced down to street level. "Thought you said this was a security thing, not an invasion."

"¡Oye, te enviamos esa llamada, Trumpet Boy!" Más scowled and pouted while Menos pat him on the back. Behind his mask, Kes could practically see Herald's eye twitching as he turned to look at her.

"Guess you must be the one Raven told me about," he commented, offering his hand. "Herald, demon hunter, dimensional warrior, all that jazz."

"Kestrel," the girl replied, shaking the hand. "Daughter of Raven, granddaughter of Trigon, really hoping to not end up possessed." She giggled at the pure terror that washed through the hero. "Guess she didn't mention that."

"No, no she didn't," Herald squeaked. "Di-did you say Trigon? As in the Trigon?" When she nodded, he clapped his hands together. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay. That's...Your security upgrade? That could take...a while. ...Sure it's not Trigun? Or Shogun or something, you know, less apocalypse-sounding?"

"We're sure," Bumblebee quickly interrupted. "Is that who was sending those gargoyles?"

Herald stared at her for a few seconds before he started laughing. "I'm flattered, but even with my horn, I'm not Trigon levels of strong. And his SO is usually crush everything before him and hear the lamentations of everyone. Less proxies." Lifting his horn once more, he played a short tune that left an odd green sigil floating in the air. "Oh, Neron. ...You know, I never thought I would associate him with 'things could be worse', but I guess Trigon brings that out in people."

"Neron?" Aqualad asked. Herald sighed.

"Look, you have a tower, right? I'll explain things there."

Back in his dimension, Neron tapped his chin thoughtfully as the image faded back to red. "So that's how it is," he muttered, turning, and striding out of his office. The few guards he kept around quickly stiffened to attention as he stalked by. But their presence quickly faded as he reached the part of the castle that only he was allowed to access. As a demon of deals, the vault was where he stored the magical items and pieces he'd been entrusted to guard. After all, Neron had never failed to keep a deal and no contract would be broken on his end. Even the ones so old he'd nearly forgotten about them.

Because even for immortals, there was always a time when they were young and beginning to grow their power. For those who were weak, there was always a deal to be struck. So Neron opened the seal on the vault and strode in, past the weapons and the art and the rare books lost to time. His goal was a large clear crystal about the size of Neron, sealed in the most powerful protection spells he could generate. As he came within six feet of the gem, it started to glow, and two sets of red eyes appeared in them. "Lord Trigon," Neron knelt at the crystal, for Trigon was powerful even for Demon King standards. Even in this state. "I'm here about our deal."

"Then I can assume you have found someone...suitable?" Even a miniscule fragment of Trigon's essence was powerful, for the mental voice projected from the crystal made the walls shake and bits of the ceiling tumble down to break into pieces on the floor.

"I have," Neron agreed as he smirked at the floor. "I believe I have."

Chapter Text

The Teen Titans were a highly respected superhero team, capable of working together in a variety of situations. Unfortunately, this didn't mean they still weren't a bunch of teenagers. Aqualad shared an exhausted and bemused look with Kestrel as Bumblebee clearly fought to keep from screaming her head off at a grumpy Speedy and an aggravated Herald. Más and Menos were happily sharing a bag of popcorn in the corner, watching in clear amusement. "I'm telling you; this is the best way to set up the demon-prevention screening system!" Herald yelled, slamming his fist down onto the table.

"And I'm telling you that shutting down our security systems for however long it takes for you to set it up is a definite NO!" Bumblebee instantly countered with her hands on her hips.

"Not to mention that this system is something apparently you only know how to fix," Speedy added. "You don't live here! What happens if something goes wrong or it loses power for some reason? Are we supposed to just wait however long it takes for you to hop back into our dimension for you to fix it? Like our personal and very unreliable magical handyman?"

Herald glared at the archer. "Look, what Raven said you wanted, and what all of you confirmed, is that you want protection against demonic possession. Demons with an interest in Trigon who won't be scared off just by the sound of his name. So, it needs to be strong, it needs to be durable, and my system is the best way for me to do that!" He glanced over at Kestrel. "Isn't that right, Kestrel?"

The girl flinched, clearly not expecting to be called out. "Um..." she began, absently twisting at her bracelet. "The protections you've come up with seem very strong, but they aren't exactly the most practical. We need the physical defenses as well; demons aren't our only issue. And how exactly will this help if we're called out for a villain attack?" She gave a small shrug. "Unless the idea is that I stay locked up in the tower forever."

Herald flipped to a latter page in the binder he'd put together. "The tower defense systems are also designed to act as a charger for a link you can either wear separately or build into your suits. It'll be like a smaller, more portable version of the shielding I'm setting up." He pointed to a design at the bottom. "Tower will be self-sustaining and your personal protection will just recharge the longer you stay in the tower."

"Oh." Kes pulled the binder closer, skimming through the new information. "This looks handy. I can talk to Raven and Jinx; they have more experience with amulets and artifacts so maybe they could come up with a solid design."

"¡Podríamos usar las bolas de bruja!" Más and Menos chirped, rushing off and almost instantly returning with one of the spare orbs in their hands.

Aqualad awkwardly smiled. "I think those might be a little too big for Kes to carry around safely. Maybe something smaller?"

"Except this only works if we allow the system to be set up in the first place," Bumblebee interrupted, snagging the binder, and slamming it shut. "Which we won't if it involves shutting down every piece of security we have set up for our tower!" She fired a glare at Herald. "Why do you even need to do that anyways; Raven and Jinx didn't have that requirement when they added on to our magical security!" 

Herald opened his mouth to snap before closing it, and then taking a deep breath with his palms pressed together. "Look, this isn't just adding on to the protection you already have. I'll be setting up an entirely different magical security system. And magic like this just doesn't play well with technology. Like, the high risk of violently exploding kind. So, unless you want your tower to be replaced with a giant hole in the cliff, we shut everything down until it's set up. Then, since it'll be stable, we can turn back on all the other security."

"Find another way," Bumblebee ordered through gritted teeth. "Or just add on what you need because a complete shutdown is-"

A high-pitched chirring noise thankfully interrupted the incoming argument. Everyone's heads instantly turned towards the water, where a dolphin was floating with its head popped out of the water. But unlike other visits from the local pods, this was a dolphin they could tell was important thanks to the pale gold and green metal armor that covered part of its body. A royal messenger dolphin. Aqualad quickly rose from his chair and leaped into the water, where the dolphin dove to meet him. "What's the message?" he asked telepathically.

"Garth of Atlantis, you are summoned by King Arthur and Queen Mera to return to Atlantis as quickly as possible," the dolphin recited. "Orm Marius has declared war." For a few seconds, the Atlantean just floated in the water in shock before kicking his way back to the surface. Creating a pillar of water, he pushed himself up to the top of the mezzanine, where the rest of his team was waiting.

"I need to leave," he quickly answered the unasked question, not even bothering to wipe his feet before starting towards the door. "Aquaman called me back to Atlantis."

"What's the situation?" Bumblebee asked, gesturing for the rest of the team to follow. "If there's something we can do..."

"You can't," Aqualad instantly cut her off. "It's Atlantean business. Nothing that will affect you humans."

"Bull." The Atlantean froze before looking back at Kestrel, who crossed her arms defiantly. "You're our friend, so it definitely affects us."

"And for Aquaman to call you back this quickly means it's something big," Speedy added, leaning against the wall. "Possibly big enough to start hitting 'us humans' if you can't handle it." 

Menos piped up with, "¿Y cómo sabes que Aquaman no pidió ayuda a la Liga de la Justicia?"

"Te verás bastante estúpido si te presentas solo y toda la Liga de la Justicia está esperando," Más finished, slapping his brother's hand in a quick high-five.

Aqualad grit his teeth in frustration as Bumblebee smirked at him. "You do know that even if you leave alone, we'll be following in the T-Ship."

"Probably beat you there too." Speedy gave a quick grin. "We need to test out those engine upgrades anyways." It took a few seconds, but Aqualad's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fine, but pack quickly. I'm not sure how long this will take," he admitted. The twins gave a cheer as the rest of the team grinned at each other. From the back, Herald lifted a hand.

"You know, since you'll be gone and all, this is the perfect time to shut everything down so I can work on that magical security." He grinned at the furious look that immediately leapt to Bumblebee's face. "Just being practical."

Bee instantly pulled out her phone. "I’m calling Kid and Jinx to keep an eye on things while we're gone."

"Hey, I won't blow up the tower!"

"That too."

Even with the T-Ship's new engines, the trip to Atlantis would take several hours, though it was better than the two-day swimming trip that Aqualad would have faced on his own. So, the Atlantean had plenty of time to fill his friends in on the situation awaiting them in Atlantis. "His name is Orm Marius, but his title is Ocean Master," he explained as the ship sailed below the surface. "It means that he's recognized as having the most skill with water manipulation and magic in Atlantis. It's a title usually given to the king's right hand or main advisor."

"Ah, we've got an evil chancellor situation," Speedy hummed, tapping his fingers against the dashboard. "Why are we always putting them in positions of high authority?"

"It's a partially inherited situation," Aqualad dryly countered as Kestrel giggled. "His mother also held the title, and he was often left to rule Atlantis alone when Aquaman was away for a diplomatic meeting or for league business. He lost some power when Mera became queen though." 

"Which is his reason for rebelling?" Bee guessed.

Aqualad leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Maybe, but this was pretty inevitable. 'For as long as Atlantis exists beneath the waves, brothers shall vie for the throne.' It’s amazing that things lasted as long as they did, really."

"Orm is Aquaman's brother?" Shock flew through the group at Kestrel's question. "Maybe this is a foolish question, but why hasn't Aquaman just abdicated and let Orm rule Atlantis so he could focus on heroism?"

The Atlantean grimaced. "Orm doesn't exactly have the... best opinion of humanity."

"Which means if a giant tidal-wave suddenly appeared to pull North American into the ocean, we'd know who to blame," Speedy declared.

"Pretty much," Aqualad agreed. "The messenger didn't go into detail, but I'm guessing one of his pushes to go to war with the humans fell through again and he finally had enough." He sighed. "Mera was right, we should have kicked him out when he first started suggesting building up the armies again."

"¿Por qué no lo hiciste?" Más asked, resting his head on his brother's shoulder. "Quiero decir, ese es el tipo de cosas que suelen hacer que te echen de un gobierno."

"Nepotismo. Probablemente fue nepotismo," Menos answered with a serene nod.

"It wasn't nepotism!" Aqualad would have said more, but a large sperm whale, clad in traditional Atlantean battle armor, let out a haunting call as it swam below the ship. Glancing to the side, he spotted several dolphins and even a few sharks encircling the ship, also armored. Frowning, he mentally went over the border lines of the kingdom. "This must be worse than I thought," he muttered. "We're a few miles out from the northern border, I wasn't expecting an escort until we were closer to the city. And especially not one of this size!"

"If the dolphin took around 2 days to reach us, then there's been time for the situation to change," Bee pointed out as she carefully angled the ship so it wouldn't hit any of their escorts. "At least we won't have to worry about getting lost."

Back when Speedy had first introduced him to movies, Aqualad had been both fascinated and amused by the design of Atlantis in 'The Little Mermaid'. The design was pretty enough, but it had been so small! Considering that the city was home to most of the underwater population, it made no sense for Atlantis to consist of one, admittedly well-designed, building. Instead, the city was partially built into the cliffside of an enormous gorge, carved into shapes that made them look like a massive coral reef. The whale, all the sharks, and most of the dolphins veered off as they approached the city, leaving a group of three to lead them to their destination.

The city was far emptier than Aqualad had remembered, with the few Atlanteans hurrying about their business quickly and all of them with at least one weapon on their person. A few of them tensed at the sound of the engines echoing through the water, but then relaxed when they saw first the vanguard, and then Aqualad sitting in the ship. Kes bit her lip as they passed the people. "Everyone's pretty tense right now."

"War has a way of doing that," Bumblebee agreed. "Where are we supposed to park this thing, Aqualad?"

"¿Habrá aire allí?" Menos asked hopefully.  "Ahogarse ... no es bueno." His brother patted him on the back.

"The main palace should be large enough to hold the entire ship," Aqualad answered after a few seconds thought. "And most of the buildings are enchanted to be dry on the inside, especially in the palace." He sent a calming smile to the twins. "It's better for the diplomats who can't breathe underwater, plus storing documents is easier if we keep things dry. I'll lead the way." Unstrapping himself, he pressed the button that opened the bottom of his pod and swam out to join the dolphins. Grasping onto the leader's dorsal fin, he let himself be pulled along as he mentally pushed the dolphins to lead them to the palace.

The building itself was beautifully carved and covered with small clumps of coral for protection and beauty. Aqualad ignored the usual path of the carved door and instead dove lower to where an enormous hole would lead to the pool room for those arriving in submarines. This entrance was guarded by a pair of stone-faced guards, who saluted when Aqualad swam by. A short trip through the tunnel later and Aqualad breached the surface to inhale the slightly salty underwater air. Standing at the edge of the pool with a towel was a familiar face. Tramm happily chittered in welcome as Aqualad exited the pool just as the T-ship broke through the water. "It's great to see you too, Tramm." Aqualad took the towel and draped it over his shoulders before dropping down to give his friend a hug. "Where are the king and queen?"

The rest of the team climbed out of the ship as Tramm chattered away. "Hola Tramm. Estas guapa," the twins greeted as they happily zoomed over. Long trips tended to leave the speedsters a little twitchy from being cooped up too long. "¿Que esta diciendo?"

"There's a tactics meeting going on in the war room," Aqualad translated as he ran the towel through his hair. "I'm supposed to join in as soon as I'm able, though they weren't expecting me to arrive so soon."

"See? This is why you let us help," Bee grinned. "Which way is this war room?"

Tramm eagerly lead the way through the maze of hallways and stairs. As they walked, they passed by various servants and guards, all of whom stopped when they saw Aqualad to salute before carrying on with their duties. Speedy whistled in amusement as the fourth one nearly ran into a closed door before opening it and vanishing. "Looks like you're a big shot around here."

"It's more than that," Kes corrected as she caught the eye of a guard who instantly looked away. "Seeing you makes them very nervous, Aqualad."

"Yeah," the Atlantean whispered as they approached a gold enameled door carved with the royal crest. "They know Aquaman wouldn't have called me back unless it was serious." With that chilling statement, he walked forward and pushed the doors open.

Aquaman, in all his golden-haired glory, was standing at the head of the table, looking over the large map and figures that had been set out. Aqualad quickly scanned them and winced; Orm had more forces than Atlantis would have liked. His face was stony at the interruption, but his eyes quickly softened when he saw who it was. "Garth, you're home."

"Sorry I couldn't get her sooner, Your Highness," Aqualad apologized with a small smile as he hurried across the room. "We got here as quickly as we could."

"Don't apologize," Aquaman immediately countered, resting a hand on his protege's shoulder, and squeezing it gently. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be home," Aqualad admitted with a small smile. There was a small cough and he glanced over his shoulder to see Bee lowering her hand. "Sorry. Aquaman, meet the Titans East."

The king's eyes lit up in recognition. "I've heard of you all from your mentors and Garth's letters. Atlantis welcomes you and thanks you for your aid."

Bumblebee nodded and glanced around curiously at the empty room. "Aquaman, shouldn't the Justice League be here as well?"

"Alas, many of my comrades in arms have abilities that aren't that useful underwater," Aquaman answered sadly. "The only ones who could maybe help are Green Lantern, who is currently off-planet, and Batman, who is apparently wrapping up a human-trafficking case and will try to be here as soon as he's able. Also, this is technically a civil war so it's dangerous for non-Atlanteans to be involved."

"Speaking of which, where is everyone?" Aqualad asked, gesturing to the mostly empty room. "Did all of our generals and advisors follow Orm?"

"No, they are all taking a break from arguing," came a melodic female voice from the entryway. A beautiful red-haired Atlantean woman stepped inside, a plate of oysters in one hand and a stack of documents in the other. "And that includes you too, Arthur," she scolded as she set both of them down in front of Aquaman's abandoned chair. "How can you expect to lead us if you're collapsing in exhaustion?"

"Yes, Mera," Aquaman obeyed with a smile, sinking back into his chair, and popping an oyster into his mouth. "My wife, Queen Mera."

"Welcome to Atlantis, Teen Titans," the queen greeted them before turning to Aqualad with a warm smile and open arms. "Welcome home, Garth," she cooed as she hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Mera." Aqualad returned the hug before looking back at the table. "So, what's the situation?"

The queen's face turned grim. "Orm’s coup thankfully doesn't have the numbers it could have had if this occurred earlier in Arthur's reign. Thanks to all the diplomatic meetings, we have more Atlanteans who are willing to trust the surface-dwellers and others who simply do not wish to go to war in general. Unfortunately, most of Orm’s followers are...well..."

"The ones who don't look human?" Speedy interrupted the dithering. He shrugged when his fellow Titans glared at him. "Look, humans suck a lot at times, and we're known for being pretty discriminatory against those who look different."

"Yes," Aquaman agreed, swallowing an oyster, and tapping at one side of the map. "Most of Orm’s army is also made up of the older generation, the ones who have a rockier history with humanity as a whole. Which means he has men and women with years of experience and skill under him, both with weapons and with water magic."

"What exactly is Orm’s plan?" Kestrel asked, resting her hands on the table. "I'm sorry, but I really don't understand how calling just Aqualad home would make a difference if this were a matter of war. You think something else is going on."

Mera gave her husband a fond look. "While Aquaman was dealing with his duties outside the city, I spent a lot of time working with Orm. The man always had several plans going at once. Do you remember the artifact that you sent us, the one which manipulated temperatures?"

"Los vikingos de hielo," the twins exclaimed as the rest of the team nodded.

"I had our people go through all the records and files that Orm touched before he left," Mera explained, circling the table. "One of the files that was missing involved that orb and all the experiments our scientists have performed so far. A few of them also recall Orm asking a lot of questions a few weeks back, mainly about the newest form they'd discovered. One that can manipulate the earth. And then the artifact itself went missing a few days before Orm declared war."

"Given Orm’s feelings for humanity, it's not improbable that he wishes to use the artifact against you." Swallowing the last of the oysters, Arthur picked up the papers and started reading. "While it would take a lot of power, it's possible to potentially use the artifact to trigger multiple underground earthquakes, thus causing massive tsunamis that could end up submerging most of your coastlines."

Kestrel sighed and Bumblebee elbowed Speedy in the ribs, making him yelp. "Hey, he stole that thing before we even got the message," the archer complained as he rubbed the sore spot. "Clearly, he came up with the idea all on his own."

"And that's why we called you back, Garth." Mera ignored the interruption, her eyes locked on the younger Atlantean. "As much as we value your battle skills, what Atlantis needs right now isn't another soldier. We need someone to track down where he's keeping the artifact and steal it back for us, so it can't be used against us. And Orm, well..."

"Orm never thought much of me," Aqualad finished with a smile. "He saw me as Aquaman's pet project and a mascot for the people. We can use that against him."

"Exactly," Aquaman agreed, rising to his feet. "We think he would have placed it around here," he pointed to a small dark area on the map marked as 'Shadow Cove'. "Our scouts have reported a large grouping of various breeds of sharks there, as though to protect something. We were worried about sending you out alone, but..." He grinned at the rest of the Titans. "It looks like that won't be a problem, will it?"

Aqualad grinned and saluted the king and queen. "No, not a problem at all."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to stay out there?" Bumblebee asked as the T-Ship sliced through the water. Unlike their earlier trip, Aqualad was perched atop the ship between Speedy's pod and his former seat. Instead, the seat was filled by Tramm, who waved at his friend before babbling an answer to Bee.

"I'm the most agile in the water and we definitely will need Tramm along for transport," Aqualad translated. "Apparently, there was an incident where someone-" He made a face at his friend's story. "Where someone got turned inside out from handling the artifact wrong and he's been trained in how not to do that."

"Ew," Kestrel grimaced. "Were they alright?"

Tramm glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "They're still working on it," Aqualad stated.

Speedy shuddered. "Okay, only the Atlanteans touch the weird element-affecting object. How would something like that even cause a person to turn inside out?"

"I don't know, I wasn't there," Aqualad grumped as Tramm chattered something. "And Tramm, saying 'Science' doesn't really help."

"¡Ciencias!" the twins cheered happily before falling into a shared giggling fit. The rest of the Titans gave reluctant smiles before Aqualad frowned and lifted his head.

"I can sense the sharks up ahead. We're nearly there."

"Alright," Bumblebee decided. "We'll be splitting up for this one so we can cover more territory. Make sure you always keep at least one of us in sight so that we can keep each other from being overwhelmed. Aqualad, can you scare some of them off, or call for some backup?"

The Atlantean shrugged. "Maybe I can break through whatever compulsion is holding them there unless there's an Atlantean on standby who's keeping them here. But I want to keep back-up as a last resort; whatever I call will be a massive red flag for Orm that something's up, and the king will need all the help he can get for the war."

"Any complaints about us shooting to kill?" Speedy asked as the ship began to split into parts. Aqualad hesitated, and then shook his head.

"Leaving them alive will be too dangerous, especially if the blood makes them go into a frenzy," he admitted. "Just...be careful and try to keep your distance."

"Same goes," Kes pointed out. "You're the one out there with them."

Bumblebee nodded. "Yeah. Keep to the perimeter as much as you can, try to find the Atlantean who might be there or where the artifact may be located. The rest of us," she turned her pod towards the shiver of sharks waiting. "Let's go." Aqualad kicked off the back of Tramm's pod as they sailed through the water, weapons charging up. Sighing, the Atlantean turned and dove down. There were quite a few pockets in the rock wall down there which would make a perfect resting spot for an Atlantean on 'keep sharks together' duty.

As fitting their usual role, Más and Menos were the first to engage. As Menos fired the first shots, Más jerked the pod to the side, and they sailed away as the blasts connected. They hit three; one which ripped the tiger shark to bits and the other two hitting the head of a great white and the tail of a hammerhead. As blood filled the water, the rest of the sharks turned and began charging. "¡Nos están siguiendo! ¿No deberían distraerse?" the twins yelped as the shiver tore after them.

"Looks like Aqualad was right about one of Orm’s men being here," Speedy answered as he let his pod drift to focus on his aim. He narrowed his eyes as Más and Menos darted in and out of range before firing off the particle canon. The blast sliced through the first few sharks, leaving nothing left but broken bits. "Hah, got 'em!"

"Más, Menos, try to lead them towards us," Bee ordered. The twins hastened to obey, swerving around a rock formation to pass between the triangle made by Kes, Bee, and Tramm's pods. "Ready, you two?"

"Ready," Kes responded while Tramm babbled.

"Then fire now!" At Bumblebee's call, each pod released several small torpedoes to soar through the water and catch the side of the frenzy. More blood filled the water as a few of the sharks broke through the compulsion to flee while others turned to feast on their deceased brethren. But a large portion just whirled and charged once more before suddenly breaking off and diving back into the blood. Bumblebee smirked. "Looks like Aqualad found the Atlantean."

"Yeah, I did. I found the artifact too, but you guys are going to want to see this," came the Atlantean’s voice over the comms.

Más and Menos exchanged worried glances before Más cautiously asked, "Aqualad, sabes que todavía estamos bajo el agua, ¿verdad?"

"Ahogarse sigue siendo algo malo," Menos chimed in, hands beginning to shake in fear.

"Don't worry, the place is enchanted just like the palace was. My guess is Orm didn't want this getting wet and messing with the machinery." Aqualad popped up from the water, startling the twins into yelping and grabbing one another. "Just follow me, you'll see."

With that, he dove once more, leaving the rest of the team to follow. At the base of the small valley was a large cave big enough for all the pods to fit through. Aqualad led them down a bit and then up once more as the tunnel spread out to reveal a large open cave with half the ground sticking up above the water. Tramm opened his pod the second it broke the surface to scramble onto the land, with the rest of the team cautiously following. There was an unconscious scaled Atlantean on the ground, tied up with seaweed rope, a broken trident on the ground, and a massive piece of machinery built into the wall with a familiar orb at its center. Tramm waved his arms, crying out in clear outrage as Aqualad sighed. "Yeah, I know Tramm."

Speedy whistled as he approached the machine. "Damn. No wonder he wanted it someplace dry."

"Is this human tech?" Kes asked as she knelt to examine some paneling.

Aqualad shook his head while Tramm gaped at her. "No, this is all Atlantean. We get some inspiration from the ships that sink occasionally, but Orm was never really into using it. Says that it already failed once so why waste the time?"

"Oh, so no temptation to try and destroy humanity with our own technology?" Speedy asked with an eye-roll. He pulled an arrow from his quiver to use as a makeshift screwdriver and remove a panel.

"Nah, the irony is no match for his desire to prove how superior Atlantis is to anything the surface-dwellers could create," Aqualad countered, earning a smirk from his teammate.

"Pero Atlantis no tiene pizza. ¡O tacos!" the twins cried out in unison.

"Hey!" The sudden shout made everyone jump as several heads burst out of the water. "You're not with us!"

"Alright, that's enough," Bee interrupted as Speedy finished pulling the panel free. "You guys keep them off us. Let's see how well this stuff stands against some humans." Shrinking down, Bee flew through the hole Speedy created and soared up into the guts of the machine. Speedy gave a shrug and nocked an arrow as Tramm pulled out a huge wrench.

"Maybe sending the sharks away wasn't the best idea," Kes muttered to Aqualad as she pulled out her bo-staff.

"I didn't trust myself to be able to control them with all the blood in the water," the Atlantean explained as Orm’s forces clambered onto the surface. One of them swung a trident at him, which he easily dodged before firing a punch back.

"¡Al menos estamos en un lugar donde podemos correr!" Menos commented as he carried his brother on his shoulders, racing across the water. When they reached the head of an Atlantean, they just ran over their face, making them drop back down with red-hot footprints on their skin. One of the soldiers grabbed Kes's staff and snapped her teeth mere inches from her face. The heroine just let herself fall backwards, flipping the Atlantean forward and slamming her face-first into the ground. Speedy kept his focus on the balls of water being fired, using a few of his heat-seekers to evaporate them before they hit any of his teammates.

Inside the machine, Bee braced herself and yanked a computer chip almost as big as she was out of place. Letting it plummet to the ground, she dove through the small hole it created and pulled out her stingers. "Come on, come on," she muttered as she pressed them against a glowing piece of machinery, she was hoping was a power source and not just a blinking light. With a pulse of electricity, it shorted and all the lights around her dimmed before going out. "Yes!" Kicking the source off the small holder, she flew deeper, aiming for the light she saw in the distance.

On the outside, Tramm was scrambling up the side of the machine and just slammed the head of his wrench down on a blinking panel. A few hits in and the black protection fell off, revealing a large canister with an orange glowing liquid inside. Grinning, Tramm yanked it free and tossed it at Aqualad with a cry. Aqualad tossed his opponent away just in time to catch the canister before it broke, eyes wide. "Tramm, is this what I think it is?! What am I supposed to do with it?!" Another string of babble, and Aqualad shook his head. "No way, I won't do it! No one deserves that!"

"¿Qué quiere él que hagas?" Más asked as he and his brother whirled around an Atlantean, creating a temporary waterspout which trapped their opponent and lifted him out of the water.

"To throw it at them and make it explode!"

"Then I'll do it," Kes declared. Snatching the jar, she threw it as hard as she could at the large octopus Atlantean which had joined the fray. "Speedy?"

"Got it!" His explosive arrow all charged up, Speedy released it just as the canister reached the top of its arc. The twins zipped back to land as it burst, covering all the Atlanteans in viscous goop and making them scream. The archer winced as the scales started whitening and shedding. "Gross."

"Why exactly does a machine to cause earthquakes need a liquid that makes you shed your skin?" Kes asked curiously.

"It doesn't normally, just when really hot. Like when something explodes!" That last part was yelled at Tramm, who shrugged and snickered cheerfully.

"Hey Tramm!" Bumblebee waved to catch the Atlantean's eye from behind the glass where the artifact sat on a small pedestal. "Get ready to catch!" Tramm gave her a thumb's up, and Bumblebee drew her leg back and kicked it as hard as she could. The artifact broke through the protective glass with ease and Tramm launched himself forward, catching the orb in a move most pro baseball players would envy. Aqualad sighed and braced himself, catching Tramm easily before he hit the ground.

Tramm grinned up at Aqualad and held the artifact up. "Boo-yah!"

"Are you sure you don't need me to stick around?" Aqualad asked as the team prepared to head back to Steel City. Orm’s army had fought with Atlantis while they were retrieving the artifact, only to be driven away. Mostly because of the giant water kraken that Mera had attacked with and refused to teach him how to do.

"No, Atlantis can handle him," Aquaman stated, ruffling his apprentice's hair. "And what we need now is an Atlantean on the surface, showing our good side off to the humans. The last thing we need is to lose more people to Orm’s army."

"And we'll be able to contact you more easily now that Tramm's working on setting up the communication devices," Mera added. Tramm cackled and rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Maybe we can get to work on the teleportation pads that the Justice League has as well."

"That would be handy," Aqualad agreed, glancing over his shoulder at the T-Ship. Everyone else was mostly strapped in, just waiting on him. "If you need me, I'll be back in a heartbeat."

"We know." There was a short group hug, and then Aqualad slid back into his open pod. Arthur wrapped an arm around Mera as the ship sank beneath the waves, waving the Titans good-bye.

Inside the ship, Bumblebee leaned back to relax as they sailed out of Atlantis. "I can't wait to be back home in my own bed."

"If it exists still," Speedy snarked. "Herald was working on the security upgrade, remember?"

"Jinx was with him, the tower will be fine," Kes countered. "Besides, if something bad had happened, Kid wouldn't have hesitated to call us about it."

"True." Aqualad remained silent, watching Atlantis fade out behind him into the sea as the Titans headed home to Steel City once more.

Chapter Text

"HUWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" While there were many varieties of villains that had attacked Steel City over the years, this one was one of the more...unique. His mask was a black silk tie with a pair of holes cut into it for the eyes. His outfit was a complete three-piece black suit sans the tie, complete with a pair of black silk gloves. But around his waist was an oversized belt like the ones that Kestrel and Robin wore, with pockets filled to the brim with diapers, wet wipes, and baby bottles. Strapped to his back was a large diaper bag, likely full of similar products. His bald head gleamed in the sun as he stood atop the large pile of boxes near the back of the warehouse. "Behold your doom, for it is I! The Pacifiar!"

The various dockworkers all exchanged confused looks. "What is he wearing?" one whispered quietly to her coworker.

"No idea. I thought villains were supposed to be intimidating or something." The comment was picked up by the Pacifiar's keen ears and he whirled on the pair with a maniacal grin.

"Oh, so you doubt my powers!" Reaching behind him, he pulled out a giant mechanical pacifier. The handle was covered in a bunch of colorful oversized buttons that looked like they'd been pulled off some baby toys. He pressed down on a button with a cow sticker, and the device gave a pitiful 'moo' as the teat began charging with an eerie yellowish light. "Be the first to taste my..." The Pacifiar trailed off; clearly, he hadn't thought of a name for his device that didn't overwrite his own. "Uh...just take this!"

The blast only flew a few feet before it collided with a familiar bolt of electricity. Eyes wide, the Pacifiar spun as Bumblebee casually lifted her stingers up to blow the smoke away. Speedy was perched on the building below her, arrow aimed at the device while Aqualad stood with arms crossed over his chest. "If you came looking for a fight, you got one," Bee purred as her stingers charged up once more. "Unless you want to do the smart thing and surrender."

"Maybe take the time to rethink your brand?" Speedy offered with a smirk. "This one isn't doing you much good."

"Titans!" the villain hissed as he stowed the pacifier away. "I knew I would have to deal with you..." He blinked before using his finger to count the superheroes out. "Wait, aren't there usually more of you?"

"You think all of us are needed to take you down?" Bumblebee fired back.

"It's not like you're the only villain we've had to deal with today," Aqualad muttered, which earned a furious glare from his leader.

The Pacifiar shook his head to clear it. "No matter. With all of these hostages around, you'll have no choice but to-Hey!" During the conversation, all the dock workers had vanished. But the Pacifiar had only a few seconds to gape before the boxes under him exploded, sending him flying. Jinx yawned as she watched the villain bounce a few times before he landed against a wall. "I thought that this crime-fighting thing was supposed to be more interesting," she commented.

"Come on, Jinx," Kid Flash quipped as he zipped back by her side, grinning. "At least it's better than watching Herald rewrite the fabric of reality around the tower for the seventh time."

Speedy sighed and returned his arrow to the quiver. He and Aqualad slid down from the roof as Bumblebee landed silently behind them. "Yeah, if it weren't for the potential hostages, one of us could have handled it alone. Or two, if we sent the twins."

Bee just pulled her communicator from her belt, scanning the constant updates Más and Menos were sending. "Looks like Red X is heading towards that new construction site on the west side," she reported. "Aqualad, you stay here and hand this bozo off to the cops. I'll take whatever tech he was trying to use back to the tower for later. You three," she nodded at KF, Speedy, and Jinx. "Meet up with Kestrel, Más, and Menos to try and grab Red X." Speedy gave a mock salute as the Atlantean cautiously approached the villain, who hadn't moved since Jinx had thrown him.

"Jinx, how hard did you hit him?" Aqualad asked as he crouched down beside the Pacifiar. "Normally, wouldn't he-GAH!" The Pacifiar leaped to his feet and flung a fistful of white dust into Aqualad's face. The hero fell back, coughing and sputtering as the villain pulled the pacifier out of his pack once more.

"I didn't want to use this, but you give me no choice!" he yelled, slamming his fist down on the yellow button. With the crow of a rooster echoing through the air, the pacifier began to pulse and glow with that same yellowish light from earlier.

"Oh no you don't!" Bumblebee lunged forward.

"Wait!" Kid Flash instantly whirled and punched at both Speedy and Jinx with all his strength. The pair went flying as the speedster spun around, hoping to grab the other Titans before the light could do its work. But he was too late as the warehouse was engulfed.

Kestrel grit her teeth as she wove her way through the metal triangles that made up the crane's base. At least the climbing kept Red X's mouth shut as he hurried to stay ahead of the heroine hot on his tail. The small bag he'd stolen from one of the local, and heavily guarded, labs bounced against his belt as he clambered his way higher. Más and Menos peeked over the top where they were laying on their stomachs and started pouring from a bag of quick-dry cement they'd nabbed from below. Red X's eyes widened from behind his mask as he flipped around to the other side of the crane, forcing Kes to do the same. "Hey! Don't forget X isn't the only one down here!" she privately yelled.

"¡Lo siento, Kes!" the twins apologized as the now empty bag blew away in the wind.

"And quick-dry cement, really?" the thief asked as he reached down to his belt. "You know that stuff takes half an hour to dry, right? I'll be long gone by then." He glanced down at Kes and cooed, "So sorry to cut our time short, bluebird." Kestrel mentally growled and pulled out a grapple and fired it. Red X quickly dodged the anchor, climbing inside of the triangles before Kes slammed into him. That's when Kestrel's communicator started blaring. She glanced down at her belt, eyes wide at the red color the large T had turned before she looked over to the warehouse district, which was now completely covered in a yellow light. Red X followed her gaze and whistled. "Well, guess you need to look into that. See you next time!" The thief tapped his belt, only for his eyes to widen as Más and Menos swung in through a gap, clinging to Kestrel's anchor.

"Más y Menos, sí podemos!" Menos tugged the bag free as Más punched the large 'x' on Red X's belt. The twins swung away, giggling as the thief shimmered out of existence, teleported away. "¡Tenemos las gemas!"

"Nice work, guys," Kes congratulated, deciding not to prod them about essentially releasing Red X in the process. "Drop those off and meet me at the warehouse asap. We need to know what happened." She dropped the end of her grapple, leaving it to dangle as she dove towards the ground, grabbing onto various building parts to slow herself as she landed next to her bike. There was a blur of wind as Más and Menos sprinted down the crane and back to the lab and then Kestrel was on her way. Thankfully, traffic was slow enough that she could easily weave her way to the former warehouse district, parking just as the twins skidded to a halt beside her.

It wasn't entirely clear what had happened here. Instead of large metal buildings and boxes everywhere, there was a lot of sheets of metal, logs, and a whole lot of wool being blown about in the slight breeze. Kestrel removed her helmet as Más and Menos darted from pile to pile, examining everything carefully. "¿El villano solo quería robar un montón de suministros de construcción?" Menos asked, rubbing his chin.

Más shrugged. "Probablemente se necesiten muchas cosas para construir una fortaleza malvada."

"Sí."

"Buildings can wait," Kestrel acknowledged as she pulled out her communicator. "The distress signal we got from Aqualad and Bumblebee came from around..."

There was a splash and then the sound of angry curses filled the air. Kes and the twins glanced at each other before racing towards the noise. The nearby harbor hadn't been too affected, except for the logs now floating in the bay instead of being the docks they were originally. Speedy was dragging himself onto the cement steps, swearing furiously as Jinx wrung the seawater out of her now limp hair. "I'm going to kill him," the archer hissed as he pulled off his quiver, yanked out his arrows and then flipped the quiver over to let the water pour out onto the ground. "If I wanted to drown, I'd go swimming with Aqualad."

"Not if I get to him first," Jinx growled as she attempted to return her hair to its normal style. "As girlfriend, I get dibs."

"You're both alright!" The heroes glanced over as Kes rushed over with relief. The twins were at her side in moments, each offering a towel they'd raced off to grab. Speedy grunted a thanks and grabbed one, rubbing it over his hair. "What happened? We could see the light from across town!"

"Villain set off a bomb or something," Jinx grumbled, tossing the now wet towel to the side. "Kid hit us both as it went off, launched us into the bay."

"Bueno, supongo que es una bomba más bonita de lo habitual," Más whispered to his brother, who nodded.

"Why are you all here anyways? Shouldn't you still be chasing Red X?" Speedy asked, towel now draped over his shoulders. Kestrel silently offered her communicator, still flashing that ominous red. Speedy froze and Jinx paled, hands flying to their own communicators and reading them. "Shit, all three of them..."

"Kid," Jinx whispered before spinning on one heel and sprinting off. Más and Menos raced in front of her, leaving Speedy and Kes to bring up the rear in silence. The former villainess came to a halt in a blank area, surrounded by piles of metal sheets and cotton. The only thing there was a large metal pacifier, covered in colorful buttons and stickers. Jinx stared down at it in shock. "How? He's faster than anything! He should have run! He should have..." she trailed off, knees buckling beneath her as she fell to the ground. "Kid."

The grief pouring from her was staggering as Kes cautiously approached her. "Jinx..." But before Kes could offer any comfort, a cry split the air. But not just any cry, a child's cry. Instantly, all the heroes were sprinting towards the sound, which was coming from between two of the wood piles. Speedy pulled out a flashlight and knelt, shining it into the shadows. Huddled there was a little girl around two or three in a little yellow and black striped dress, her curly hair in pigtails. Behind her was a pair of infants, one in a blue and black onesie, the other stylishly dressed in a tuxedo onesie. In her arms, she cradled a baby in yellow with a dash of red hair. Kestrel's hands flew to her mouth as Speedy gawked, and Jinx gaped at the sight. "Oh my god."

Baby Bumblebee's eyes welled up as she clutched KF to her chest and planted herself firmly in front of the other kids. "Th-Thtay away from uth!" she cried out in an adorable lisp.

Más and Menos exchanged glances before sprinting away, only to return a few seconds later. "Hay unos treinta bebés más no muy lejos de aquí," they reported.

"Where Kid Flash put the hostages," Speedy muttered as he set the flashlight down and ran a hand through still-wet hair. "This isn't going to go well."

After all the worker babies were sent off to one of the nearby hospitals, along with the former Pacifiar, the Titans found themselves back at the main ops room. Aqualad was happily swimming around in a large plastic box that had been filled with sea water, making cheerful chirping noises. Kid Flash had been placed on the table, sucking on the end of the blanket Speedy had pulled from a cupboard to wrap him in. Bumblebee was curled up in one of the chairs, glaring at any and everyone who came to close. She had let the Pacifiar go with a surprising lack of fuss, though it had helped that Aquababy had started sobbing around the time the bus had pulled up.

The rest of the Titans were now staring at the pacifier in blanket confusion. Kes glanced over at Jinx and Speedy. "So... how does this thing work?"

"No idea," Jinx answered with a shrug. She'd calmed down since finding Baby Flash, though she'd avoided touching him at every opportunity. "He didn't really have the chance to use the option that turned everyone back."

"Went from zero to a hundred there," Speedy agreed, reaching out and slapping Menos' outstretched hand. "Just don't touch the rooster. That's what set off the explosion and I don't want to find out how it affects anyone under ten."

"Guess that rules me out as a test subject then," Kes quipped, glancing over her shoulder at her de-aged teammates. "Was it really the smartest idea to take them back here? None of us really know how to work with kids except maybe Jinx."

"What makes you think I know anything about kids?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"I have all of Robin's memories of the Hive Five," Kes instantly fired back. Jinx blinked, sighed, and then looked away.

"Fair point. But at least all of them were toilet trained." Jinx looked over at Baby Bee. "Kid, you potty-trained?"

Bumblebee glared at her furiously. "Of courthe I am! I'm a big girl!"

"Small mercies," Speedy muttered as he leaned over the pacifier and frowned. "Wonder why this thing wasn't transformed like everything else..."

"We can ask 'the Pacifiar' once we turn him back," Jinx decided. "Now, who are we testing on?"

"You." Kestrel rolled her eyes when Jinx glared at her. "We don't know if Más and Menos are too young for the beam and would be wiped out of existence. I'm in the same boat, Herald's out searching for some magical security part only he can pronounce, and Speedy's the best with tech so we can't afford to lose him." Kes crossed her arms over her chest. "Unless you're suggesting we go out and start attacking civilians, you have to step up." Speedy, Más, and Menos all took a step back as the girls stared each other down. At least until Menos looked to the side, and then did a double take.

"¿Cómo llegó Baby Flash allí?" Everyone glanced at Menos, then followed his finger down to the edge of the pool below, where Kid Flash was now sitting. The baby glanced up at everyone, beamed, and then gave a little wave.

"...Kid Flash didn't get his powers until he was a teenager, right?" Kestrel asked, panic reverberating in her mental voice.

"That's what he told me," Jinx agreed as Speedy nodded slowly. "But this thing didn't turn back time, did it?"

Baby Flash rolled onto his stomach, pushed up into a crawling position, and vanished. There was a tiny yellow and red blur on the horizon as he raced on the water towards who knows where. "Lo conseguiremos!" the twins shouted, linking hands, and sprinting after the baby. As they vanished, a bunch of sea creatures began flooding into the pool below, all squeaking and chirping and calling. The remaining Titans turned as one to stare at baby Aqualad, who was pressed against his tiny pool with big eyes and a bigger grin.

Kestrel walked over and pulled him out of the pool. "Maybe that's enough water time for you," she said as the Atlantean began to squirm in her grip, eager to join the marine life below. "I think we need to call Atlantis."

"Not if we figure this thing out," Speedy pointed out as he picked up the pacifier and aimed it at Jinx. He pressed the cow button, and nothing happened. A few more presses, and nothing. Scowling, the archer flipped the device over and groaned as the melted metal that was leaking out from the back. "Shit."

"Bad word!" Baby Bee stood on her chair, furiously pointing at Speedy. "Bad boy, bad! Time out corner, now!"

"You have got to be kidding me," the archer grumbled as Jinx snickered and Kestrel giggled. "If you think that I'm-"

"Actually, she's right." Bumblebee's chest puffed out proudly as Jinx nearly fell to the floor with laughter and Speedy whirled on Kes with fury. She quickly added, "Speedy, you should head down to the basement. Right now."

"Base..." Speedy's eyes widened before he grinned and nodded. "You're absolutely right, Kes. I'll go there right now." Bumblebee practically preened in pride as the archer strode over and entered the elevator, heading down to his workshop. As the door closed, Más and Menos streaked back inside with a wet and cackling Kid Flash dangling by the foot between them. As they panted for breath, a powerful stink filled the air.

"As a rule, I refuse to change my boyfriend's diaper," Jinx declared as she immediately shot to her feet. "Unless you want to be blasted through a wall, that's an immediate no from me."

Kes awkwardly shifted Aquababy in her arms as he started to whine. "I'm a little worried about how to keep him still while changing him anyways. I think Más and Menos are on permanent Baby Flash duty until further notice."

“¡Oye! ¡Nosotros tampoco queremos cambiarlo!" the twins yelled as Baby Flash swung back and forth in their grip. But a wail from Aquababy made everyone wince as he practically started thrashing while Kes fought to keep her grip on him.

"Just do it," Jinx growled, making the twins shrink back with the force of her glare. "Kes, you take the kids down to look at the fish. I'll call Atlantis and see if they have any advice for keeping their guppies alive."

The problem with Baby Aqualad was that he was an excellent swimmer. So, Kestrel had to stand hip deep in the water with her hands firmly wrapped around the little Atlantean to ensure he wouldn't swim off without her. Thankfully, most of the animals called were content to swim around and bop heads or fins against the baby as he chortled in glee. Even little Bumblebee had gotten to pet a dolphin or two, though she squealed at the weird texture of some of the creatures. They were giving the sea otters a few pats when Jinx came stalking in, looking exhausted. "Long call?" Kes guessed as she briefly lifted Aqualad into the air to shift her grip again.

"They put me on hold six times," Jinx hissed as she plopped down on the ground, hands buried at the base of her hair. "I didn't need advice directly from Aquaman; he doesn't even have any kids! Just point me at the first person in charge of undersea daycare or something!"

Bumblebee awkwardly scooted a bit closer to Kestrel, which was wise as pink sparks were leaping from Jinx's body in rage. Kes just hummed and returned Aqualad to the water. "So, nothing?"

Jinx shrugged. "Just a warning not to get too close to any krakens. Apparently, they're attracted to the 'cries of the young' or something like that." She rolled her eyes as Kestrel stilled. "I mean, seriously? How many Atlantean babies would it take to feed a kraken? Not a joke, a serious question."

The twins streaked in, wearing the same horrified look as Kestrel. "¿Ella acaba de decir kraken?"

"Did he happen to mention a range for how close is too close?" Kestrel asked, an awkward smile on her face. Jinx gave her an odd look as suddenly, all the sea life started freaking out before diving underwater as one to flee. "Never mind. Más, Menos, get the babies to a safer room." The twins saluted before scooping up Bumblebee and Aqualad and racing off, the children screaming and squealing as they did so. Kes pulled out her bo and twirled it nervously, watching the water. "We told him a thousand times to get rid of it!"

Jinx frowned before understanding dawned and her eyes widened. "You can't be serious," she groaned as her hands lit up with power. "Shouldn't he be the one who knows how dangerous they are?"

Kes gave a helpless shrug as large tentacles started rising out from the water. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Down in his basement, Speedy finished scraping the last of the melted circuit-board away before replacing it with a fresh one. Locking the back into place, he flipped the grips so that the pacifier was right-side up once more and smiled. "Okay. Please let this work," he prayed as he aimed the head towards a flipped-over cup. Inside was a spider that Speedy had plucked from its web in the far corner and trapped for experimental purposes. "Sorry if this wipes you out of existence," the archer added as he pressed the cow button again. The pacifier lit up and fired blast into the cup, transforming the plastic into a bunch of tiny blue pellets. As Speedy leaned closer, he could barely make out a very tiny spider trying to scramble free. "Yes!"

Punching the air, Speedy looked over at his list of sticker names. "Cow's confirmed, now to go through the list," he muttered with a beam. But as he reached for a pen, the sealed garage door suddenly was thrown off its hinges. Speedy ducked as the metal flew over his head, eyes wide as several giant and familiar tentacles thrust their way into the garage. "Are you kidding me?!"  Speedy slammed his hand against the wall, opening a large panel where he shoved the pacifier and most of his tools. Just in time too, for as the panel slammed shut one of the tentacles came crashing down, breaking his workbench into bits as Speedy sprinted for the stairs. "We told him a thousand times," he grumbled, nocking an explosion arrow, and firing it quickly as one of the tentacles tried to wrap around his ankle.

As the door slid open, the archer nearly crashed into Más and Menos, who were tying another pair of tentacles into knots. Menos waved. "¡Hola Speedy! ¡Estamos siendo atacados por los kraken!"

"I hadn't noticed," Speedy growled as he fired another arrow, making the lower tentacles retreat again. He sighed and stared at the ceiling before reluctantly strapping his bow back on. "Can you two grab my swords?" There was a gust of wind, and his swords were pressed into his hands. "Thanks. Let's find the others."

"¡Okey!" The twins sprinted up the stairs as Speedy covered their climb, slashing and slicing through the tentacles that crept after them. It took some time, but they eventually reached the top floor. The main ops room was a wreck, with Kestrel and Jinx leaping and dodging the main body of the kraken as it attempted to grab them.

"Why are we being attacked by a kraken right now?" Speedy asked as he flung himself into the fray and sliced through another set of tentacles. Kes just sent him an exhausted look as she tossed a disc that froze the wriggling stumps to the ground.

"Apparently baby Atlanteans are a delicacy among kraken." Speedy waited for the punchline, only to stop and gape at her when none came. "Yeah."

"Why would they want to eat baby Atlanteans? You'd need hundreds of them to feed something that size! How many children do they have in Atlantis?"

"Less complaining, more calamari making," Jinx hissed as she flipped forward, firing spells that knocked the creature backwards.

"Don't act like you weren't saying the exact same thing five minutes ago, Jinx," Kes growled, rolling out of the way of another attack. "Speedy, how did you beat this thing last time?"

"Bee electrocuted it until Aqualad could talk it down," the archer grunted, pinning a tentacle down with one sword before slicing it off with the other. "Not really an option this time."

"¿Podemos darle otro bebé atlante para que lo persiga?" Más asked as he and his brother picked up the remains of the table to stab with.

"Oh, you mean one of the other baby Atlanteans we just have lying around?" Speedy snarked as Kes glared at the twins. Jinx's eyes widened and she hurried towards the door.

"Keep him busy for about five minutes; I have an idea," she said before the door slid shut behind her.

"If the idea is 'feed Aquababy to the kraken', we say no," Kes commented, pausing from the emotions she was getting from her teammates. "Seriously, guys?"

"¡Pero todo es culpa suya!"

"¡Estoy cansado de pelear!"

"We told him to get rid of the kraken a thousand times, Kes," Speedy finished as he whirled and stabbed.

"I know that," Kes agreed as she flipped forward and swung her staff, knocking some of the still twitching cut-off parts to a lower floor. "But if we kill him, we'll never get to say, 'I told you so'."

Speedy grumbled a reluctant agreement as the twins groaned just before Jinx came rushing back in with something in her hands. "Hey ugly!" she yelled, firing off a blast of hot-pink magic to ensure she had the kraken's attention. "Chew on this instead!" Dropping the baby doll to the floor, Jinx kicked it with all her strength, sending the doll through the broken window and over the horizon to vanish into the setting sun. The kraken watched it fly before pulling back the stubby and slowly regrowing tentacles and dove underwater, streaking after it. With a heavy sigh of relief, the Titans sagged to the floor in exhaustion.

"¿Por qué fue tras él?" Menos asked as his brother sagged onto his shoulder.

"Charmed it," Jinx answered between pants. "Attraction spell built into the doll as I made it. Used one of the tentacle bits to make it more effective."

Kes stared at her for a few seconds before slowly asking, "Jinx, why do you know a spell that turns things into baby dolls?"

"Well, that's...I...um..." Cheeks burning, the former villainess turned away and huffed. "Look, it worked. So don't ask questions!" Speedy and Kestrel shared amused looks before a terrified scream tore through the air.

"Los bebes!" The twins yelled as they shot off, leaving the rest of the team to follow. The baby Titans had been shoved into the main core room and locked in as it was one of the safest rooms in the tower. Unfortunately, one of the sliced off tentacles had made its way down and the thrashing had broken through the door. But standing in the room, with an incredibly squished tentacle on the ground, was none other than Herald, with a baby in each hand and Bumblebee clinging to his back. "¿Cuándo regresó Herald?"

"I have no idea what you two just said," Herald answered as Kes, Speedy, and Jinx joined the twins. "But I come back from my trip to find giant squid and babies in the tower. I honestly don't know which one is weirder!"

Bumblebee leaned forward to press a sloppy kiss to Herald's cheek. "Herald thaved uth. He'th a hero," she explained proudly. Speedy glanced over at Kes, who had turned back to face the wall to hide her laughter.

Jinx leaned against the wall and gave a weak smile. "It's a long story. The short one is, blame Aqualad."

An hour later, the tower was patched up enough to sleep in for the night and most of the Titans were crowded into the kitchen. No one had felt like cooking so there were over a dozen pizza boxes scattered around, as well as a bunch of empty baby food containers. Bumblebee had insisted she was old enough for pizza, which was fair since the baby food looked disgusting, and had insisted on sitting right next to Herald the entire time. Kes bit her latest slice and wondered if the clear crush would stick around once Bee was back to normal. Herald seemed equal parts confused and charmed by the affection as he indulged baby Bee's antics.

The door opened and Speedy cheerfully strode in, the pacifier glowing in his hands. "Alright, I think I got it."

"You fixed it?" Jinx asked eagerly, shoving her half-empty plate aside and picking up Baby Flash.

Speedy nodded. "Pretty sure, yeah. It worked on all the cups at least. And the spider, once I found it again." He frowned at the device. "But considering we haven't tested it on anything humanoid..."

"Aqualad," Jinx, Más, and Menos all said in unison. Speedy glanced over at Kes, who nodded as well. Herald just shrugged.

"I mean, if you can live with potentially wiping Aqualad out of existence, I guess?"

"Yeah, I can," Speedy growled as the twins placed the baby Atlantean on the instantly wiped-clean table. He pressed a button, a tinny cat's meow rang out, and a pale bluish light shot out to engulf Aquababy. He twisted and squirmed as his body grew and morphed until the familiar sight of their teammate was lying stretched out across the table. He blinked a few times before sitting up and groaning. "You alright, Aqualad?"

"I... think so?" came the hesitant answer as Aqualad looked around. "When did we get back to the tower?" He spotted little Bee in her chair and his eyes widened. "Wait, is that...?"

"Not for long," Kes interrupted as she grabbed Aqualad's hand and tugged him to the ground. Más and Menos instantly replaced him with baby Flash and Bumblebee, who Speedy shot at once. She sighed in relief as the infant and toddler shifted back into their normal forms. "Welcome back."

Bee frowned as she stared at all the pizza boxes. "It's not pizza night. Speedy, were you skimping out on cooking duty again?"

The pacifier nearly fell to the floor as Speedy flatly stared at Bumblebee. "Seriously?" he muttered as Kes hid a smile and the twins snickered.

Kid Flash gave Jinx an awkward smile as he pushed himself off the table. "Hey babe." BAM! Everyone winced as Jinx punched him as hard as she could.

"That is for hitting me and nearly getting yourself killed," she explained primly as KF rubbed the already fading mark. "And this," she grabbed him by the collar and kissed him just as hard, "is for not dying on me. Now, take me home."

"Yes ma'am!" A blissful grin on his face, Kid Flash scooped Jinx up and the two of them vanished in a blur. The titans all shared amused looks before Bee frowned again.

"So, is someone going to tell me what happened?"

Kestrel set her empty plate aside and tapped Speedy on the arm. "Why don't you watch the security tapes and start working on ordering replacements for what the kraken broke? Speedy, we should get this to the daycare so we can fix all the dockworkers and the Pacifiar."

"Good idea," Speedy instantly agreed as Bumblebee mouthed 'kraken' and turned towards a frightened Aqualad with murder in her eyes. "Have fun, you two!"

"¡Nos vemos allí!" Más and Menos declared before racing on ahead. Speedy and Kes hurried after them, only for both to start laughing as Bumblebee's rage-filled screams and Aqualad's pleas for mercy filled the air.

Chapter Text

If there wasn't a call to action while they were sleeping, it was easy to predict the waking order of Titans East. First was usually Aqualad, who would rise around 5 AM and then spend the first couple hours of his day surveying the waters of Steel City. Kestrel, Speedy, and Bumblebee would wake up around the same time and spend an hour each in their rooms preparing for the day. Last to awaken were the twins, though morning preparations were a trifle when you could move as fast as they could. There were very few things that could mess with this routine. Which was why Speedy's hand flew out instantly to slam on his alarm at 5:15 AM that morning.

He silently slipped out of his room, not bothering to change clothes, or run a brush through his hair. Aqualad was already in the water, but this was the first time he was trying this since Kestrel had joined the team. The archer moved swiftly and silently through the hallway, only giving a quiet sigh of relief when he reached the stairwell. From there, Speedy picked up the pace as he hurried down to the basement.

Part of being a member of a prolific hero team was fan mail. Letters were sent at any random time, but the cliffside wasn't easy for the average postal worker to get to daily. So instead, the Titans would receive a group haul of mail twice a month. This made it easy to predict when certain things would arrive. Speedy removed the mail key from its hook on the wall, unlocked the good-sized metal box, and sighed at the massive pile he would have to dig through. Grumbling to himself, the archer began digging through the white envelopes and brown-wrapped packages, all destined to be scanned and monitored by the Titans later that day for safety.

"Come on, where are you?" Speedy growled as one of the piles he'd made nearly tumbled back over. He shoved it aside, and then brightened as he spotted the glossy black corner of a magazine poking up. "Aha!" Grinning, he pulled it free, flipping it over to confirm the title. He gave a small, pleased hum before flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for. As Speedy read, the smile on his face slowly faded to a carefully blank look. When he reached the end of the article, he sighed and silently closed the magazine. "Why am I not surprised?"

Being an empath would be so much easier if it came with an off switch. It wasn't like Kestrel wanted to know when anyone on the team was having a bad day or exactly how angry a villain was during a fight. It was worse when the person was clearly trying to hide their emotions because then Kes just felt nosy and rude. But Speedy's misery weighed on her as Bumblebee plopped a pile of packages and letters in front of her. Similar piles were stacked in front of all the other chairs, with two for the one Más and Menos were sharing. "Alright," Bumblebee sighed as she took her own seat, rolling her shoulders. "Let's get to sorting."

"I still don't get why you're a part of all these organizations," Speedy muttered as he pulled a random envelope from his pile. "Isn't this company based in the Netherlands?"

"Any nonprofit dedicated to removing plastic from the waters is one deserving of merit," Aqualad replied primly. "Ocean conservation is a global effort, not just an American one." He frowned as he used one of the handheld scanners on a small package, squinting at the readout. "Looks like we got something dangerous here. Mildly radioactive at least."

"¿No debería la oficina de correos tener una ley sobre esas cosas?" the twins asked, pausing in the middle of tearing open a care package from their family. 

Kes leaned over to check Aqualad's package, giving a mental hum at the address. "I think they did find it. Looks like they tossed it in for us to handle; the address is to somewhere in Oklahoma."

"I told them we're not a disposal unit a thousand times," Bumblebee muttered. "Just get rid of it; I'll contact them later. Again." Aqualad nodded and moved it over to begin the 'dangerous' pile that would no doubt be growing by the end of the sorting. Half an hour slowly ticked by, with letters and gifts swapped, sorted, or pitched depending on the contents. All the while, Kestrel kept a silent eye on Speedy, who hadn't cheered up even amid teasing Aqualad about reaching 500 thirst letters total. She silently pondered whether to bring this up with the archer privately when Bumblebee growled and slammed something on the table. "Speedy, I thought we canceled our subscription of this!"

Looking up from a sweet letter from a deaf/mute child, Kestrel blinked at glossy black magazine under Bee's hand. On the cover was a photo of Robin swinging from one of the golden letters making up the headline of 'Hero Watch'. Below it was the tagline, 'Hottest Sidekick about to have his title stolen?' Speedy crossed his arms, glaring at Bee. "Look, I paid for it with my own money. You don't get to choose what I spend it on."

"¿No es ese el problema de los compinches?" Menos whispered to his brother who nodded as his eyes darted from Speedy to Bumblebee. Aqualad carefully pushed his much-reduced pile aside as he turned to Speedy.

"Speedy, after what happened last year..." A sharp glare instantly cut the Atlantean off, and Kestrel fought a wince at the anger radiating off the archer. Aqualad swallowed before trying again. "Look, it's just a stupid popularity contest. It's not as though it really matters."

"...Yeah." Speedy picked up a random envelope with his name on it and carelessly tore it open. "You would say that."

"Speedy," Bee scolded as Kes just glanced from teammate to teammate in confusion. She mentally ran through Robin's memories, but couldn't come up with anything about this 'Hero's Watch' and wasn't sure if now was a good time to ask. Making a mental note to do some research later, Kestrel shuffled through her pile until her eyes landed on a pale green envelope with a red ribbon on it. Frowning, she pulled it free and flipped it over, where Titans was written elegantly in red ink.

"Think we've got a threat here," she voiced, breaking the tension as she held out the envelope. "No one writes in red ink like this unless they want to get our attention."

"Envelope's a little big too," Speedy agreed, leaning over for a better look. "Scan didn't pick anything up?"

Kestrel shook her head, shaking the envelope and frowning at the rustling sound she heard. "Sounds like there's something inside though. Scan first or can I risk it?" she asked Bumblebee.

"Scan first," the team leader decided. "No point taking a risk if we don't have to." Nodding, Kes tossed it into the danger pile for now and everyone settled down to work once more. Though her eyes weren't the only one drifting back to the green envelope.

Bumblebee frowned as the monitor pulled up a shadowy image of what was inside the envelope. While the other letters to undergo this scan revealed the usual suspects of knives, death threats, and more than a few pairs of underwear (all from letters to Aqualad, to his confusion), this was probably the most unique. "Is that a flower?"

"A flower and a leaf," Aqualad corrected, leaning forward to get a better look. "And I think there's a letter in there as well."

"Looks like they're pressed," Speedy pointed out, leaning against the wall. "Doesn't seem like they're dangerous."

"And we can't identify the flower if we don't get a better look," Kestrel added. Bee sighed through her nose and nodded.

"¡Conseguiremos el libro!" Más and Menos shot off, returning almost instantly with a large brown book with a picture of a tree on it. They grinned at Speedy and waggled their eyebrows. "Apuesto a que podemos vencer a Internet de nuevo."

"Yeah, because you cheat," Speedy grumbled, making the twins snicker and high five. Rolling his eyes, he plucked the envelope out of the scanner and ripped it open. Flipping it over, the dried flower and leaf floated out onto the floor, along with a thin green piece of paper. Speedy picked up the paper, skimmed it, and grimaced. "'Your death awaits'. Pretty clear-cut."

Bumblebee rolled her eyes and tugged the paper out of his hands. "No name, of course. Maybe it's just one of the threats without substance, but why the flower?"

"Lo encontramos!" Más cheered as he and Menos flipped the book around. The flower from the envelope was placed next to a near identical picture in the book. "Es cicuta de agua."

"Water hemlock," Kestrel mused, a villainous woman with bright green clothes and brilliant red hair dancing in her mind. "That's one of the most poisonous plants in North America. Poison Ivy was fond of it."

"You think Poison Ivy is behind this?" Aqualad asked in bewilderment. Kes shook her head.

"No, the letter doesn't fit with her usual MO and if she went after anyone outside of Batman, she'd aim for Robin. Besides, she’ll probably be fond of you, Aqualad," Kestrel added with a shrug. "She's a pretty staunch environmentalist. It's just all the attempted murder charges and nearly destroying Gotham multiple times."

"She might have picked up an apprentice of some kind," Bumblebee pointed out as she bagged the letter and flower. "Can you reach out to Batman, see if anything like that popped up?" Kestrel looked a little unsettled but nodded. "Good. Get on that now. Rest of us, it's training time."

"Pass." Speedy didn't flinch when Bee whirled on him, fire in her eyes. "I've got arrows to restock, and my bike needs a tune-up from that fight with Crazy Quilt."

"You can do that after training, Speedy," Bumblebee growled.

"I said, pass." Bumblebee's fists clenched in rage before a gloved hand landed on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Let him go, Bee," Kes silently urged. "I think he needs this." Bee grit her teeth as the team all stared at her.

"...Fine, but the second you're done, you're back in the gym for solo training. I'll be checking the cameras later." Speedy gave a jerky nod before turning and stalking out the door. As it slid shut, the tension vanished as the rest of the team sagged in relief. Bee pressed a hand to her temples and glanced at the twins. "Can you two grab that dirt-rag before he gets his hands on it."

"Lo tienes." There was a blur before Más and Menos reappeared with Hero Watch in their hands.

"Bee, you know he probably read it already," Aqualad quietly pointed out.

"Yeah, but at least he won't have the reminder," Bee replied, shoving it into their paper shredder and turning it on. "Why he wanted it in the tower is beyond me."

"What exactly is it?" Kes asked as she watched the magazine shreds fall into the bucket below. "I mean, I can guess, but why is it affecting Speedy so much?"

Bumblebee rolled her eyes. "You know just how vain that boy is. It happened last year too; he didn't make the top ten hottest sidekicks and spent a week lashing out at us. I nearly kicked him from the team; he was that bad." Kestrel's eyes widened and she looked over at the boys, who nodded in confirmation. "I thought cancelling the subscription would help this year, but he must have renewed it without letting me know."

Kes bit her lip, rubbing absently at her bracelet. "He's been upset since this morning. If he checked the mail beforehand..." She grimaced. "Did any of you read it?"

Aqualad folded his arms and shifted awkwardly. "Stuff like that creeps me out," he admitted. "Reaching a high number on a list like that just makes me feel...gross."

"Aqualad obtuvo el número dos el año pasado," Más loudly whispered.

"Dijeron que les gustaba su cara, pero no tanto como su trasero," Menos added as the twins giggled and the Atlantean turned bright red.

"Don't tell her that!"

"ANYWAYS," Bumblebee interrupted before things could get out of hand. "It's just a stupid popularity contest they get from online or something. It's not worth reading."

"Not to you at least," Kes mentally whispered, staring at the closed door.

Speedy remained in his garage for the rest of the morning, only reappearing in the early afternoon to grab a quick lunch and then vanishing into the gym. Kestrel tried to get some sign language practice done in her room, but the brewing anger and misery she could feel from the archer was really distracting. "Forget it," she decided, turning off the online course she'd been taking. She'd just redo it later. Instead, Kes headed down to the gym where Speedy was flipping and rolling around the far end of the room, firing arrow after arrow into moving targets. Thankfully, she'd arrived just as he was finishing up a set. "Hey," she called out as he lowered his bow, making the archer flinch. "I was looking to use the bars. Give me a quick boost?"

There was a wave of relief as Speedy set down his bow, grateful Kes wasn't looking to grill him. "Yeah, hold on." Cupping his hands together, he crouched down as Kestrel raced forward and stepped into his hands, launching her upwards. She grasped one of the lowest bars that Bumblebee used to practice aerial dodging and pulled herself onto it. She watched Speedy program in a new random pattern before he nocked a practice arrow and then threw herself forward. She swung and leapt from bar to bar, trying to move as though she were dodging a foe from below. Her arms ached, but in the best way possible and Kes could feel Speedy relaxing below as he hit target after target.

BOOM! The sudden explosion made Kestrel flinch in midair, missing the high bar she'd been aiming for. She tumbled through the air before slamming stomach first into a lower bar. It knocked the wind out of her, but she managed to catch herself just before she fell. Looking down, Kes stared at a shocked Speedy who was gaping at the three targets that had been blasted to bits by the explosion arrow he clearly hadn't meant to fire. The other targets kept moving around, though a few had already tumbled off the broken line where they used to dangle.

There was a burst of rage and misery as Speedy made a strangled noise and tore his quiver off his back, flinging it against the wall. His bow joined it a few seconds later, bouncing off the ground as the archer stalked over and slammed the 'off' button. The targets all slowly slid to a halt as Kestrel pulled herself onto the bar. From her perch, she watched Speedy sink to the floor, back pressed against the wall and head buried in his knees. Swallowing, she gripped her bracelet and focused on the rest of the Titans, who were making their way towards the gym with varying levels of worry. "It's fine, just an accident. I got this." Más and Menos turned away first, heading back towards the TV while Aqualad reluctantly broke off and retreated underwater. Bumblebee was the last to back off, worry simmering below the surface even as she settled back in at the computer.

That taken care of, Kes dropped to land in a near-silent crouch on the floor. Speedy didn't even glance up as she approached and sank down next to him. "Speedy..."

"Don't." The vehemence made Kes freeze. "Just don't." Kestrel thought for a second before deciding to risk it. She pulled off a glove and pressed her bare hand to Speedy's arm, leaving herself as open as she dared. Speedy stiffened as Kestrel's concern and worry washed through him for a few seconds before she lifted her hand. "That's cheating and you know it."

"Yeah, I know," Kes agreed as she slipped her glove back on. "But it's not just me who's feeling that. It's everyone."

Speedy scoffed and turned his head to glare at her. "Yeah right. I know how they all feel about it. I heard it all and more last year."

"It's not about why, it's about what." When Speedy frowned, Kes tried to explain. "Look, I get the others think the list thing is stupid, but that's not what matters here. No one cares about the list; we care about you. And right now, you're more miserable than I've ever felt." She sighed. "Maybe part of it is selfish, but I hate it when any of you are feeling like this. We just want you to feel better, Speedy. It's why Bee tried to keep that magazine out of the tower."

"Just because it's not in the tower doesn't mean it stopped existing, Kes," Speedy muttered, leaning back more firmly against the wall. "It's still out there. I'd rather know what's being said than pretend it doesn't exist."

"Speedy..." Kestrel wracked her brain for the best thing to say when Speedy's communicator went off. The pair looked at each other before Speedy flipped it open.

"Hey, I need both of you to get up here," Bee quickly stated, wings fluttering with nerves. "One of those green letters showed up again."

"Was it stuck in the bottom of the bin?" Speedy asked, glancing at Kes who just shrugged in confusion. "We definitely shouldn't have gotten any more mail today."

Bumblebee shook her head. "Herald found it on the door to the tower when he came back in five minutes ago. It was taped to the inside."

"I mean, I thought it was weird enough, considering the ribbon and all," Herald shrugged as he sorted through the large blue knapsack, he'd brought with him. He pulled out what looked to be some crystal horns, grimaced, and then shoved them back inside. "But then I noticed it was taped to the door and considering it was on the inside..." He shrugged. "You said you got another letter earlier?"

"It could have been sent as early as yesterday or as late as two weeks ago," Aqualad pointed out as the scanner analyzed the new letter's contents. "There could be a timetable going that we're just not aware of." He frowned as the results appeared; another letter and what looked to be a clump of dried berries. "That's not a flower."

"Kes said the last one was poisonous," Bumblebee pointed out as she carefully opened the letter and pulled out the shriveled up black berries. "'Your death awaits', the same as last time. Since these aren't a flower, I'm guessing we have a poison element in common."

"Ya no tengo hambre," Más admitted as he and Menos started flipping through the botany book. 

"Yo tampoco," Menos agreed as the door opened, and the remaining two Titans rushed in.

"How'd they get past our security?" Speedy instantly asked, his eyes narrowing on Herald. "Did you turn something off again?"

"Hey, I only turned off the mechanical side that one time, and it was back on in under an hour," Herald fired back angrily. "If there's a problem with the mechanics, it's on you guys."

Kestrel quickly stepped between the pair, stopping the fight before it could really begin. "Batman hasn't gotten back to me yet, but I ran through the information network that Robin has access to. Poison Ivy hasn't escaped from Arkham yet and there have been no signs of a new plant-based villain. And I don't recognize those berries."

"Baya del saúco." The twins held up the book. "Las bayas crudas y la planta en sí son muy venenosas."

"Two for two there," Speedy muttered. "Does this mean we should be watching our food?"

"Maybe the local waters as well," Aqualad added, glancing nervously out at the ocean. "Poisoning the waters could permanently damage everything in the local area, even if we stopped it as quickly as possible."

"Water hemlock and elderberries," Bee muttered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Those aren't exactly rare plants so we can't track them that way."

"Especially if they're homegrown," Herald added, pulling out a brilliantly blue flower with 7 petals and an oddly spicy fragrance. "Unless you plan on going through every garden in Steel City and beyond." He gave a shrug when the other Titans stared at him. "Hey, whoever got in and out of the tower was quick. Teleportation isn't a bad idea."

Bee hummed thoughtfully. "Good point. I'll go through our actives list, try and see if we have any teleporters active with a grudge against the Titans. Focus on the ones who deal with poison. Can the rest of you reach out through your contacts, see if there's anyone personal who's just using all of us as a smokescreen?" When her teammates nodded, she smiled. "Alright, so that's the plan for now."

"¿Qué fue esa explosión de antes?" Menos asked, only to be instantly elbowed in the side by Más. Everyone's eyes flew to Speedy, who stiffened before stalking out. Kestrel's eyes closed in defeat as the door shut behind him.

"Entonces, ¿supongo que no tenías esto?" Now it was Más's turn for an elbow to the ribs.

Kestrel smiled as the timer went off. Opening the oven, she inhaled the strong scent of cinnamon before pulling the tray out to cool. Keeping half an eye on the door in case the twins got some ideas, she reset the timer to cool and leaned against the counter. Kes didn't really have any new contacts to reach out to, so she had decided to bake to pass the time. The fact that the snickerdoodles were a good way to brighten Speedy's mood was just a bonus. When the kitchen door slid open, Kes stiffened briefly only to relax when Herald waltzed in. "The cookies aren't done yet."

Herald took a whiff and grinned. "Hmm, just like mom makes at home." He laughed as Kestrel flushed. "But I'm not here for treats. ~It's that time again. ~"

Kestrel rolled her eyes. "Blood, hair, or both?"

"Lock of hair this time. I try to stay away from the blood magic when I can." Kes grabbed a lock of hair and held it out and Herald smoothly sliced through it with a knife he'd pulled from his belt. "Perfect. Just a few more weeks or so and I'll be out of your hair. No pun intended."

"Thanks for setting all this up." There was a zing of eagerness and Kestrel's eyes narrowed, sending out a hard "No." The twins vanished and she refocused on Herald. "You sure that all this will help?"  

"Tower will be as safe as can be," Herald promised, sprinkling a whitish powder over the hair before tucking it away in his belt. "Jinx and Raven are still working on a protection amulet for you that isn't likely to break or get stolen or be turned against you. I'm better with the bigger stuff." He sighed before glancing over at the cookies. "Though I may need to borrow some cinnamon from you later. Good component for setting up protection spells."

"Seriously?" Kes blinked. "I didn't know that. I'll try to keep some around for you then." The timer went off again and Kes picked up a spatula to begin moving the cookies to a plate.

"Yeah, lots of plants have magical properties." Herald grabbed a cookie from the plate, smiling at Kestrel's glare. "Like those elderberries from earlier. They represent the bridge between life and death so they're great for protective spells and ones that summon demons and to cast dangerous hexes."

Kes paused for a few seconds. "Do you think it's a magical enemy who sent them?" Herald frowned and Kestrel pressed the issue. "You kept talking about the mechanical defenses, but you didn't mention the magical ones. Did someone maybe get in?"

Herald awkwardly shifted, chewing his cookie slowly before swallowing. "I didn't get any readings from the shields, so I doubt that someone used magic. That being said, maybe I'll have another look. A deeper one, just to make sure."

"You do that," Kes agreed as Herald hurried off, muttering to himself. Shaking her head, she left most of the cookies out, accepting they would likely be gone the second she left the room. But Kestrel moved some of them to a smaller plate to bring them to Speedy's room. As she left the kitchen, she heard the familiar gust of wind and smiled at the sound of chewing behind her. Thankfully, the twins didn't follow her to Speedy's room.

Deciding not to risk leaving them outside, Kestrel tapped the panel on the outside and typed in the override code. She'd used it a few times before, usually when Speedy had asked for a specific food and neither of them trusted the twins to leave it alone before Speedy could get to it. As she went to leave the plate on the dresser, a familiar black and gold magazine lying on the bed caught Kestrel's eye. I thought Bee shredded this, Kes thought as she picked it up. When did Speedy have time to get another one? Absently flipping through it, Kes rolled her eyes at the clearly doctored image of Robin on the #1 page. You could practically see where they'd rebuilt the leg, it was even a different shade of green. As she turned the page, something fell out of the center of the magazine, plopping on the floor. A pale green envelope with a red ribbon.

Frowning, Kes set the magazine aside and picked it up, narrowing her eyes at the torn seal. Inside was a dried white flower with big green leaves and another pale green letter. As she flipped it over, Kestrel's eyes widened and she instantly shot out the door, one hand already on her bracelet. "Everyone, meet me in the main-ops room. We have a problem!"

Thankfully, Bee and Herald were already there when Kes rushed in. "Hey, we went over the security files again and found something. Someone made it through a hole in the shield using tech and then used magic to get past your regular security!" Herald beamed. "Now, I think I can fix this if I just-"

"It's Cheshire," Kestrel interrupted, sliding the note across the table. "I found this in Speedy's room."

"What?!" Bumblebee snagged the note and quickly read it. "Yeah, that reads like Cheshire," she agreed as the door opened, and the other Titans joined them. "Anyone know what this is?"

"Pong-pong tree." Everyone stared at Herald who lifted his hands in defense. "Look, I'm not the one who came up with that name, alright? It's native to India and other parts of southern Asia. It's also known as the 'suicide tree'."

"Who would name a tree that?" Aqualad asked with bugged-out eyes.

"Doesn't matter, that can't be common around Steel City." Bumblebee dove for the computer, rapidly typing. "No, no, okay. Apparently, a family had one of these trees planted a few miles outside the city to commemorate their daughter's suicide about 10 years ago." She grimaced. "An... odd choice, but it's the only one close by. Where's Speedy, we need to talk to him about this."

"He left to grab some parts to fix the gym..." Kestrel's eyes widened and she pulled out her communicator. "He turned off his tracker."

"That IDIOT!" Bumblebee snarled; wings snapped out in rage. "First hiding this letter from us, and now-"

"Wait, Speedy hid the letter?" Aqualad snatched it up. "'I'll hold your still beating heart in my...'-this is from Cheshire!"

There was a blur as the twins vanished and reappeared instantly. "¡También se llevó sus espadas!"

Bee whirled on Herald. "Can you use that horn of yours to get us there now?"

"No!" Herald rapidly shook his head. "I don't use this for teleportation unless I know exactly where I'm going. Otherwise, someone could end up stuck inside a tree, a rock, or the ground..."

"We get it. Kes, you and Aqualad grab the first aid stuff and follow us. Más and Menos, try and get to Speedy asap and support him. Herald, you're with me." Grabbing the hero under the arms, Bumblebee took to the air with the twins racing off beneath her. Aqualand and Kestrel nodded before sprinting towards the door.

The pong-pong tree was pretty off the beaten path, which was both a blessing and a curse. No one else was likely to get hurt this way, but Speedy was under no illusions that Cheshire wasn't watching him. He rubbed at the grip of his bow as he carefully crept over the invisible path that Cheshire had no doubt left for him. The forest was silent as he reached the small clearing where the highly poisonous tree sat in a pool of swampy water. Speedy grimaced. "Charming."

To his shock, a familiar masked figure leaped from the shadows to land just outside of the water. Clawed fingertips clanged together as she stared at him. "Archer," she purred. "You've come to your death."

"Yeah, not happening." Instantly, a heat-seeking arrow was fired, with Cheshire slashing it to pieces in midair. She lunged for him, only for her metal claws to be knocked back by one of the archer's swords. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" Speedy taunted, shoving the villainess back and lunging at her. The pair danced around the clearing, metal clanging against metal or banging into trees or plants as they dueled. With a cry of rage, the assassin flipped backwards and shimmered into nothing, her mask lingering for a few seconds longer before the glowing eyes and mouth vanished into the trees. Growling, Speedy pulled out his bow and took aim.

There was a burst of wind from behind him and Speedy whirled and fired on instinct. Luckily, Más and Menos froze just as the arrow soared into a tree and promptly froze it. "¡Oye! ¡Eso casi nos golpea!"

"Más? Menos? The hell are you two doing here?" There was a chuckle and Speedy spun and fired another shot, barely catching a glimpse of yellow eyes before they vanished in the explosion. "How did you even..."

"Speedy!" Bumblebee dropped down from above, releasing Herald a few seconds before she landed. "What were you thinking, hiding one of the letters from us!? And then going out, on your own, against a known assassin who-"

"Can we talk about this later?!" Speedy snarled as Cheshire's mask appeared above them, flinging needles everywhere. The Titans scattered, with Bumblebee shooting upwards and high-kicking Cheshire right below that grinning mouth. The villainess went flying with a grunt as her invisibility faded but recovered to land smoothly atop a tree. Growling, she lifted her needles once more before the pool surrounding the pong-pong tree shot up like a pillar. Her eyes darted to the side, where Aqualad and Kestrel were scrambling off her bike to join the fray.

With a hiss, Cheshire's body shimmered again before the pure sound of Herald's horn filled the air. A portal appeared in front of him with an enormous silver wolf pack emerging from it. Eyes wide, Cheshire turned and fled into the brush as the wolves howled and gave chase. Herald grinned. "That should keep her busy for a while. They'll follow her through most of the planes she can escape to."

"Great. Because we have things to handle at home. Isn't that right, Speedy?" The archer flinched as the team all turned to glare at him.

"Yeah. Right."

The next time Speedy needed to rig an explosion to excuse himself from the tower, he'd make a smaller one. It had been hours and Speedy had been told that the beginning of his punishment would include repairing the damages he'd caused. It hadn't helped that his work had been interrupted by Bumblebee lecturing him for over an hour on teamwork and trust, Aqualad sadly lamenting what Speedy had done, and the twins just sitting there, slowly eating cookies in front of him. And they were snickerdoodles too! Grumbling to himself, Speedy screwed in the last conveyor into place and dropped back to the floor. All he needed to do was replace the targets and then he was done.

The door slid open and Speedy closed his eyes. Unless Herald had decided to take a shot at him, there was only one person left. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Kestrel there with a covered tray in her hands. "Hey Kes."

"You missed dinner. You need to eat." Speedy winced at the clipped comments and the undercurrent of hurt the girl couldn't hide. Setting the screwdriver aside, he wiped his hands on a nearby rag as Kes set the tray down. She turned to go, and Speedy instantly reached out to catch her arm. She stiffened before turning to look at him. "You weren't lying before."

"Huh?"

"Last time we fought Cheshire, you promised me that you wouldn't go after her on your own. You weren't lying then. So, what happened that made you decide to turn that promise into a lie?" The archer glanced away guiltily, and Kestrel angrily lifted her chin. "Was it about the magazine I found in your room?"

Speedy blinked. "Wait, it was you?!"

Kestrel yanked her arm free. "I went in to leave some snickerdoodles so that Más and Menos wouldn't eat them all. You left it lying out on your bed. Bee shredded the one from the mail, so I got curious."

"Kes..." Sighing, Speedy sat down and gestured for her to join him. "I found it this morning, with the letter inside. Cheshire must have slipped it in to make sure we wouldn't miss it. I thought she just used my copy instead of buying another one."

Kestrel's eyes narrowed as she leaned back on her heels. "Why didn't you tell us this morning?"

"I..." Speedy paused. "You...didn't read it, didn't you."

"I glanced through a few pages. It wasn't exactly award-winning writing. Though the photo-shop was awful on that Robin picture," Kes mused. "Why?"

Speedy leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "'In the past year since our last poll, the sidekick of hero Green Arrow has proved himself to be nothing more than a team mascot.'" Kestrel's eyes widened as Speedy continued quoting from memory. "'With his arrows providing more harm than aid, and with no other powers to back him up, Speedy hits up our 'sidekicks who should leave the saving to the real heroes' poll at number one for the third year running. Maybe this time, he'll take the hint and back off before someone really gets hurt or his team wises up.'" He gave a small shrug. "Hero Watch isn't one to pull punches."

"Are they idiots?!" Speedy blinked at the burst of rage and insult that washed through Kestrel, who had gotten up to pace angrily. "Did everyone who took that poll lose their minds or are they completely blind?! 'Leave the saving to the real heroes' , you are a real hero! It's just an insult! And you!" She whirled on Speedy. "Why are you letting everyone else think that you're just upset because of the stupid hotness contest?!"

"It... I mean, I was offended about that. I should definitely be in the top ten." He grinned, but his smile faded at Kestrel's glare. "I just don't want them to know. People say shit like that all the time, I'm used to it. It doesn't matter."

"It does matter." Kes dropped down to grasp his hands in hers. "It matters because it hurts you, even if it's a bunch of idiots or trolls running around with insults. It matters because it upset you enough that you ran off on your own and nearly got yourself killed. It matters because you matter, and we're your friends and we care about you, even when you're being an idiot."

Speedy gave a reluctant chuckle and rested his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I... I just wanted to prove to myself I could handle this on my own. It was stupid."

"It was," came a familiar voice, and Speedy's head shot up as Bumblebee smirked down at him. "But we forgive you."

"What are you...Kes!" He growled as the girl smiled innocently at him.

"Oh, did you not know they were listening to everything from behind the door?" Speedy's eyes narrowed before the twins practically tackled him to the ground.

"Los escritores ingleses son simplemente estúpidos," Menos cooed from his left.

¡Sí, eres muy popular en Guatemala!" Más chirped from his right.

"...Thanks," Speedy grumbled as the girls giggled. A hand clasped down on his shoulder, and he turned to see Aqualad grinning at him.

"If it makes you feel any better, that's also the magazine that ran an article about how Atlanteans are anti-toilet because we just pee in the ocean." Speedy snorted. "Yeah, I don't think anyone really takes them seriously except for themselves. Especially not in the hero circles."

"If they really mattered, then Green Arrow probably would have sued them for defamation years ago," Kes added. "Besides, they think Robin is the hottest hero. Have you seen his wardrobe? He's like a traffic light trying to be sexy."

"Does he really think that of himself?" Aqualad asked as the twins fell over laughing.

"No, that's just me." Bumblebee rolled her eyes and clapped her hands together.

"Okay, Speedy still has work to do. Finish up quickly and you can join us for movie night."

"¡Coco!" Más and Menos rushed out the door, eager to get their movie choice set up. Laughing, the other titans followed. Speedy sighed before reaching to remove the lid on his tray. There was the expected sight of a steaming bowl of pasta, but next to it was a small place of snickerdoodles. Shaking his head, Speedy dug into his meal. He had work to finish and some friends to catch up with.

Chapter Text

Veronica Sinclair, also known as Roulette, sighed as police lieutenants Monroe and Johnson were escorted from her office. It was an obvious attempt to try and get information out of her; this time on a recent... disciplining of a few of the local pimps. Leaving bruises on the merchandise was just bad for business, and now everyone knew that. Why the police were pushing for justice on their behalf was baffling but expected. As was the hate-filled look that one of the officers sent her way as the elevator door closed. "A pointless distraction," Veronica muttered to herself as part of the wall slid down and Eleanor Chase entered the room. "There is nothing that could tie this to us or Sinclair Industries?"

"Nothing," Eleanor confirmed, placing a manila folder on the desk for her boss to peruse as her leisure. "The men wore full-body suits including masks so that they wouldn't be identified by passersby or cameras. The suits have since been disposed of in the incinerator, as have the men. Their visas and passports have them on their way to Russia now so they aren't likely to be tracked down for quite some time, even if the department can find the funds to send a search after them."

"Lovely. But this won't be enough. We need something to bring up our public image more. We lost some of that with Cinder incident, even if nothing could be proved." Her fingers drumming lightly on the table, Veronica picked up the file and opened it. Her eyes widened. "Oho, I'm surprised that she agreed to work with us. She's known to be...capricious."

"She reached out to us, actually." Eleanor nodded when Veronica looked at her. "Yes, it was found in our mail room when one of our workers collapsed. The envelope had been doused with a drug of some kind. Relatively harmless; he's sleeping it off."

"Add a bonus to his pay for the day," Veronica decided. It would do well to build the morale of her employees, so they'd be less likely to turn on her if they found something suspicious. "And this was her asking price?"

This made the blonde woman smirk. "Apparently, we're receiving a discount for the potential for fun. So, I think in terms of Sinclair Industries image, this might be the perfect fit."

A few miles outside of Steel City stood an old, abandoned farm. The farmhouse had long since rotted away, but the barn remained standing. From the outside, it was a typical old building with dirty red paint chipping away and peaks of gnarled and rotting wood in multiple areas. Most people avoided it for fear of potential tetanus or the building just collapsing while they were inside it.

The inside, however, was completely different. The old support beams had been replaced with lovely white columns of marble. The formerly dirt floor was a similar stone, polished to a gleam with swirls of pale gray and hints of gold. Rich smells of fragrant perfumes filled the air as workers dressed in black from head to toe scrambled around room. They bounced from sweeping floors to polishing silverware to filling golden dishes with juicy pieces of fruit and thick slices of bread. On each of their heads was a wrap-around headband, supporting a camera which connected to one of the many television screens that covered each and every wall.

At the center of all this, lounging on a purple velvet sofa with two of these minions fanning her, was a woman. Her hair was a thick glossy black with a streak of gold running through it. Her skin was flawless and the color of bronze, glistening with scented oils. She was dressed in a hot pink body suit, which accented her figure while hiding any potential flaws. One of the workers knelt before her, a string of plump green grapes on a plate held out as an offering. Plucking one from the stem, she popped it into her mouth, chewing it for a few seconds before her eyes flew open in shock. Instantly, she spat out the grape as those catlike red eyes narrowed in rage. "HOW DARE YOU?!" she screamed as she pulled out a gun from between the sofa cushions and fired it. The minion's head blew off completely as the plate and grapes tumbled to the ground.

"HRGH!! Video, you should know better than to give me anything that was grown using manufactured pesticides!" The woman dove from the sofa, pulling a serrated knife from between her breasts and stabbing it through the headless corpse. "I am Godiva! My body is a temple and deserves only respect! That means all-natural only!" The blood splatter covered her clothes as Godiva finally vented her rage. Panting, her hands suddenly flew to her face. "Oh, all this stress is going to give me lines! Video, clean this up and get me a new outfit, immediately!" Instantly, the minions rushed to do her bidding. Two of them picked up the badly mangled body for disposal while three others offered similar body suits in different colors. Godiva gave a little hum as another Video gently wiped her face clean with a towel.

"The green one. It just makes my skin shine, don't you agree?" Not bothering to wait for an agreement that would never come, Godiva tossed the knife away and shamelessly stripped. As she dressed, she watched the screens replay her most recent murder. "Oh, I know rage is bad for the body. All that anger and stress. But hmm, don't I look beautiful?" Cooing in pleasure, Godiva strode over to the nearest screen and planted a kiss on the now paused image of herself, face lit up by rage and madness. "All the world deserves to bask in the beauty that is Godiva." The insane smile returned to her face as she glanced over at a minuscule computer screen showing the image of six familiar heroes. "Starting with them."

Filled with girlish delight, Godiva danced around the room. "Oh, how should I do it? A shot fired from the distance, so fast they won't have any time to react? Or should I drag it out a bit with my lovely knives?" Eyes practically glowing, she froze in place as a wonderfully awful idea came to her. "Oh, I know! Video, my trunk!" Six of the minions all named Video raced to the back of the barn and carefully toted an enormous black crate over to the woman. Flinging the lid open, Godiva reached in and removed a trio of silver discs about the size of her palm. There was a thin black rim around the outsides and center had a lovely picture of Godiva's face on them. "Yes, you'll do perfectly!"

Snapping her fingers once more, a Video bowed as he held out a trio of darts. Grinning, Godiva scooped them up and flung them at the large map of Steel City she'd had hung up on the wall. She squealed in delight as the darts landed. "You, you, and... you! My dear Videos. Take these and hide them at those locations. You two, come back here once you're done. As for you..." She traced the third Video's head in delight. "I think I'll have you do something special! ~"

"Come on!" Bumblebee hissed through grit teeth as she pushed herself through her final set of ten. One hundred and sixty pounds might be pushing it a little, but you didn't get stronger by resting on your laurels. Arms and shoulders screaming, she lifted the weights one more time before resting them on the rack. "Yes!"

"Nice job," Aqualad praised as he straightened up from where he'd been spotting her. "That's one more set than last time."

"Yeah, and it felt great getting it done," Bee agreed as she rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms. "Still at the outer edge for me though, so I'll keep it as a goal for the time being."

"Your body, your call." His own workout completed beforehand, the Atlantean leaned back against the wall. Speedy was just finishing up his final target pattern for shooting while the twins carefully braced a punching bag for Kestrel to wrap up some boxing practice. "I'm guessing it's a cardio day tomorrow?"

Bumblebee hummed in agreement as she downed a bottle of water. "No need to burn ourselves out. Might have to use your lap pool though." Aqualad made a face and Bee had to fight an eyeroll. "Come on, water boy. It's for everyone, not just you, and you get enough swimming practice anyways. Maybe you should work on your on-land movement. Like jogging."

"Jogging," Aqualad scoffed. "Why jog when you can swim? Swimming works your whole body, not just your legs."

"Still no reason to skip leg day," Speedy joked as he joined the pair. He pulled a cloth from his quiver and proceeded to carefully wipe the bow down. "Unless you want to end up as one of those guys with a huge torso and tiny little bird legs."

"¿Eso convertiría a Aqualad en una garza o una grulla?" Más and Menos asked as they raced over to retrieve Kestrel's gloves for her as she unwound the tape from her fingers. As she took them, they raced back over, Más on his brother's shoulders and both rubbing their chins thoughtfully. "Quizás un pingüino."

"Heron and crane, I can deal with. But don't call me a penguin," Aqualad grumbled as Speedy snickered at the mental image.

"Wouldn't it be more fitting though?" Kestrel asked as she replaced her gloves. "Penguins are probably the most aquatic birds there are, though I'm not entirely sure how long their legs are." She grinned at the completely unamused look Aqualad gave her. "Just saying."

"Alright, that's enough," Bumblebee quickly interjected. "That's enough training for today. Rest, eat something, and don't overexert yourself. Speedy, you're on cleaning duty..." The archer groaned, earning himself one of Bumblebee's famous glares. "Don't complain; you've still got three more days of punishment for that Cheshire stunt you pulled. And don't you dare help him," she added, pointing at an innocent looking Kestrel. "That includes the making dinner when it's his turn." 

"What's wrong with enjoying cooking and wanting to have dinner before seven?" Kes pouted. "And I didn't hear any complaints last night."

"That's because you're a better cook than he is." Bee grinned at the sudden pop of pleasure Kestrel let out, as well as the indignant squawk from Speedy. "But it's his punishment, so let him deal with it."

"And this is the thanks I get for all the cooking I did before Kes got here," the archer grumbled, making his teammates all snicker. The pout was cut off quickly though when the alarms started blaring. "Really? Now?"

"Evil doesn't come on a schedule. Now come on!" Taking flight, Bumblebee zoomed after the trail of dust that Más and Menos had left behind. They already had the information pulled up on-screen once the rest of the team had reached the main ops room. 

"¡Ha habido explosiones aleatorias en estos tres lugares! Una planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales justo en el borde del puerto, un preescolar en el centro de la ciudad y un hotel de ocho pisos a las afueras de la ciudad," the twins rattled off as Bumblebee touched down. Mentally running through and discarding their options, she turned to her team.

"Alright, here's the plan. Más and Menos, you two get to that hotel and help with the evacuations. Kestrel and Speedy, you handle the preschool. Aqualad and I are on the treatment plant. Focus on evacuation; we can figure out who set this up later. Got it?" She got a round of silent nods and grinned in response. "Good. Teen Titans, move it!" Her wings snapped out and she took off once more as Aqualad dove out into the water. The pair streaked off, the twins running with them before breaking off to head towards the hotel location. Thankfully, the smoking building made for an easy find as the two Titans reached the plant.

The damage was bad, with one large hole in the roof of the building and another near the base, leaking debris into the water. "I'll check the roof and you check the water." Aqualad nodded and dove as Bee flew higher, dropping through the opening. She grimaced at the clear image she had of the ground floor from where she was flying.

"Hey, help us!" The cry made the heroine whirl around, spotting a pair of workers clinging to the arm of a third man dangling from a high floor. Bumblebee zipped over, ignoring the ache in her arms as she grasped the civilian by the legs and boosted him onto more solid ground. The worker who called her over panted as he gave her a nod of thanks. "It came out of nowhere. We were eating lunch on the roof and suddenly there was this huge explosion!"

"How many of you were working today?" Bumblebee asked as she scanned the area. Thankfully, she spotted some waving arms from the floors both above and below her, signaling more survivors.

"About two dozen, but a few of us go off-site for lunch." The worker gave a humorless smile. "Lucky them. Maybe this will convince my wife I don't need to brown-bag anymore."

"Here's hoping," Bee agreed as Aqualad surfaced below, a pod of dolphins at his side. "Let's get you guys down from here so we can evacuate."

One thing that most people didn't know about the twins is that they weren't bothered by their height. Being smaller had its advantages, such as being able to perch on each other's shoulders without one of them running face-first into a doorframe at high speeds. They spent less money on food because being smaller meant fewer calories were needed, as well as less on fabric for heat-resistant/friction-resistant clothes for their costumes. But sadly, being shorter was a problem sometimes when it came to getting people in and out of buildings quickly.

The twins had cleared out most of the top floor quickly as few of the rooms had been occupied. But both groaned at the sight of the very tall man passed out in what used to be room 813. "¿Por qué la gente es tan alta?" Más complained as the pair zipped over and tried to sit the man up.

"Al menos no es tan redondo como alto," Menos attempted to soothe as he gripped the man's legs. "Tendríamos que rodarlo como un hámster." This made his brother giggle as the twins zipped off, constantly correcting to avoid falling over until they reached the large tree outside. A few of the hotel workers who had gotten themselves out helped to lay the man down alongside some of the other rescued.

"Please wait!" One of the maid's desperate pleas made the twins freeze just before they started to rush off again. "We found some people; they're fell into where the basement would be. They can get themselves out, but..." She trailed off, fear in her eyes. "Please, can you help them?"

Más and Menos looked at each other, grinned, and then saluted the girl. "¡Más y Menos, sí podemos!" Then, there was just a small cloud of dust as they linked hands and sprinted off. It didn't take long for them to reach the hole, pausing to think while dazed men and women stared up at them.

"¿Crees que podrían trepar por una cuerda si la anclamos y la dejamos caer?" Menos suggested.

Más shook his head. "No si alguien tiene un brazo lastimado. Deberíamos usar una escalera; probablemente tengan uno en el cobertizo del jardín."

"Pero, ¿y si alguien se lastima la pierna?" Frowning, the pair rubbed their chins in thought before the idea came to them.

"¡Una rampa! ¡Podemos construir eso!" Slapping their hands together, Más and Menos raced off only to return moments later with a large board and metal triangle braces balanced on their heads. Near instantly, they raced into the hole and set up a large ramp. "Aquí, puedes usar esto para salir."

"Th-thank you," one of the concierges managed to get out as he raced over to help an older woman carefully begin climbing up the ramp. Grinning, the twins shared a quick high five before they were off again to rescue the others.

The perks of being a known superhero were evident when the crowd easily parted ways for Kestrel and Speedy's bikes. The pair quickly slid to a halt near the firetruck that had already parked nearby. "What've we got?" Speedy asked as he removed his helmet.

"Explosion went off around 8 minutes ago," the firefighter reported. "We're about two blocks from here so we were able to start working quickly. From the sound of things, the explosion was centralized in one of the bathrooms. Problem is that it triggered a sinkhole of some kind, which is why we're dealing with this." She nodded at the preschool, which was half buried in pavement with the windows covered halfway. "We've been working on evacuation right now, but there hasn't really been time for teachers to do a headcount and we can't fit anyone inside with our equipment."

"Then that's where we come in," Speedy declared as Kestrel nodded firmly. "How many evacuation points are we working with?"

The firefighter opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by the blaring of a siren. "Kingsley and O'Keefe," Kes silently reported to Speedy as the patrol car opened to reveal the two officers. The archer fought a groan as O'Keefe's eyes landed on the pair.

"So, it's just you two, huh?" he scoffed as the wind ruffled his short grey hair. "What, is this just not important enough for the entire team?"

"Sergeant," Captain Kingsley scolded before nodding at the heroes. "Sorry about that. How can we help?"

"Work with the fire department," Speedy answered shortly as he turned back to the building. "Let's move, Kes." The pair took advantage of a short lull in escapees, sliding across the heavy blanket to avoid being cut with broken glass as they entered the sunken school. Speedy wrinkled his nose at the sharp smell of melted metal, tar, and smoke. "Not as bad as it could have been."

"Yeah," Kestrel agreed absently, hand gripping her bracelet tightly. "There's a lot of fear here, but I think I'm getting more from that direction." She pointed across the large hole the explosion had made. "Could be that a door's blocked or someone's hurt."

"As good a place to start as any." Speedy fired an arrow which turned into a grapple midflight, wrapping around a now exposed steel beam. Tugging a few times to ensure it was stable, he tied it to another exposed beam in the wall and gave Kes a grin. "After you." The pair used the metal cable as a zipline, sliding to the other side before Kes paused to take her bearings. The pair carefully made their way through a ruined hallway until they paused in front of a still closed door with several broken blocks of concrete in front of it. "Hey! Anyone in there?" Speedy called.

"Who's there?" The door barely slid open a crack and a dirty little face peeked out before the visible eye widened. "You-you're Speedy and Kestrel! Speedy and Kestrel are here to save us!" The child's cry caused a bunch of cheering to erupt from behind the door.

Privately, Kes pressed into Speedy's mind even as she smiled at the child. "Speedy, someone's definitely hurt in there. I think it's the teacher." Speedy gave a short nod as he crouched down to eye-level.

"Hey, kid. We're here to get you out. Anyone hurt in there?"

There was a rapid nod. "Uh huh. Mr. Peterson had a big rock fall on him, so he's been sleeping. We tried to open the door, but it's stuck." 

"Okay." Speedy shared a quick glance with Kes, who pulled out her bo-staff. "Let's see what we can do about that." Using the staff, the pair managed to lift move one of the blocks enough to open the door more and let them slip inside. The small tables had slid to one side of the room and the two dozen kids were crowded around an unconscious older man with a bruised and bloody mark on his forehead. He was covered in small blankets and had a teddy bear tucked under one arm. Speedy crouched down to check his pulse. "He should be alright," he said, which eased the fears of the students. But Kes could feel the nervousness that belied that statement. "Now, how do we get you all out of here?"

"We could try to get them across the hole, but I'm not sure how well that would work," Kestrel admitted as she walked around the edge of the room, eyeing the completely submerged windows. "Windows are a bust. Think we should try going up?"

"It's our best option," Speedy agreed before turning to the kids. "Hey, we're going to need your help here. Let's get your teacher under those tables, and you guys stay to protect him, alright?" There was some shuffling, but eventually all the kids were tucked under some form of protection. Speedy pulled an arrow marked with a green tag from his quiver. "Acid arrow," he whispered. "Probably a bit safer than an explosion one."

"I hate that you're probably right about that," Kes agreed as she accepted the boost from Speedy to cling to the ceiling. Kicking a few tiles down, she pulled out her communicator to scan the area. "Here should be the best spot." Nodding, Speedy nocked the arrow and took aim as Kestrel dropped back down to the floor. He fired, and the arrow slammed into the spot Kes had indicated, quickly melting a large hole in the ceiling. The pair shared a grin as this time Speedy took to the air with Kestrel's help. He gave a sharp whistle as he landed on the pavement. "Hey, we could use a hand over here!"

With everyone in the plant finally accounted for, Bumblebee took the time to call the rest of the team. "We've finally settled down here, so how are things on your end?"

Speedy popped up first, grinning cheerfully despite being covered in dirt and grime. "We got lucky here; everyone's been found and no casualties so far. Worst injury was a cracked skull, but he was awake and mostly coherent by the time he got to the ambulance." Kestrel appeared in the background and gave a short wave. "Kes says that it looks like there was a bomb placed in one of the restrooms in the center of the building, so it didn't reach the classrooms."

"Cuatro muertes aquí," the twins appeared, shaking their heads sadly. "La bomba estaba en una de las habitaciones, y una encima y otra al lado estaban ocupadas cuando explotó. Y mucha gente también está herida."

Bumblebee nodded as she glanced over to Aqualad. The Atlantean held out seven fingers, making her sigh. "Yeah, we got casualties here too. Three from the explosion, the other four from falling when the floors gave out." She looked over at the street where large white vans marked with a familiar SI were parked. "And I'm guessing that Sinclair Industries is somewhere on the premises, offering blankets and soup?"

"Yeah, you've got that right," Speedy agreed with a frown. "They showed up after the cops did and somehow sweet-talked their way in. Lots of work with reuniting the kids with their parents." Kestrel tapped his shoulder, nodding at something past him and making the archer grimace. "And the local news is eating it up."

"So maybe the 100% survival rate at the school was intentional after all," Bumblebee mused as she wiped a filthy hand on her pants. "Try and do a final sweep, see if you come up with any bomb pieces or anything strange. We'll meet back at the tower to go over what we learned. See if Roulette is taking advantage or set this up." There were nods all around as Bee closed the call. Stretching for a brief second, she shot Aqualad a smile. "You good for one more swim?"

He gave Bee a droll look. "I'm an Atlantean; I'm always up for a swim!" Laughing, she watched him race towards the docks and leap into the water before she flew into the air. Leaving the submerged parts of the plant to the resident water expert, Bumblebee examined the parts of the floors that still existed after the bomb went off. It would take a professional bomb expert to find the pieces for rebuilding, but that didn't mean she couldn't do some detecting of her own. So, as she approached a currently stable piece of floor, Bee pulled out her communicator and began scanning. The first few floors gave her nothing, but as she hovered around a collapsed corner, the scan went off. Eyes narrow, Bumblebee shrank down to weave between fallen support beams and chunks of former wall until she found the source. Instantly, she restarted the call. "You all need to get here fast. I think I found our bomber."

Despite the difference in distance, it was Más and Menos who reached them first. Speedy and Kestrel pulled up a few minutes later, both looking a bit cleaner than when she last saw them. "Are they alive?" Kes asked as Bumblebee and Aqualad approached. "Can we question them?"

"That'll depend on a few things," Bee admitted as she stepped aside, revealing the limp figure dressed entirely in black sagged against a broken wall. Kestrel frowned and Speedy crouched for a better look. "Given how it didn't respond to me dragging it free, we're thinking it's a robot of some kind. Still has a power source for the comms to pick up but can't find an off/on switch."

Más and Menos looked at each other before sprinting off, returning with a feather duster for each of them. They rapidly tickled the figure with the dusters, which produced only a cloud of dust and no movement. "Ningún humano podría resistirse a eso. Definitivamente un robot."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Kestrel warned, kneeling by the bot, and carefully tilting the head to one side. "Cyborg wouldn't react to tickling either when he's powered down."

Aqualad perked up. "You're picking something up?"

"Not really, but there's a lot of emotions hanging around that could be blocking me," Kes admitted. "And he could have been brought here powered down."

Speedy hummed thoughtfully as he pulled an arrow from his quiver. "I can probably jolt him on for a bit, see if it's just a power outage thing," he explained, twirling the arrow lightly. "But if this was left here for us to find..."

"Could be a trap," Bumblebee finished, leaning forward to tap the small camera attached to the figure's forehead. "The thing is fused to it; didn't want to risk yanking it off and breaking the thing. Turn it on here, I don't want this thing in the tower if it goes haywire."

"Especially with all the kraken damages," Speedy muttered, pressing the arrowhead to the bot's neck. There was a burst of electricity, and then there was a burst of emotional pain that erupted in the back of everyone's minds. The arrow slipped from numb fingers to clatter to the ground as the pain vanished as quickly as it came. Everyone's eyes flew to Kestrel, who had flung herself backwards the second the arrow touched the man.

"S-sorry," she apologized, tugging at her bracelet. "Wasn't expecting...that. He's alive in there. Terrified, in a lot of pain, but alive."

"¿Un cyborg?" The twins scurried forward, heads tilting to the side. "¿Puedes hablar con él?"

"I don't think there's much to talk to. His emotions felt more...animalistic than human. Desperate. I'm not sure what he would say even if he could talk."

"Was this intentional?" Aqualad winced when everyone's eyes flew to him. "It's just that something like this almost feels like it was designed to take Kes out. The rest of us wouldn't have known if Kestrel hadn't joined the team."

Bumblebee thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Not likely. To the rest of the world, Kes is just a regular human. And even if someone figured out her abilities, I'm not sure their minds would instantly jump to permanently torturing someone just to take her out, especially when that wouldn't affect the rest of us. We'll keep it in mind for later though. Can you handle it if we turn it on again?" she asked Kestrel quietly.

Kes nodded. "I can handle it, now that I know it's coming. Do it."  Speedy glanced at Bee for confirmation and sighed when she nodded.

"Alright, one more time." Once again, the arrow pressed to the man's neck. This time though, there was a whirring noise as several hinges unlocked around the face. The front half of the face lifted, revealing not the inside of a normal skull, but a small video screen. On it was a gorgeous woman, draped seductively over a round red bed covered in rose petals. She blew the camera a kiss as the Titans shared baffled looks.

"Nice to meet you, Teen Titans. There's no doubt that you've heard of me, the gorgeous and deadly Godiva!" She drew a knife from her belt and licked the edge, smirking at the thin layer of blood left behind. "Aren't you lucky that you're all destined to die at my hands?"

"Ooh!" Más and Menos drooled as Bumblebee looked at her teammates with a lifted brow. Some head shakes and a shrug were what she got in response.

"Now, I don't normally do this, sending a message through Video here," Godiva purred, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "I like to do this face-to-face, you know? Gives it that personal touch. But..." She trailed off and gave a heavy sigh. "You're only the second part of my job. I was paid to cause as much chaos and death in Steel City as possible. Although," she brought her face as close to the camera as possible, where it was easy to see the madness roiling in her eyes. "What could be more chaotic than the death of Steel City's protectors, hmm?"

"MOVE!" Kestrel's mental scream threw the twins into action, whipping up a whirlwind that flung everyone in different directions, including the now-named Video. Just in time too, as several bullets struck the ground where the Titans had been standing mere seconds before.

"Oh pooh," Godiva pouted as she reloaded the hunting rifle in her lap. "That was six bullets I wasted there, and you know how much I hate littering." Bumblebee charged up her stingers as Speedy aimed an arrow at the mad woman. "Naughty, naughty, making me miss like that."

"So, we're just supposed to stand there and let you kill us?" Aqualad challenged, the water nearby frothing with his rage.

Godiva chuckled. "Of course, silly! I mean, why die of old age or sickness when you could die at my hands?" She held out them out for examination, fluttering her fingers. "I'm the star here, and this is the only way you can share the spotlight." As she threw her head back and laughed, more Videos began crawling out of the woodwork until the Titans were surrounded. "Keep the camera on me, Video," Godiva cackled as she flung the gun away and drew a pair of hunting knives free. "You won't want to miss this!"

"Teen Titans, Go!" Her stingers all charged up; Bumblebee rapidly spun through the air. The bolts of electricity leaped from Video to Video, shorting them out and making them collapse as Más and Menos darted over around and through them. Hands linked tightly, they whirled rapidly around Godiva as she slashed and missed constantly. With the main villainess distracted for now, the other Titans could focus on the army as arrows and discs flew into groups before exploding or freezing them. Others were washed away as Aqualad flung massive balls of water into their midst.

"Shouldn't they be shorting out like regular robots?" Aqualad complained as the Videos kept charging him, forcing the Atlantean to dodge out of the way.

Speedy grinned, firing a shot that brought part of the floor above them crashing down on a group of the cyborgs. "I'm telling Cyborg you said that."

"Don't you dare!"

Bumblebee rolled her eyes at their prattling before swooping down like a hawk. She snatched a Video from the air as he tried to tackle Aqualad from above. She flung him over her shoulder as she aimed for Godiva, who appeared to be focused entirely on the twins. But as she approached, Godiva whirled around and caught Bee by the arm, drawing her into a headlock. "Make sure you get my good side," she commanded a Video that had fallen on his back with his head aimed right for the pair. "Just kidding, all my sides are amazing!"

"Shut UP!" Bee sank her teeth into Godiva's hand, making her yelp and loosen her grip just enough to break free. Whirling around, the heroine lunged, throwing a punch that barely grazed Godiva's middle as she dodged. "You come into my city, you attack my people, and all you care about is your looks?" Godiva slashed out at her, only to yelp when Más and Menos crashed into her from behind, knocking her to her knees. Bumblebee caught Godiva's face in one hand and drew her fist back. "Honey, you're not much to look at."

The scream that echoed out from Godiva when Bumblebee's punch slammed straight into her nose made all the Video's still standing freeze and lock in place. Speedy cautiously lowered his bow an inch as they twisted and jolted around. Kestrel slowly did the same with her staff as the water pillars Aqualad had summoned lowered slightly. Wrenching herself free, Godiva staggered back with a hand to her nose, which was now dripping with blood. "My face. My beautiful face! You bitch!" Her knives dropped to the ground as Godiva pulled out a hand-mirror, examining her face carefully. "I swear, if you broke my nose, I'll just..."

Bumblebee rolled her eyes and just punched her again. This time, Godiva's eyes rolled back in her skull as she fell unconscious to the ground. Wiping the blood off her knuckles, she looked over at her panting and exhausted team. "Let's go home."

Veronica hummed as she ran the new numbers for the day. Opinions of Sinclair Industries had skyrocketed after their show of support for victims of the mad bomber. "Let's see how the cops handle us now," she commented as Eleanor entered the office. The look on her assistant's face made her pause. "Trouble?"

"Godiva got herself caught." Eleanor's disgust was clear as she lifted her tablet showing the police marching the handcuffed mercenary into a patrol car. The Titans could be seen in the distance, probably talking to other officers. "She was not to engage the Titans and look what happened?"

Veronica sighed and shook her head. "There was a reason we haven't used her services before. Godiva is skilled, but her madness makes her too dangerous."

"You think she'll talk?"

"No." Rising from her seat, Veronica walked over to stare out the window over the horizon. "Not that I have any faith in her not talking, but I had this woman studied before I would risk contacting her. The intermediaries were only to speak with her using images of her own face." Eleanor's eyes widened and Veronica smirked at her. "To Godiva, this plot came entirely from her own mind. After all, no one could be as clever as she is."

"You're brilliant, Ms. Sinclair." Veronica waved off the compliment easily.

"It's not hard to be brilliant, Eleanor. Not when you know the odds."

Chapter Text

The building would be better off condemned, with mold-covered walls and no glass in the windows. There were no lights, no heat, and what little plumbing remained worked on a prayer. With the weather getting colder, it meant the two tenants had to share the moth-eaten mattress, spreading out the four threadbare blankets so that the holes in one were covered by the cloth of another. It wasn't much, but it was home to former H.I.V.E. members Angel and XL Terrestrial. One of the few places in Steel City where they wouldn't be ratted out to the police or the Teen Titans. Where they were ignored rather than jeered and mocked for their looks.

At the moment, Angel was attempting to cook some ramen for lunch, using a battery-powered hotplate and some bottled water (which cost money, but neither she nor XL trusted the tap water). Pupilless yellow eyes watched the boiling plastic cups before there was a rattle at the windows. Her wings expanded in defense for a few seconds before Angel relaxed, spotting the minuscule XL on the ledge. He was dragging a full money clip of spoils he'd pickpocketed from one of the many tourists in the nicer parts of the city. People were good at looking for possible thieves around their eyelevel, but barely anyone noticed a figure the size of Angel's pointer finger flipping from pocket to pocket, especially in a crowd.

"Good haul today?" she asked as she lowered the heat on the hotplate. XL nodded as he leaped from the windowsill, changing back to his normal height as he fell. The alien silently offered the clip for Angel to examine; money still confused him on his best days and Angel had a decent head for finances. Humming, the winged girl flipped open the clip and started counting. "Ten, twenty, five, ooh!" She pulled a fifty free and held it up to the fading light to examine. "That's not one of the listed counterfeits, so it's legit! Nice one!" Angel hurried over to the small black box that functioned as their bank. Short of a nuclear detonation, nothing was getting in and stealing their savings. "That brings our total up to..."

ZAP! The sadly familiar sound of a shortage made Angel pause, eyes closed in grief. XL winced as he slapped at the arrow of his costume. He flinched when Angel turned back to look at him. "...Sorry." 

"It's not...!" She paused and took a deep breath, ending the familiar rant before it could begin. XL's suit wasn't designed for shrinkage, only growth. It had taken months of desperate tinkering before they managed to get it to work, and even then, the suit was stuck in an endless cycle of trying to repair itself and shorting out. When it inevitably died, the cost of repairs would take a huge chunk of money, even if they managed to steal the parts.

But it was necessary. The collapse of H.I.V.E. Academy had sent the students scattering in all directions, Angel and XL included. Those who had graduated before like Mammoth and Gizmo were in relatively decent shape; there were crooks willing to hire them out. If you happened to be friendly with them, or willing to suck up like See-More and Billy Numerous, then you could count on a position where you at least had a good bed to return to. But the ones like Angel and XL, they were stuck with the few jobs that were offered. Most criminal weren't looking to hire those who were untried, especially the ones like them who couldn't easily pass for human. Without experience, they couldn't get hired, which meant they couldn't get any experience!

Going straight was an even less likely option. Jinx had somehow managed it, the bitch, thanks to that speedster she had wrapped around her finger. But the second that Angel or XL tried to approach the Justice League or the Teen Titans, they would end up thrown into the nearest prison cell for their actions under the Brotherhood of Evil. No second chances, not for people who looked like they did. So, the two of them were stuck, scraping by like the various homeless and most minor of street criminals. Working as far under the radar as possible until they made the right connections or got lucky enough to maybe get a long-term job which would pay enough for a better room. One with carpet and heat in the winter and a shower that lasted longer than three minutes.

But those were dreams for another day, and Angel had to focus on the now. "Is it the microchip again?" she asked resignedly. XL hesitated, and then slowly shook his head.

"Power supply. I think the battery we used last time has a leak." Groaning, Angel sagged against the wall. Without XL's suit, there was no way they would make rent. XL wouldn't be able to steal, which covered most of their day-to-day expenses and Angel would be the only one able to hire herself out for mercenary work, which would heavily cut into future profits and plans. But it wasn't like batteries for alien-tech grew on trees; they'd been insanely lucky with their last find. "We have time, and I can try to..."

"The last time you tried fixing it on your own, you nearly blew your hand off and it smelled like smoke for weeks," Angel countered, instantly shutting it down. Both of them stared at the floor, desperately trying to think of something, anything, to help their situation. And as usual, nothing came to mind. Suddenly exhausted, Angel sank to the floor and buried her head in her knees. It had all seemed so easy back at school. Now look at them.

There was the brush of spandex against her knee as XL took a seat beside her, staring at the opposite wall. Pasted all over it were pictures of famous villains, as well as heroes that they used for target practice. A recent newspaper article of the Titans East taking down Godiva was barely hanging on due to the numerous holes both villains had put in it. A gust of wind spelled its demise as it tore free and flew around before drifting silently to the ground. XL silently pulled a heat ray from his belt; one they'd built at the academy for a science project. "Your turn to shoot."

Angel gave a small smile before taking the gun and firing. The blast left a small burn in the floor, but it was worth it as the picture burned away. Sighing, she returned the weapon before burying her face in her knees. "I wish it were as easy as I thought it would be. Back at school, I mean."

"Yeah." XL uncrossed his legs, leaving them spread out as he tilted his head towards the ceiling. "Me too."

"And sometimes a wish is all it takes." The unfamiliar voice drifted through the air, causing Angel and XL's eyes to shoot open. Instantly, the pair launched to their feet, standing back-to-back as Angel's wings grew to their largest size and XL aimed the charged-up heat ray. There was an amused chuckle. "Oh, don't be alarmed. I'm here to offer you a deal."

"We don't make deals with disembodied voices, as a rule," Angel fired back. There was another laugh as the air began to swirl around them, and a neon green portal appeared in the far corner. From it stepped a tall humanoid male, with long pale blond hair and eyes as green as his magic. Dressed in a crisp business suit, he gave a half-bow to the pair even as XL kept a bead on his head. "Who are you, and what do you want with us?"

"What I want from you, my dear, is to grant your wish." The man smiled, revealed incredibly white and sharp teeth. "My name is Neron, perhaps you have heard of me." XL glanced at Angel curiously as the girl froze. She knew a lot about Neron due to her desperate devouring of any text with a hint of angels and demons when her wings started coming in. The Lord of Lies, the Wishweaver, the most dangerous demon to summon if you were desperate for anything. And Angel knew that they were desperate. Her reaction amused Neron as his grin widened. "Ah, I see you have. Good, this will make things simpler."

"We didn't summon you," Angel pointed out, trying to keep her wings from trembling. "Leave us. Now."

"Oh, my darling Angel," Neron cooed. "I'm not here for your souls today. No, I'm here to hire you for a job." Angel and XL shared confused looks as Neron held out a hand. Magic swirled around it as a tiny metal fang dropped into his palm. "I need this delivered to a specific location as soon as possible. One that only the two of you can make happen for me."

"Where?" XL asked cautiously.

"Titans East Tower."

Instantly, Angel shook her head. "No way. We're trying to stay out of the way of the Teen Titans. Breaking into their tower would put a target on our backs we can't afford."

Neron chuckled warmly. "Oh Angel, don't forget who you are dealing with. Think of all that I can offer you." With a wave of his hand, the room around them warped into something out of a dream. The single room had quadrupled in size, with a large and plush sofa sitting where their old mattress used to lie. The threadbare kitchen had all new appliances, with the new island covered in an array of rich foods that Angel hadn't had since school. From where they were standing, they could see a glimpse of two separate bedrooms, one with a king-sized bed that would fit Angel's wings and another black and purple room with a stasis pod XL used to prefer.

"Oh!" XL lowered his gun and took a half-step towards the food, only to freeze when Angel's wing blocked him. He looked at her for a few seconds before returning to his previous position, gun aimed right at Neron's head. This only amused the demon king.

"Interesting," he said with a nod of approval. "I offer you your heart's desire and yet you do not reach for it."

"Not enough to sell my soul for it," Angel replied hotly. "No deal, Neron."

With a snap of his fingers, Neron let the illusion lapse. The young villains trembled as the temporary heat vanished, leaving nothing but the cold. "In that case, why not something more...substantial?" Another snap, and two metal briefcases popped into existence. One opened to reveal a large amount of cash while the other revealed a suit similar to XL's current attire, except for the two buttons on the chest. One pointed up, and the other pointed down. "Ten thousand dollars and a suit designed to both grow and shrink. Fully charged, self-repairing, no leaking battery." Angel swallowed and XL couldn't take his eyes off the new suit. "This will be your down-payment. If you complete my request successfully, you will receive a second payment of fifteen thousand dollars and two additional suits in case one is in need of repairs or replacement. As well as this." A green flash of light and a letter appeared in his hand. "A written letter of recommendation from myself. There are many individuals would hire you with this." 

"Angel," XL whispered. Angel licked her lips and swallowed again. The money was already huge, but the new suits for XL? The letter? They could change everything for them. Even if they failed, the ten thousand would be enough to set themselves up in a new city once they broke out.

"I want a contract," she stated, thankful her voice didn't crack. "I want it written out that the ten thousand and the first suit are ours, regardless of what happens during the mission. You can't take them back or replace them with something else."

Neron smirked as a glowing green contract floated into the air, a pen hanging alongside it. "You will both need to sign it."

"And this is a one-time thing. We aren't selling ourselves to you forever, not in this life or the next." Angel lifted her chin, folding her arms over her chest. "No taking our souls either."

The demon king smiled. "Agreed." He gestured to the contract, where the letters were already adjusting themselves. "Read it, sign it, and then I'll tell you exactly what I need you to do."

Bumblebee's fingers were practically a blur as she typed, scanning through the data pulled up on Roulette and her recent works. Plenty of people were singing her praises after Godiva's bombings, but Bumblebee was sure that there was more at work there. All those vans had just arrived a bit too quickly for the heroine's liking, and the sudden jump in Roulette's popularity was always something to be wary of. Especially with the new rumors floating around of a shipment heading to Steel City in the upcoming weeks of some new product. The team would have to be ready for that.

"Hey, Bee?" The sudden voice, accompanied by a tap on her shoulder, made the heroine scream and jump to her feet. Herald let out a yelp as he stumbled backwards. "Sorry, sorry! Please don't shoot me with those things!"

"Herald?" Bumblebee blinked before her eyes darted down to the stingers in her hands. Hastily she returned them to her belt. "What are you doing here? I said I didn't want to be disturbed."

The musician shrugged, a cheerful grin returning to his face. "You also said that you wanted me to let you know once the security upgrades were finally done. So..." He lifted a hand and tilted it from side to side. "Figured you'd be mad at me either way, so I might as well tell you."

"They're done?" The weight of stress instantly vanished from Bumblebee's shoulders. It had been over a month since Herald had begun his work. "Finally. I was beginning to think you didn't know what you were doing."

"Hey!" Herald pouted. "I was literally designing a system, from scratch, which would keep out not only regular demons, but also two of the most powerful demon kings known to general existence. I performed magic here, Bee. A miracle, one could say." He pulled out his trumpet, twirled it in his hands for a few seconds before jamming out. "You could call me..."

"Yeah, yeah. "Amused despite herself, Bumblebee shoved it down and waved a hand. "You want to keep bragging or you going to show me how this all works?"

Grinning, Herald stepped back and gave a little bow. "Right this way, milady." Rolling her eyes, Bumblebee lead the way down to the basement into a small dark room where Herald had been locking himself in most days. Inside was a large white crystal, hovering in the air and glowing brightly. As the two heroes approached, the crystal let out a small pulse, which revealed several glowing chains wrapped tightly around an invisible shield surrounding the crystal. "Alright, you have your crystal here, which is doing most of the legwork here to keep all the bad stuff out. Spirits, curses, demons, you name it. The chains here," he tapped one lightly, making it dance through the air. "They go on the attack for anything supernatural trying to break in and attack the crystal. The shield keeps anything from this plane out so unless you know the specific codes to lowering it, no one is touching the crystal." He held out a small pad. "I connected it into the tower like you asked so it would be tied into the regular security system. Even if the power goes out, your regular security should run keep going running on the crystal's power."

"And if that loses power?" Bee asked, taking the pad, and tilting her head at the crystal.

Herald grinned. "Considering I literally tied in the power to the earth's core, it's not going out until the world itself dies. Which shouldn't be for a good long while, considering who we've got protecting it." He gave a small shrug. "So, if it does go out, then we have bigger problems than a security issue."

"You've got that right," Bumblebee hummed in agreement, scanning through the data, and frowning. "Wait, why exactly is this thing keeping out brownies? You got something against baked goods?"

"Not those brownies," Herald corrected, leaning over, and pulling up a slightly fuzzy picture of a purplish creature with several eyes and a mouth taking up most of its body. "The traditional ones here on earth are friendly spirits that do a lot of house chores, but there are some from a different plane that like to rip people's souls out and devour their bodies. They like spines." He shuddered dramatically, making Bee snicker.

"Seems like there's a story there," she mused.

"Yeah, I've got a few of them," Herald agreed, smiling at her. "Maybe...I could tell you them, sometime? Over dinner?"

Bumblebee blinked in surprise before her lips curled. "Well..." That's when the alarm started blaring, the crystal turning a bright red and pulsating with every beep. "At least we know that works." Her wings snapped out and Bumblebee zipped out the door, with a grumpy Herald sprinting behind her. It didn't take long for the pair to reach the main ops room, where the rest of the team was crowded around the monitor. "What have we got?"

"Another familiar face," Speedy replied, pointing at the girl with large white wings flying high above the city. "Remember her?"

"Yeah. I do." Bumblebee swallowed as the girl looked back towards the camera, revealing pupilless yellow eyes before she flared her wings and the camera shorted out. "Any other villains out there with her?"

"No, but she hasn't really done anything," Kestrel pointed out. "She's mainly been flying above crowded areas, scaring the civilians. No attacking, no robbing, nothing. It's like she's searching for something."

"Or waiting for us," Aqualad added, frowning. "Angel is one of the villains who escaped the freeze. As a former member of the Brotherhood of Evil, we have to take her in."

"Ella está volando muy alto. ¡Deberíamos conseguir una red para mariposas!" Menos beamed at his suggestion while Más just sighed at his brother. 

"Pero, ¿de dónde sacaríamos uno tan grande? Ella no se encoge. ¿Ella?" They looked at Bumblebee, who shook her head.

"No. Her wings, yes, but not the rest of her. She always hated that." The last part was muttered more than anything else, earning Bee some odd looks from the rest of her team. Shaking her head, Bumblebee shoved the nostalgia aside. "I'll try to bring her to ground so that the rest of you have a chance to grab her. Let's move, Titans!" She paused and then looked right at Más and Menos. "No butterfly nets of any size." She ignored their playful groans as she took off, soaring across the sky.

Angel was currently riding the thermals near the center of the city, her wings at one of their largest sizes to catch the heated air currents more easily. Bumblebee hesitated as she got a closer look at the villainess. She was thinner than Bee remembered her being, and her wings looked grayer than their usual pure white. Swallowing hard, the heroine darted closer, hands reluctantly pulling her stingers free as she hovered in the air. "Angel, I'm going to ask you to come with me."

Jolting at the sound of her voice, Angel's wings shrunk and shifted slightly, becoming narrower and more angled for faster midair dodges and turns. "You seriously think I'm here to turn myself in, Bee?" she asked. "You and I both know that's not going to happen."

"You had your chance, Angie," Bee pointed out, taking aim, and letting her stingers spark. "After we took out Brother Blood, you could have gone legit. Become a hero."

Angel threw her head back and laughed. "You really think that was an option? I was bullied relentlessly as a kid. My own parents took me to doctors to try and have my wings chopped off! They treated me like a freak. A monster. And you really think I'd want to help them?" Shaking her head, she sighed sadly. "That was always your problem, Bee. Just too optimistic."

"Not anymore." Snapping her wings out, Bumblebee shot forward, firing bolt after bolt from her stingers. Instantly Angel shifted into a dive, easily avoiding the blasts as she darted behind one of the skyscrapers. Gritting her teeth, Bumblebee gave chase.

Below, she could barely see faces of civilians pointing and gasping as Angel twirled and darted through the air as Bumblebee followed. Though she tried to map it out in her mind, it didn't look like Angel was trying to lead her anywhere specific. But as she tried to focus on that, she didn't notice Angel slowly gaining height until she whirled around and tackled her from above. Squirming against the grip on her neck, Bumblebee couldn't break free before she was slammed against the side of a building, leaving a small dent in the metal. Angel laughed as she leaned in closer. "You know, I always hoped I would be the one to do this. You were my best friend, you know?"

Bee's eyes widened as Angel drew her arm back. But before she could throw that punch, a portal appeared above her and Aqualad fell from it. He managed to wrap his arms tightly around her throat, hauling her back until Angel's wings suddenly shrank down again. As the two fell backwards, they suddenly shot out once more, catching Aqualad in the stomach and making him lose his grip. "Aqualad!" Bumblebee kicked free from the building and dove down, catching Aqualad's outstretched hand and pulling him skyward.

Growling, Angel made to follow before an arrow clanged right into the back of her belt. Four magnetized heads popped out, locking the arrow and belt together as Angle struggled to grab at it. Speedy grinned as he lowered his bow. "Go!" Kestrel instantly stepped on the gas, pulling the rope tied to her rear wheel and the arrow taut before Angel was dragged to the ground.

"Más y Menos, sí podemos!" Angel's eyes widened before she was punched in the face by a pair of tiny fists moving at super speeds. The force was too tough for the magnets as the girl flew through the air before slamming into a bench nearby. She groaned, pressing a hand to her aching head as the Titans surrounded her.

"You're done, Angel," Bumblebee declared as she reached for the pair of cuffs on her belt. She froze though when Angel just laughed.

"No, Bee. It's only just begun." Angel slammed her fist on the ground and there was a flash of bright light. By the time anyone could see again, Angel had vanished.

"She's gone," Kes reported. "Out of my range. I didn't think she could use magic."

"Neither did we," Bumblebee replied as she stared at the spot where Angel used to be.

This time, Bumblebee's rapid typing was for any known information on Angel. Sadly, all that was turning up was from before she'd been frozen alongside the majority of the Brotherhood of Evil. No sightings since the escape months ago. No meetups with other H.I.V.E. academy members like Gizmo or Kyd Wykkyd, who Bumblebee knew Angel had been fond of. Bee had thought, had hoped, that Angel might have taken the chance to go straight. It seemed like she'd been wrong. Sighing, she buried her face in her hands.

There was a small clunk that made her look up to see a plate of freshly baked brownies sitting next to her. Kestrel smiled before dropping into another chair. "Thought these might be helpful."

"Why is it you always turn to food when someone is upset?" Bumblebee asked as she picked one up and took a bite. She moaned at the taste. "You made them molten too."

"Because if they want the food, they have to open up." Kes grinned as she tugged the plate away before Bee could go for a second. "You had your taste, so now pay up. What's the deal with you and Angel?"

Bumblebee slowly finished chewing, giving herself time to collect her thoughts. "She's the one who tried to grab me back with the Brotherhood. Guess she wanted a rematch." She reached for the plate only to have her hand slapped away. "Hey!"

Kes gave her a droll look in response. "Bumblebee, I know you're smarter than this. Don't lie to the empath." Bee scowled and crossed her arms, making Kestrel mentally sigh. "Look, do you want me to tell you what I already figured out?"

"There's nothing to figure out," Bee corrected.

"You were close with Angel back when you were infiltrating the Academy, right?" When Bumblebee froze, Kestrel nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. Explains the emotions coming off both of you."

"...What was she feeling?"

Kes hummed thoughtfully. "Anger, mostly. Sadness too. And grief." She side-eyed Bee and set the plate down again. "You were feeling that too, with a spoonful of guilt. I'm guessing she didn't take the fact you were undercover very well."

Bumblebee picked up a brownie and flipped it over in her hands. "We had a lot in common. Growing up with looks like ours meant it was hard to hide at times. I could flatten my wings to my back, and Angel could shrink hers down enough to be covered by clothes, especially in cold weather. But neither of us wanted to hide." She sighed. "Angel was smart, dedicated to getting stronger. A bit boy crazy, but no one's perfect. We talked about...maybe setting up a team together once we graduated. We made a good team. I knew it wouldn't last, that bringing down Blood was the most important thing. But sometimes...It just felt nice. Being a girl talking with a friend. About classes, about grades, about boys. ...Being normal."

There was a pressure against her mind before it faded, as if Kes was about to say something before changing her mind. Then it returned as Kes tried again. "I'm sorry, Bumblebee. That you had to lose a friend."

Bee chuckled as she tore off a chunk of brownie and popped it into her mouth. "Hey, it happens. And I don't regret shutting the Academy down and stopping Blood. You just can't stop people from making bad choices sometimes."

Kestrel hummed in agreement as she picked up her own treat. "I guess that's true. But normal is rare around here, we need to grab it while we can." Bumblebee looked at her with a lifted brow and Kes grinned back. "You should probably answer Herald's question about that date."

Bee groaned. "He told you?" She buried her face in her hands at her teammate's laughing nod. "Oh god, please tell me he didn't go around asking permission like this is the 18th century or something."

"No, nothing like that. Just a lot of nervous babbling while heading off to fight Angel. It was cute." She paused and corrected herself. "At least, I thought it was cute. Speedy threatened to introduce Herald to his acid arrows if he ever hurt you."

Bumblebee sighed. "Doesn't that boy know I'm fully capable of taking care of myself?"

"You and I both know that you'd be threatening to rip the heart out of anyone who broke his," Kes pointed out, snickering at Bee's amused pout. "Besides, Aqualad is probably nearing the end of his own shovel talk. I just want Más and Menos to remember to return the knives after it's done."

"Boys." Kes laughed at the mixture of annoyance, amusement, and reluctant gratitude that erupted from Bumblebee with that single word. That is, until she froze. "Kes?"

"Someone's in the tower." Instantly, Bumblebee closed all the searches she was running on Angel and pulled up the security. Kes leaned over her shoulder, fingers absently rubbing at her bracelet for focus. "It's faint, so I don't think they're too close to this floor. Really focused."

"Basement is most likely, considering the distance." Narrowing the focus to all basement cameras, Bumblebee slowly scanned the area. "I'm not seeing anyone. Are they maybe outside the tower, just really close to the walls?"

"It's possible," Kestrel admitted, absently chewing her lower lip. "But it feels like they're inside. But what would they want with the basement? To mess with our bikes, or Speedy's arrows?"

"Or something else entirely," Bee answered with a pit in her stomach. She directed the cameras until they were focused on the door leading to their newest security upgrade and reached for her comm. "Más, Menos, get down to the basement now. We might have an intruder going for our magical security." Something moved on the monitor and Bee leaned closer, barely making out a tiny creature moving on the ground. "Might be a shrinker." 

"¡Lo tienes!" There was a red and white blur as the twins appeared in the basement, each one holding a giant magnifying glass. As they looked around, they froze as they stared at something standing between them. "¡Es un extraterrestre!" Suddenly, the small dot warped, shooting up in size and wrenching the pair apart with relative ease.

"XL Terrestrial, damnit!" Slamming her fist down on the alarm button, both women shot out of the room.

"I thought he could only grow!"

"Looks like he picked up some new tricks since he got out," Bee replied as she dove through the empty space in the stairwell spiral. Zipping through the door, she spotted Más and Menos struggling as XL aimed a kick at the sealed door. Growling, Bee pulled out a stinger and fired, making the villain freeze. "You take one more step and there'll be a permanent hole in your skull," she warned.

Sighing, XL flung the twins into opposite walls before whirling around and firing his heat ray. Bee instantly shrunk and flew over the shot as Kestrel slid right under it. Speedy, who was barely a step behind her, just fired two arrows. One hit the blast before it could touch anything else and the second soared right into the heat ray, causing XL to fling it to the side before it exploded. "Heat ray, really? Do you have to be so cliche?"

Gritting his teeth, XL just whirled around and kicked the door open. Instantly, he was blasted backwards by Herald's horn as the musician played. "Sorry, authorized personnel only," Herald grinned before shrugging at the rest of the Titans. "If he was trying to get in, why not wait for him?"

"Nice trick," Bumblebee acknowledged as Aqualad flipped the stunned XL over to cuff him. "Any idea what he was trying to do?"

"Hmm." Herald lifted his horn to play a slow, thoughtful melody that made something on his belt start glowing green. "Looks like he's got something magic on him. Now how did you get your hands on that?" he asked as XL scowled silently.

"Cualquier tecnología suficientemente avanzada es indistinguible de la magia."

"Don't think that quote applies here, boys," Kestrel asked as she crouched down next to the villain. "This doesn't...feel right."

Something about that statement had alarm bells ringing in Bee's mind. "Kes, get-"

That's when XL suddenly started growing, just enough to break free of Aqualad's grip. As the Atlantean was knocked back, XL pulled the glowing object free and shoved it at Kestrel, who lifted an arm to instinctively block it. The second it touched her, it sank through her skin and the girl started glowing. There was a pulse of green light, and everyone was knocked back as Kestrel floated into the air, eyes glowing green as she hung limply. The complete lack of emotion from her was the most terrifying thing of all. Then suddenly, the light vanished, and she started falling. "Kes!" Speedy yelled, sliding across the floor just in time to catch her.

XL smirked and pressed a hand to his belt, shimmering and vanishing as Aqualad and Bumblebee tried to tackle him. Gritting her teeth, Bumblebee turned to see the rest of the Titans hovering around Kestrel, with Herald playing something that made her glow green. "What did he do to her?"

"Not him," Herald corrected, his face pale. "Neron. He gave her a talisman."

"A what?"

"Ugh." Kestrel shifted in Speedy's arms, lifting a hand to her head as she slowly opened her eyes. "What was that? What happened?"

"You alright, Kes?" Speedy asked, helping her sit up.

The girl shrugged. "Headache. I think that's it." She tried to pull away. "Calm down, Speedy. I'm fine."

"Kestrel." Herald's face was grim. "I think Neron was worried about the magical security, so he found a way to circumvent it. It looks like a talisman made using his magic was placed in you."

"¿Qué es un talismán?" Más and Menos asked, pressing as close to Kestrel as possible as she flinched away. "¿Le va a hacer daño?"

Herald was quiet for a few seconds before he slowly answered. "I think it might be a power amplifier. It'll naturally increase her demonic powers over time."

Kestrel went pale. "So, I'm going to be feeling even more emotions? Great."

Aqualad frowned. "Why would he want Kestrel's powers to be stronger?"

"Because it's likely he was scrying her by tracking her powers," Herald explained, rubbing his hands together. "I can make regular adjustments to the shields to accommodate for it, but eventually they might just get too strong to handle."

"By that point, I might as well be crazy," Kes pointed out, closing her eyes. "Is there a way to remove it?"

The question made Herald nervous. "Well, I normally get rid of them by making them...explode. The talismans, not people." He flinched at all the glares he was getting. "Hey, I never said I was gonna do it!"

Bee sighed, rubbing at her aching temples. "I'll call Raven and Jinx, see if they might have any other options. Aqualad, can you talk with your people?" The Atlantean nodded. "Rest of you, try and figure out how XL got into our tower in the first place!" Then she whirled and pointed at Herald. "And as for you."

"Try and work on adjusting the shields to better protect the tower against magical threats of all kinds?" Herald asked, smiling nervously.

"Yes. And then meet me at 7. There's a diner off Main Street, good food, and keeps the reporters out." She smiled at the shocked look on Herald's face, as well as the disgust of the boys and the small smile Kes gave. "Pretty nice spot for a first date."

"I..." After a few moments to process, Herald grinned. "Yes ma'am!"

Being smaller made travel a lot longer so it was nearly midnight by the time XL made it home. Inside, Angel was rapidly pacing back and forth, wings flapping the way they always did when she was nervous. He nudged at the window to make it rattle, causing her to jump and whirl to the window. "XL!"

The alien jumped down, easily growing to regular height by the time his feet hit the floor. "It's done," he reported. "The Titans didn't track me here."

Angel nervously looked around. "Are you..." But before she could finish the question, there was a flash of green light and two familiar briefcases appeared. As the pair stared at them, they opened to reveal the second half of their payment, the recommendation letter, and the two additional suits for XL. They stared in shock before turning to each other with wide grins. "We did it, XL! We did it!" Angel cheered as she flung herself into the alien's arms, letting him twirl her around. "With that letter, we could go anywhere! Do anything!"

"Where to?" XL immediately asked. Angel thought for a bit before grinning.

"I'm sick of the cold. How about Hawaii?"

Neron chuckled in amusement as he watched the pair celebrate. He would likely use them again; good help was hard to find in this day and age. Especially for so lowly a price. He turned and knelt once more beneath the crystal that held the shard of Trigon. "Lord Trigon, it is done."

"Good." Even the short, clipped answer made the stalactites rattle and sent smaller demons running for cover. "If she is to be my vessel, she will need to be strong enough to hold my power." The eyes flashed red. "You will not trick me with a host whose body will perish as I possess it."

"Of course not," Neron soothed. "That would break our deal after all. But she will be ready for you soon. Before the next Earthly year is completed."

"We shall see."

Chapter Text

Martin Bains, age 26, nervously puffed on his cigarette as he shifted awkwardly in his seat. Clay Franklin rolled his eyes as he steered the motorboat. "You keep that up, you'll leave a smoke trail behind that'll last for a week. What are you on, number seventeen?"

"Shut up, Clay," Martin muttered as he took another long drag. "This is Steel City. I don't like this. Xiong should have backed out, this is a bad idea."

Clay gave a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. "You say that every time we do a run like this, no matter where it is! Raleigh, bad idea. NYC, bad idea. Gotham City, horrible idea."

"Well, it is!" Martin huffed and looked away, staring out over the lightly rippling waters. "It's common sense, Clay! You don't do drugs in the bat's city, it's just plain stupid! How many times have we lost shipments there from raids or explosions, or the product just vanishing under our noses?!" He shuddered. "And now we're in another super city."

"No, we're in Roulette's city," Clay corrected for the eighth time, sighing in relief as the dock came into view. "And if this deal goes well, we'll be making triple our usual score. You'll be able to buy your own cigarette company for that amount of cash!" He glanced over at his still nervous partner and grinned. "And there's even more coming in once we build up a clientele."

Martin frowned, turning to spit out end of the cigarette he'd anxiously chewed off. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Clay. Real bad."

"Just shut up and let me do all the talking then." With that, Clay slowed them to a halt alongside the empty dock. There was a pair of men sitting on a couple of old crates who leapt up to toss them some rope. "Evening, gentlemen."

"Late night for a Boston Whaler to be out on the bay," came the raspy reply. A short pale-faced man offered a hand to help the sailors onto land once more. "Anyone who shows up around this time is looking for someone."

Martin shifted from foot to foot, only pausing when Clay's elbow rammed into his side. He grinned and quickly said, "Sorry about that, my partner gets nervous on land. We're looking for a Jeremy Coffers." The two grunts glanced at each other, grunted, and then beckoned them towards a warehouse with its door just slightly ajar. Clay smirked at Martin before following them, leaving his partner to grumble under his breath as he trailed behind. The pair shared a shudder as a particularly strong gust of wind swept by, encouraging them to hurry into the shelter of the building. Inside were more crates with several men standing guard. Clay beamed and stepped forward with the smoothness of a particularly skilled used-car salesman. "Thank you for welcoming us to your beautiful city."

There was a snort. "What kinda shithole you come from to think of Steel City as 'beautiful'?" Shaking his head in amusement, a man dressed in old and worn jeans and a thick flannel stepped forward to offer his hand. "I'm Coffers. You have that delivery?"

Clay gave a strong shake in response. "Main course is still waiting for our signal. Wouldn't do to be led into a trap, you know?" Coffers gave a rueful nod in response. "Of course, we have a little sample for you." He glanced over at Martin, who rolled his eyes before reaching into his coat. He ignored all the guns suddenly trained on him with the ease of long practice and removed a small packet. Shaking it lightly, he gave it a low toss to Coffers, who easily snagged it from midair. The man gave a smirk as he glanced inside.

"Nice white color. It'll be easier to sell that way," he noted before stowing it away. "Of course, we will need to ensure the quality is up to our standards..."

Clay huffed and crossed his arms. "Run all the tests you want, it's good stuff. Now, the payment?" But before Coffers could reply, there was a rumbling from outside. The familiar sound of a motorboat turning on. Clay and Martin immediately raced to the still open door to see their boat skimming across the water to parts unknown. Eyes wide, Clay's hand fell to his pocket for the boat key only to come up empty. "You double-crossed us!" Xiong's men pulled out their own guns and aimed them at Coffers, Martin's cigarette stub falling to the ground as he bared his teeth.

Coffers glared back as the other men took aim. "If I wanted to do that, wouldn't it make more sense after I had the drugs?!"

"Oh, finally," came a voice from above as an arrow struck the ground and immediately lit up the warehouse with light. "I was really thinking we'd be getting through this drug deal with no one bothering to mention the drugs."

"Shut up, Speedy," replied a female voice as Martin's eyes widened. As he blinked away the light, a terrifying trio of figures came into view. A girl in blue and black perched on top of some of the boxes with a staff twirling in her hands. A red-clad archer smirking as he aimed an arrow at the still recovering group of convicts. And hovering in the air above them was a woman in yellow and black with insect wings and a furious glare. "You know, selling drugs like this is a crime."

"I told you this was a bad idea!"

"Shut up!" Clay snarled as he opened fire on the girl, who almost instantly shrank down to an invisible size to avoid the bullets. The one Martin knew from the news as 'Kestrel' immediately dove into the thick of things, swinging her staff and sending men flying in all directions. Martin tried to aim himself but flinched and dropped his gun when an arrow sank into his arm and let out a shock that had him yelping. A second arrow slid smoothly through the barrel of Clay's gun, forcing him to fling it away before it exploded in his hands.

Cutting his losses, Martin sprinted through the door, heading for the docks. Sure, their original boat was gone. But there were likely others there that he could steal and use for his escape. He was so intent on the yells and fighting behind him that he didn't notice the water bubbling until his feet hit wood. That's when the water erupted into a pillar beneath him, breaking through the planks and sending Martin soaring with a scream. He landed hard on the concrete as Aqualad leaped free of the water to land in a crouch. He flicked the chewed-up cigarette butt into Martin's lap. "You're going to want this back."

Back in the warehouse, Clay inched towards the door on the opposite side. He knew he'd only end up trapped if he tried to escape to the water so his best option would be to try and lose them in the maze of warehouses or the city itself. Thankfully, the Teen Titans seemed focused more on Coffers's gang so if he timed this right... Smirking, he gave a mental salute and flung the door open, ready to start running. For a trio of sirens to go off as Clay nearly blinded himself again stepping outside. "Steel City Police Department! Get on the ground!" Groaning, he reluctantly got on his knees as his vision slowly returned to him. Several officers were frowning at him, guns drawn as a blonde woman with a megaphone slowly lowered it. As Clay pressed his belly to the ground, there was a yelp from above him as Coffers was dropped to his right. He risked a glance at Coffers, who was giving him an equally resigned look.

Damn, Martin had been right.

"A dozen of Roulette's pushers and those two from Hector Xiong down in Florida," Bumblebee mused as the last of the criminals were shoved into the back of police cruisers. "Not a bad haul for a night."

Aqualad scowled as he lifted up the handful of cigarette stubs he'd pulled from the water. "Yeah, and hopefully one of them ends up in rehab for nicotine addiction. Look at all these!"

Speedy rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall. "These guys were looking to push a ton of cocaine in our city, and you're worried about littering?"

"We don't technically know that it's cocaine," Kes pointed out as Lieutenant Monroe approached them. "There are plenty of other drugs it could be." She lifted her hands to start signing only to start when Más and Menos skidded to a halt in front of her.

"¡Encontramos otras seis lanchas a motor en la bahía! ¡Están siendo remolcados por la policía!" the twins chanted as they high-fived each other.

Monroe sighed. "What they said. We can do a full scan once they're docked." She offered a hand for Bumblebee to shake. "Thanks for the help."

"It's our city too," Bee pointed out. "And anything that keeps Roulette from doing her dirty work deserves to be done." She nervously tapped her leg against her hand. "You found the sample that guy gave to Coffers?"

"It's on its way to the station to be analyzed, Bee," Lieutenant Johnson answered as he joined the group. "It's not exactly something we can test on the street without potentially contaminating it. My money is on cocaine; that's Roulette's usual drug of choice."

"Xiong is known for his dealings in crack," Speedy pointed out. "Roulette could just be looking for a new supplier, or someone to replace an old one."

Kestrel frowned and shook her head. "It's possible, but I don't think that's likely," she signed as she spoke. "Roulette has plenty of suppliers for cocaine and there has been no news on any of her suppliers getting arrested or backing out. Not to mention the mutterings were about something new."

There was a honking noise as several police boats sailed through the bay to anchor at the nearby docking areas. Bumblebee's wings instantly spread as she stepped forward. "Guess we're about to find out." Taking flight, she led the way over to the nearest of the black-painted motorboats where a uniformed officer was carefully stepping off. "Mind if we take a quick look here?"

The officer was clearly starstruck as he stared at Bumblebee, earning a long-suffering sigh from Monroe and an indulgent chuckle from Johnson. "Of-of course, Miss Bee. Ms. Bumblebee? Ah- I just want to say that it's..."

Monroe quickly cut off what was looking to be a long speech. "If you have time to talk, you have time to work. Start getting some of these people into the cruisers."

"Ah-yes Lieutenant!" The officer rushed off as Speedy snickered.

"Looks like another broken heart left in the dust, Bee." Bumblebee rolled her eyes as she stepped onto the boat. She frowned as she scanned the small area.

"I'm not seeing any crates or boxes. Were they moved onto the other boats?"

"¿Quizás fueron abandonados una vez que se dieron cuenta de que estaban rodeados por la policía?" Menos offered, making Aqualad frown.

"I swear if I have to go and start dredging up drugs from the bottom of the bay again, I'm-" Speedy snorted at the Atlantean's ranting as he joined Bumblebee.

"Safety measures, Bee," he explained as he began removing the cushions covering the seats. "We had a few people try this back in Star City. They don't bother with crates to ship them; they bring them onto the boat once they reach the unloading site and just store the drugs in here." Pressing against the small catch beneath the lip of the seat, he gave a sharp tug to open it. Speedy grinned at the large plastic bags stuffed with fine white powder piled up in the box.

"Nice job," Kestrel praised as she crouched beside him and pulled out her communicator. "I'm pretty sure this should be able to identity the molecular structure without opening them..."

"You can just leave it to..." Monroe tried to protest, only to be cut off by a trio of beeps. "Or not," she grumbled as Kestrel frowned at the results.

"Let me guess, a new super-drug that's going to knock the competition out of the water?" Speedy offered. Kes silently shook her head and held out the communicator for Bumblebee and Speedy to get a better look. As he read the scan's results, the archer's stomach dropped even as his mouth went painfully dry. He silently swallowed before saying, "Oh. Guess not."

"Heroin." Bumblebee spat it out like it was a curse as she sneered down at the bags. "Looks like it's pretty pure stuff too. So, this is Roulette's newest pet project."

Johnson ran a hand over his face as Monroe pulled out her phone to call it in. "Looks like we'll need to talk to narcotics again, see if there's been a spike in opioid addiction." He sighed and looked over at the Titans. "Looks like this is where your part ends and where our work begins."

Normally, this would just make Speedy angry. But right now, there was nothing he wanted more than to get as far away from this warehouse as physically possible. He was vaguely aware of Kes watching him as he gave a short nod and pushed to his feet. But Bumblebee wasn't having any of it. "This is Roulette and we're the ones who brought you the intel so you could run this raid in the first place!" Bumblebee snarled furiously. "If you think you can push us out of this..."

Johnson lifted his hands in a futile placating gesture. "Bee, you know I'd love to collaborate with you. But you're better suited to manage the threats of other supers. This stuff here," he waved a hand out over the officers searching the area for more drug stashes, making calls to the warehouse workers and owners, and driving away with the other members of Xiong's crew. "It's police work. Let us do our jobs, yeah?" He glanced down at the still open storage area and sighed. "Hope one of these guys starts talking. Would sure make things easier on us."

"One of them is on the take." Everyone blinked before looking at Speedy, who forced another dry swallow. "The bags on top, they're laid straight out and flat. They're not filled to the top which means they're normally folded to make room for other bags. Essentially doubles the amount of product you can ship. You spread them out like this," he gave a jerky nod at the drugs. "It's harder to tell if one is missing from below. It means someone's trying to hide that they took a bag; either the person who was packing them or one of the guys in charge of unloading. If it's the latter, then he'll likely still have the bag on him, or he dumped it and is looking for another hit."

"Is that so?" Johnson asked as he grinned over at Monroe.

"¿Había tantos traficantes de drogas en Star City?" Más asked, zipping over to stand on Speedy's left.

"Debe significar que también hay muchos drogadictos," Menos added from the archer's right. The comment made Speedy tilt his head back and laugh darkly.

"You have no idea."

Why didn't I just keep my mouth shut? Speedy's hands clenched and unclenched as he and Kestrel stood in the warehouse. Bumblebee was pushing for them to be allowed to work with the police on the case, using Speedy's clear experience as leverage. She and Aqualad had gone to fight with Captain Kingsley on the subject, and Más and Menos had been sent back to the tower to monitor for other threats. Which left him and Kes here, allegedly to act as guards for the discovered crates of heroin while narcotics could arrange for the drugs to be taken and disposed of. Bee, of course, wanted them there to search for anything that could maybe lead to an arrest of Roulette.

Which meant that Speedy would be expected to not only stay in the same building as massive amounts of high-quality heroin, but to rummage through them as though he would find a broken nail or a burgundy strand of hair! It didn't help that his throat felt so dry, and his eyes kept drifting to the few open crates which had more than a few stray bags tossed about. Easily grabbed, easily missed. No one would be expected to count each and every bag and if one was noticed missing, it wasn't like...Recognizing the train of thought, Speedy mentally squashed it. No way. Not again.

"Speedy?" The sudden touch to his mind made the archer jump and yelp. Kes blinked in surprise. "Sorry. Are...are you okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking," Speedy quickly answered. "What's up?"

Kestrel frowned before forging on. "We aren't likely to find anything related to Roulette in these crates. But the warehouse records may give us a place to look, even if it's just another shell company Sinclair Industries uses." She pointed over to the small room in the corner. "We can watch through the windows. Sound good?"

"Yes!" Speedy immediately seized on the idea; anything to get some distance from the drugs. When Kestrel stared at him in shock, as Speedy usually hated dealing with stuff like this, he added, "It's better than just sitting around the boxes, waiting for narcotics to show up."

There was a tiny pressure of doubt in the back of his mind, indicating that Kes didn't really believe him. But she seemed content to let it lie for now and lead the way to the small office. Speedy used a heel to close the door behind him, feeling himself relax a few degrees now that there were walls between him and the drugs. But that wasn't enough. Even as the pair dug through names and records, cross-referencing them with files pulled up on their communicators, Speedy couldn't stop thinking about how easy it would be. Claim he needed a bathroom break, slip out of the room, watch the window and wait for Kes to be so focused on what was below her that she wouldn't glance out the window to see him stick his hand into a crate and...Shaking his head for the umpteenth time, he dug his nails into a leg and used the other to flip through a folder. Lots of names on it, but all of them checked out so far.

A cheerful tune rang out from his communicator and Speedy reached over to flip open the call. "Hey Bee, you're on speaker."

"Hey," came the resigned reply. "You two can head back to the tower now."

Kestrel looked up in resignment and Speedy put her unasked question to words. "Kingsley didn't bite?" He hoped that he sounded less eager than he did in his mind.

Either he did or Bumblebee was so wrapped up that she didn't hear it, but she gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah. Apparently, we can fight giant robots, madmen with bombs and guns, or alien invasions. But we can't assist in a drug case."

Speedy made a humming noise that he hoped sounded sympathetic enough as he started eagerly packing away the files. He was more than ready to get out of here, get back to the tower, get as far away as possible. It was even easy to ignore Kestrel's staring as he replaced records. "I mean, they didn't exactly let GA and I work those cases either, so I wasn't expecting much here."

"I suppose." Another sigh. "Just get back quickly, let me know if you found anything we can use to tie this to Roulette." Before Speedy could respond, the call ended.

"Police have their procedure, and we're not trained for it," Kes pointed out as she started helping Speedy in cleaning up. "It makes sense that we wouldn't be invited in for this. And we got involved before things really reached Roulette's level, so I'm not hopeful."

Speedy shrugged. "Yeah, but you know Bee. Roulette's becoming a white whale for her. For the department too, really. If we had held off for a bit, maybe dropped in a tracker or something, we might have reached her."

"Unlikely," Kes corrected. "It's like looking for evidence against the CEO of the company by watching the intern's work. The levels are too different." She paused and looked out over the warehouse. "It's good we got this information, it'll let us prepare for when Roulette tries again and gives us another avenue. But I doubt we'll ever catch her through drugs like this."

"Maybe she'll finally decide to build a giant robot and attack the city. We're good at those." The joke earned him a laugh. "Now let's get out of here. I'm ready for bed."

Speedy's dreams at night were more intense than usual, where he was chasing something that he craved beyond measure yet burned him when he tried to touch it. No points for figuring out that symbolism, the archer thought as he leaned back in his chair. Usually, he would use his workshop as a safe haven, but it wasn't working today. Not when he kept daydreaming of ways to sneak back into the warehouse, slip back out with a bag or two and steal a needle from the medical bay. A sudden stinging in his left arm pulled him back to reality, where he was digging his nails in again. Grimacing, Speedy turned back to the plans for refining his heat-seekers, but he just couldn't focus.

A knock on the door made him jump. "Speedy? Can we talk?" Bumblebee's question made him frown, but Speedy walked over to unlock the door anyways. It wasn't like he was getting anything done. Bumblebee cautiously stepped into the room before turning to face the archer. "Alright, what's going on?"

"What are you talking about, Bee?" Speedy asked, turning to head back to his workbench. Bumblebee followed him.

"Look, I know things were busy last night. But don't think I didn't see how weird you were acting." He stiffened and then forced himself to relax. "Yeah, like that. You were fine until we realized it was heroin. So, talk." When Speedy continued to ignore her Bumblebee slammed her hands down on the bench, making him jump. "Speedy, we can't work together if we keep secrets."

"There is no secret," Speedy lied through grit teeth. "I'm fine, Bumblebee. Absolutely nothing wrong here." He turned to glare at her. "And besides, it's not like we're working on this anymore, remember? It's a police case now." 

Bumblebee's eyes narrowed. "And what about the next time we run into a crazed heroin junkie robbing someone to get cash for his next fix during a patrol? Or another crate full of the stuff in a warehouse or a hideout?" Speedy wanted to flinch but held her gaze out of pride even as Bee's anger faded. "Speedy, if there's a problem, I need to know about it. We're a team, and what affects one of us affects us all."

"So, what are you planning to do then, huh?" Speedy asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "Send me home every time there's a hint of a fight where drugs might be involved? Pull me in if there's only a fight with a supervillain? Kick me off the team entirely?"

"If I have to." Bumblebee nodded when Speedy froze. "If whatever's going on with you is going to affect the team, if it'll get you or one of us killed, then yeah. I'll kick you out."

Staring into Bee's eyes, Speedy played the only card left to him. "Fine then." He reached down and pulled his communicator free to slam it down on the bench. "If you can't trust me, there's no reason for me to stick around." He got to his feet and strode over to his bike while Bumblebee just gaped at the communicator. Silently, he revved the bike and zoomed off. The one good thing about the anger was that it kept him focused as he wove his way through the less-used roads of Steel City until he reached the small outlook. With the lack of signal, he pulled over and began digging around the inside of the bike, muttering curses and insults as he pulled the trackers free. 

It was only as he finished crushing them under his boot that the weight of what he'd done sunk in. What was he going to do now? Go back to Star City? Find another lawless town and take up a position as its new hero? Was he not a Titan anymore or just not a member of Titans East? He didn't even have any of his stuff! Furious at his own stupidity, Speedy pressed a hand to his temples and stalked over to a nearby bench. Dropping onto it, he leaned over and buried his face in his hands.

It was less than five minutes before someone dropped onto the bench beside him. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Speedy did a double take when Kestrel just smiled at him. She held out a familiar communicator. "You forgot this."  Speedy carefully reached out and took it as Kes leaned back to stare out over the city. "You know, you could have just asked for a transfer if you wanted to leave. Titans Europe still needs members and Robin's been thinking about setting one up in South America or maybe Asia."

"Wasn't dramatic enough," Speedy muttered, reluctantly smiling when she laughed. "How'd you find me so fast?"

Kestrel gave a shrug. "There are only so many places where you can't get good service around the city, and I knew you'd need somewhere to stop and get the trackers out of the bike. I was just lucky you were in the second spot I checked." She held out her own comm to show the lack of service message. "Aqualad's checking the waterways and the twins are checking out the nearby towns. Bee's probably still trying to track you as well as sending messages out to the other Titans to see if you asked for a place to stay."

"That would have been the sensible thing to do," Speedy agreed. "Let me guess, you all were worried about me."

"Probably not Johnson and Monroe. But they don't know you half as well as we do." Kes absently tugged at her bracelet. "You need me to run interference with Bee when we get back?"

"Nah." Speedy lifted his head and gave a shit-eating grin. "If I catch her now, I can use the guilt to get away without punishment for the trackers." Kes shook her head in reluctant amusement as the archer's smile faded. "How much have you figured out already?"

"..." The mental pressure faded and returned a few times as Kes tried to work out how to answer. "Nothing...concrete. Just a theory." Speedy grunted and leaned back against the bench, letting the sun warm his face. "I wasn't planning on telling anyone." His eyes shot open, and he stared at Kestrel. "It's not my place to say anything."

"Even if it turns out I'm a threat to the team?" The shot was full of hurt that Speedy had barely attempted to hide. "That I'd put you guys in danger if someone...if it..." He trailed off, hands tightening to fists on his legs.

"Speedy..." A hand reached out to cover his. "I know you wouldn't."

"How?" The question was bitter even as Kestrel's hand tightened over his fist. "Bumblebee's known me longer than you have and..."

"Bumblebee wasn't with you in that warehouse alone," Kes interrupted, making the archer pause. "Bumblebee wasn't feeling what you were feeling while we were watching those crates, while we were doing that mind-numbing research that we both knew would turn up nothing." She squeezed his hand again. "Being able to walk in there and walk out again like you did was one of the strongest things I've ever seen. Even in Robin's memories."

Speedy's fist loosened, and he turned his hand over. Kes released her grip so that they could intertwine their fingers. "I wanted to," he whispered. "I wanted it so much."

"I know." She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know."

Staring out over the city, Speedy swallowed. "Can we...stay here a while longer?" He felt her nod against his shoulder. "Kes...thank you."

There was a warmth where Kestrel's mind touched his. "You're welcome."

The sun had mostly set over the water when the two Titans returned to the tower. They'd paused long enough for Kes to contact the others, let them know she was bringing Speedy home. This meant the other four were waiting for them in the garage when they pulled in. Speedy had barely removed his helmet and opened his mouth to apologize when he was tackled into a hug by Bumblebee. "Speedy, I swear to god that if you pull something like that again, I'll drag you back and kick your ass so hard you'll never sit right again!"

A surprised laugh escaped him as Speedy returned the embrace. "Got it, Bee." When she released him, the archer got a hard punch to the arm from Aqualad. "Hey!"

"You just have to be the dramatic one, don't you?" Aqualad muttered even as the twins rushed forward.

"Fuimos hasta Nueva Jersey," Menos declared, holding out a grease-stained white paper bag.

"Tenemos bocadillos gordos para todos," Más explained.

"¡Y usamos tu tarjeta de crédito!"

Speedy blinked and sighed. "Guess I deserve that," he muttered as the rest of the team laughed. "New Jersey, really? Those can't still be warm."

"Then we'll go heat them up," Bumblebee decided, grinning as the door slid open. "Don't think that this counts as you cooking though."

"It never is," Speedy shot back with an eye roll. He brought up the rear behind the other Titans, briefly managing to catch Kestrel’s hand. He focused as hard as he could on how grateful he was to her before releasing it. She sent him a smile from over her shoulder as the door closed behind them all.

Chapter Text

It was the tingling that finally got to him. Rubbing at the back of his head, Speedy glared up at the ceiling of the garage. Giving it up as a lost cause, he rolled the plans for a boomerang arrow that GA had been begging him to look at for months and stored them away. The archer picked up his bow and quiver as he unlocked the workshop and headed to the third floor. Speedy’s suspicions were confirmed not only by the tingling growing stronger, but by the variety of rich smells in the air. Kestrel had been baking.

"Kes?" he called out as he opened the door, keeping an eye out for the blur of Más and Menos attempting to rush in and steal a plate for themselves. They would have been spoilt for choice as Speedy fought to keep his jaw from dropping. There were multiple trays and platters scattered around the kitchen, each piled high with various desserts. Plenty of cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and he could see Kestrel pulling two cake pans from the oven as the timer went off. A surprised laugh escaped him as she glanced over her shoulder. "You know you'll be gone for only a night, and I do know how to cook," Speedy pointed out as he strolled over to examine the cake. "What flavor is that?"

"Just chocolate, though the one on the right is vegetarian," Kes answered as she set the pans atop the oven to cool. She removed the oven mitts before turning to a large bowl. "I can use store-bought frosting for the regular, but I'll need to make the vegan buttercream from scratch."

"Vegan?" Speedy blinked before putting it together. Glancing around, he confirmed his suspicions when he spotted two plates or trays of every dessert, with one plate having a small red flag sticking out of it somewhere. "Kes, did you seriously make a vegetarian friendly version of every dessert? Can Beast Boy even eat this much?"

He watched her stiffen as a wave of embarrassment pulsed through his mind. "Más and Menos aren't that picky, and I doubt KF will be either. And if there's any leftovers, Beast Boy is welcome to take them back to the tower with him." With that, she turned the mixer on and began slowly spinning the bowl. "And don't act like you'll be complaining tonight."

Sighing, Speedy leaned over and unplugged the mixer. "Kes, we'll be the tower with the ones with superspeed. If we need anything, we can send them out on a grocery run." When Kestrel grit her teeth, he rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying that there are other ways to deal with nerves instead of potentially giving Beast Boy a stomachache."

"I'm not nervous!" When the archer just stared at her flatly, Kestrel's shoulders sagged. "...Alright, maybe I am nervous." She leaned back against the counter and closed her eyes. "And apparently that means I stress bake. At least it's something Robin doesn't do."

"Yeah, that's definitely true," Speedy agreed as he dropped onto one of the stools. "It's the other Titans' loss, if he's half as good in the kitchen as you are." He grinned at the small pop of pleasure he felt. "Kes, it's gonna be alright."

Kestrel stared at him, left hand slowly rubbing up and down her other arm. It had been about two days since they'd gotten the call from Raven, who had been collaborating with Jinx on a way to remove the amulet that had forced its way into Kestrel a few weeks ago. Considering it was definitely connected to Neron in some way, no one wanted to leave it inside her, especially with the way it was slowly amplifying her powers. As the process would take more than a few hours at least, Starfire had leaped on the potential chance for a 'slumber party' involving all the girls from the two towers. Robin, ever weak to his girlfriend, had agreed. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"

Speedy nodded. "I could feel it from the garage," he admitted. "Not much, but it was like an itch. Just kept growing until I couldn't ignore it anymore."

Kestrel's hands tightened into fists. "It's bad enough that I can feel you guys, but you shouldn't have to feel me."

"Hey." Speedy immediately rose to his feet, catching her hands in his and forcing them to relax. "Hey," he repeated, softer this time. "We'll fix this. Once that totem thing is out, everything will go back to normal."

"And if it doesn't?" Kes's thoughts were sheer misery when her eyes met his. "If whatever Neron's done is permanent? Even if it's not, he'll just keep trying."

To her surprise, Speedy grinned and flicked her forehead. "You need to hang out with Starfire more. Counteract Robin's innate pessimism." He snickered as she rubbed the sore spot. "Look, maybe Robin's team were the ones who fought Trigon, but we're just as good as they are. If they can handle a demonic overlord, we can definitely deal with a demon lawyer." Kes giggled and Speedy relaxed as the tension he was feeling from her faded. "You're not alone in this, Kes."

"Yeah. Thanks." The peaceful moment was broken when a familiar gust of air flew by. "Más! Menos! Don't you dare!" The force of Kestrel's mental command was so strong, the speedster pair froze with a cookie held up to each of their mouths. "You can eat once the other Titans get here, and not before."

The twins groaned. "¡Pero tenemos hambre, Kes!" Más whined, sagging against his brother.

"¡Y tu comida siempre es la mejor!" Menos added as he leaned back.

"¡Y no estarán aquí por horas! ¡Sin tu comida, simplemente moriremos de hambre!" they claimed in unison.

"Then perish," Kes replied flatly, rolling her eyes as the twins sagged to the ground in death throes. "I need to finish icing these. Speedy, can you get rid of the actors?"

"Kes..."

"This is the last of it, I promise!" Kestrel lifted both hands up, showing no crossed fingers. "I can't just leave these cakes naked, and I have to frost the cupcakes too. Please?"

Speedy gave a hearty sigh before reaching down and scooping up the twins. They yelped and squirmed against him as Speedy tossed Más over a shoulder and tucked Menos under his other arm. "I come back in here, you better not be tossing ingredients together for a cheesecake or something."

Kes snorted. "Cheesecake would take too long anyways."

It wasn't something that Raven or Jinx had told her to do, but Kestrel managed to sneak back into her room to squeeze in a meditation session before the portal opened. If the procedure would be looking for something affecting her empathy, then it made sense her own emotions needed to be as calm as possible. Slowly exhaling, Kes let her mind settle as she closed her eyes and then opened them in her mental garden.

The few weeks since XL Terrestrial's break-in had been interesting regarding her mental state. Those first few days, Kestrel had barely seen any differences during her meditation. Maybe a few more buds sprouting here and there, but that was common after a fight when everyone else's emotions were still high. But even as the dust settled and the Titans all relaxed, the flowers kept sprouting. They grew quickly, with their roots reaching deeper than before and Kestrel found she often had to push harder to ensure nothing remained except rapidly fading petals on the wind. They hadn't reached the parts of her mind that were distinctly her own, but Kes privately worried that they would soon. And no one knew just how her mind would react when she tried to remove a vine that had wrapped itself around her own emotions.

Shaking her head, Kestrel settled at the center of the garden and focused. There likely wasn't enough time for a deep-dive session, but the waves of energy were more than strong enough to rip up the lighter and weaker emotions that had slipped in through the day and send then flying on the wind. It became easier as she relaxed and slipped deeper into the more instinctive trance she often fell into during meditation. Eventually, she couldn't find any more traces and let her eyes open. They lingered on the pale-yellow blossoms at her feet, the gray veins standing out in sharp contrast. "Probably a good thing these don't exist naturally," Kes muttered as she pushed herself to her feet.

Trying to avoid looking at the bushes, which usually changed to reflect her current mood, Kestrel instead focused on the flowers surrounding the small statues in her mind. Bumblebee, Aqualad, Speedy, and Más and Menos stood at the four corners surrounding her mental gazebo. The bases of the statues were covered in orange and yellow petals, reflecting friendship and joy. Though there were a couple of pockets of red blossoms by the twins; attempting a kitchen raid always made her mad. Shaking her head in reluctant amusement, Kes's eyes slid past Speedy's statue before pausing and heading back.

It was a small bud at the back, not yet fully blossomed. At first glance, the yellow color looked identical to most of the other blooms. But there were faint veins sliding through the head, tinting the edges a lovely shade of pale pink. Curious, Kes crouched down and focused her energy. There was a hum and a burst of white light, but the flower didn't move. "So, you're mine then." Frowning, the heroine reached out and pressed a finger to the bud. There was the warm affection that she had for all her friends, but something was hovering just beneath the surface. Something she didn't quite know how to name.

Knock knock knock. "Hey, Kes!" The sound of Bumblebee's voice echoed through her mental world and made Kestrel jump. With a final glance at the unopened flower, she turned on her heel and raced through the hedge maze to the exit.

Opening her eyes, Kestrel's right hand flew to press against the bracelet left on the bedside table. "Sorry, meditating," she mentally called, stretching out her legs and relieved they hadn't fallen asleep. "Is it time to leave?"

The door slid open as Kestrel crouched down to retrieve the bag lying by the foot of her bed. Bumblebee nodded, her own pack dangling from her shoulder. "Yeah, the boys are here already. Just waiting on you to head out." She paused as Kes stepped out of her room. "You okay? I got a look at the kitchen earlier."

Feeling her face heat up, Kestrel nodded. "I'm fine. Let's just go."  She quickened her pace, ignoring the concern she could feel humming beneath Bee's calm exterior. Now that she was no longer focused on her own mind, Kes was beginning to pick up some other people’s emotions. Más and Menos and their eagerness, Cyborg's cheerfulness, and Beast Boy's eager excitement. There was some annoyance from Speedy and smugness from Kid Flash confirmed the speedster was regaling the archer with some story of heroism. And an anxious confusion that could only be coming from one person. She unconsciously let her footsteps slow, so Bumblebee was the first to enter the main ops room.

"Birdie!" Beast Boy flipped off his perch atop Cyborg's shoulders, rushing forward to hug her. Kes sighed and returned the embrace. "Did you really make me vegetarian desserts?!"

"Yeah, the ones marked with red are the ones you can safely eat," Kes confirmed, shifting so she couldn't see Robin staring at her. "It didn't feel fair to make something for everyone and leave you out."

Tears welled up in Beast Boy's eyes as he gave an audible sniffle. "You are a good person," he declared, turning slightly to sneer at Cyborg. "This is how you support the vegetarians in your life."

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "I don't see you making regular bacon and eggs on your breakfast days, so you have no right to complain." There was a group sigh as the two best friends fell into a familiar squabble.

Kestrel carefully stepped back to join Bumblebee, trying to ignore the steady pressure of emotion flowing out from Robin. She was fairly sure it was because of the memory link, but it always felt like Robin's emotions were shouting at her in a room all others were whispering in. The amulet's effect was only making it even more intense. "Can we go?" she mentally asked Bee, eager for a respite.

Bumblebee shot her a curious glance but nodded and clapped her hands together. "Okay, now that Kes is here, we'll leave you all to your man night. Herald?" The musician glanced over from where he'd been chatting with Aqualad and nodded, lifting his horn to his lips. A haunting melody echoed out and the air in front of the two shifted until it showed a familiar red carpet and round sofa. Starfire gave a cheerful wave from the other side as Jinx and Raven both nodded from their perches. "Alright, see ya, boys."

"¡Qué tengas buenas noches!"

"Have fun," Aqualad added. 

Speedy made sure to catch Kestrel's eye before grinning. "We'll see you both tomorrow."

Kes smiled back and waved but was stopped when a green-gloved hand caught her arm. She hadn't seen him approach. Swallowing, she turned to look at Robin, who was feeling extremely nervous all of a sudden. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then tried again. "Just, be careful."

Be careful not to hurt anyone. Be careful not to use your power. Be careful not to do anything that would reflect badly on the Titans. Kes pushed away the completed sentences that immediately came to mind and nodded slowly. "Same goes." Tugging her arm free, she stepped through the portal and felt her shoulders sag in relief when it smoothly closed behind her. Kestrel was almost instantly pulled into a tight embrace by Starfire. "Hi Star."

"Oh, I have missed you so much, Birdie!" the Tamaranean cooed as her delight pulled both of them into the air. "Have you been enjoying yourself? Have you made many friends? Will you..."

"Maybe we should focus on the reason we're here before we jump into the traditional sleepover stuff," Jinx quickly interjected. Starfire flushed and carefully set Kes back down. "Unless you have a problem with that?"

"No," Kestrel immediately answered, dropping her bag on the ground. "I want it out of me as soon as possible."

Raven nodded and tilted her head towards the door. "We set up the circle in my room. Let's get to work."

A couple of hours later, Bumblebee was staring down at the small glass container etched in strange markings. Inside was a faintly glowing green fang, pressed against the side of the glass closest to where Kestrel lay, sleeping off the sleeping potion Raven had given her. "And you're sure that it won't be affecting her anymore?"

"Positive," Raven confirmed as she wiped the chalk off her hands with a rag before tossing it over to Jinx. "I can already feel her magical signature changing. It looks like Neron wasn't expecting us to get rid of it so easily."

Jinx snorted. "Or he thought we wouldn't notice those little traps he left in it. Too bad for him I'm pretty good at those," she bragged. The pink-haired girl leaned over and tapped a sparking finger against the glass, frowning when the amulet didn't even budge. "Hmm. Whoever made this thing really tailored it to her."

"Perhaps." Raven lifted a hand flowing with black magic and watched as the amulet automatically swerved towards her. "Or he set it to focus on Trigon's blood."

"I really don't care how it was made," Bumblebee admitted freely. "Can you destroy it, so we don't have to worry about it anymore?"

The door to Raven's room slid open and Starfire entered, holding a tray of various steaming drinks. "I have brought the hot chocolate and an herbal tea for Raven." Setting the tray aside, she gave the unconscious Kestrel a worried look. "Is Birdie well?"

"Sleeping it off," Jinx confirmed as she picked up a mug and took a healthy swig. "She'll be fine. Ooh, the little marshmallows, nice." She smirked as she glanced over at Bumblebee. "And as to your question, would that really be a good idea? We destroy that thing," she nodded at the fang, "Then whoever made it is likely to know it's gone and just start on making another. We leave it as it is, maybe he won't."

Bee frowned down at the melting marshmallows. "Maybe, but if he's as strong as Herald claims, then he might already know it's not in her anymore. In that case, leaving it like this is just asking for it to go soaring across the sky and end up slamming into her again."

"Or he'll just take it back again," Raven added, sipping her tea calmly. "Leaving an amulet like this here is like leaving a piece of his soul out in the open. It's dangerous for a typical demon, though I'm not sure how much effect it will have on someone like Neron."

Starfire frowned down at the amulet. "What I do not understand is why would Neron wish to place this amulet in Birdie in the first place? It did not grant her additional powers, correct?"

Raven sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I could see a minor demon using this trick, or one a few levels higher in power. But Neron wouldn't gain anything from trying to possess Kestrel. He's already miles above her in power."

"Unless he's only the intermediary." Bee gave a proud smirk at the confused looks of the magic users. "I've been talking about this a lot with Herald. Neron works in deals. So maybe all this," she waved a hand over the amulet, "Is because someone else wants Kes. Someone who wouldn't have the power to take her over on his own."

"Then, what would such a person have to offer Neron?" Starfire's question made them all pause, for none of them had the answer. Thankfully, they didn't have long to dwell on it as Kestrel twitched and shifted, slowly sitting up with a head pressed to her temples. "Birdie, lie down," the Tamaranean ordered, flying over and gently pushing to ensure Kes obeyed. "The sleeping potion was very strong."

"I thought you said she'd be out for another hour at least," Bee heard Jinx mutter angrily to Raven.

"It should have." Pushing that disturbing statement aside for now, Bumblebee joined Starfire at Kestrel's side.

"Hey Kes. How you feeling?" She offered the bracelet that Kes had given her earlier, not even surprised when it slid open the second it was close enough to touch her arm.

"Starfire, you remember how you knocked everyone out of that mind control of Mother May-Eye? I feel like that, but worse." Bumblebee chuckled at the grumpiness in Kestrel's tone even as Starfire looked at the blanket guiltily. "Did it work?"

"Yeah, it's out," Bee confirmed, shifting so that Kes could see the glass herself. "Any difference?"

Kes frowned for a few seconds. "I... think so? Everything's a bit more...muffled from earlier, I think. Though I'm not sure how much of that is from the potion," she admitted. "I'll check again later, when I'm feeling less groggy."

"Wonderful." Beaming, Starfire clapped her hands together. "Now that it is done, we can begin the 'sleep-over'! Shall we commence with the painting of the nails or the beating each other with pillows?"

The other four Titans all shared looks before identical smirks appeared. "Pillows."

Across the country, and three hours into the future, Speedy glanced down as his communicator went off. Judging by the identical actions of all the other guys at the table, he could guess what it was about. But that didn't stop him from smiling in relief at the news. "They got it out, Kes is fine," he read aloud before tossing a handful of poker chips into the pot. "And I call."

Aqualad frowned as KF and Robin both added their own chips. "Too rich for me," the Atlantean decided, lifting his hands in defeat. "You humans are vicious!"

"Too much experience with regular sharks, and not with the card sharks," Cyborg joked as he glanced at his own hand. "Course, it doesn't help that Robin's too competitive for his own good."

"I am not!" The Boy Wonder pouted at the snickers going around the table before his gaze fell on Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, you in or out?"

"Huh?" The shifter glanced up from his plate, where he'd been admiring the various options before him. "Oh! Uh..." He glanced at his hand before shaking his head. "Yeah, I fold."

Más and Menos, who had gone all in on the first hand and lost in spectacular fashion, perked up from their position on the nearby couch. Menos inched closer to the edge, eyeing the full plate at Beast Boy's side. "Si no te lo vas a comer ..."

"¡Definitivamente lo haremos!" Más finished with an evil grin. Beast Boy gave a yelp and threw his arms protectively over his food.

"No way! This is mine! You guys have no idea how hard it is to find vegetarian friendly food at a party! Especially this much! Look at all the options I have!" he whined. "Do you guys know how long it's been since I've had a good vegetarian brownie?!"

"They are really good," Kid Flash admitted, zipping away to snag one from the kitchen and popping half of it into his mouth back at the table. "I'll have to ask about the recipe later. Unless you know it?" He turned to Speedy hopefully, who only shook his head.

"Nah, this was all Kes. Spent most of the day in the kitchen," he explained as Robin flipped over the fifth card. King of spades.

Cyborg snickered. "Looks like you have yourself a fan, BB."

"Huh?" Cyborg's statement drew baffled looks from everyone at the table. He gave a shrug.

"Look, I like cooking. But the only time I'm making this much stuff that only one person really likes is if I'm trying to impress them. And I mean impress them," he emphasized with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He glanced over at the door where Herald was coming in with restocks of pizza and chips, the price of his recent loss. "Am I right, Herald?"

"Uh..." the hero paused nervously when the Titans East all glared at him. "I mean, I'd probably do something like it for Bumblebee. Or my mom, but not for the same reasons."

"Birdie...likes me?" Beast Boy blinked a few times, still staring in shock even as one hand shifted into a gorilla's to fend off a theft attempt by the twins. "Really?"

Speedy opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Robin. "Trust me, Beast Boy, she definitely doesn't."

"Why not? Chicks dig the ears, Robin." Beast Boy deliberately wiggled them as Robin stared flatly at him. "And I'm a catch."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Because I don't have a crush on you, so clearly she wouldn't either." Nodding firmly, he returned his gaze to his cards.

"Kes isn't you, Robin." Robin looked up and nearly flinched at Speedy's glare.

Sighing, he laid his cards on the table again. "Speedy, just in case you forgot. Kestrel has all my memories. Which means..."

"Which means she knows you," the archer interrupted. "And you clearly know nothing about her." Shoving back from the table, he stalked away.

There was a short silence before Beast Boy inched closer to Robin. "Robin, it's okay to admit you find me attractive." He grinned and flexed playfully. "Everyone does." The joke broke the tension as everyone chuckled and returned to the game. Everyone except for Kid Flash, who took a quick glance at Speedy's forgotten hand. Queen and Ten of Spades, which combined with the nine, Jack, and King on the table was a royal flush.

Humming in thought, KF tossed his dud hand of a pair of twos down. "Back in a bit," he claimed before speeding off. It took him only a few seconds before he found the archer again, down in the garage with the door locked. Even with the thickness of the walls, it didn't take him long to zip in and lean against the wall. "You really should add some electronic disrupters to the walls," the speedster commented, making Speedy jump. "Helps keep people like me out."

Speedy growled and rested his head on his arms. "As long as you don't teach the twins how to do that, I think I'm good," he muttered. Kid sighed; this would be a long one. He zipped over and half draped himself over Speedy's back. "Go away, Kid."

"Nah, we need to hang out more anyway." He smirked at the grumbling noise from below. "Come on Speedy, tell me what's up?"

"Nothing." KF hummed a bit and waited. It didn't take long for Speedy's patience to break. "You can't tell me that Robin wasn't pissing you off too!"

"He was being a bit of a dick," the speedster admitted. "But that's what Robin is. Might be 'cause of all the time he spent with Batman. No sense of humor, that man." He backed off a little bit so he could elbow Speedy in the ribs. "Come on, you're usually better at letting stuff like that slide off." Another silence and Kid just sighed. "~Roy...~"

A hand flew out and smacked Kid Flash on the shoulder. "Don't call me that here," Speedy muttered as KF rubbed the new sore spot. "Kes just...she hates being compared to Robin. She hates feeling like she's Robin. And then he comes out and says something like that and..." A lightbulb went off in the speedster's mind, and Speedy caught it instantly. "No. No!"

"You like her!" Kid Flash instantly zipped over to the other side of the room as Speedy's tackle threw him over his work bench. "You've got a crush on her and then when Rob insulted her..."

"Wally!" The sound of his name, barely hissed out in desperation, made the speedster pause. Speedy sighed and pushed himself back up so that KF could rejoin him on the bench. "It's not a crush."

"Bull."

"She's my friend."

"A friend you think is pretty and want to kiss."

"I never said that."

"You haven't denied it." Speedy opened his mouth to do just that before slowly closing it. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The archer sighed as KF leaned back to stare at the ceiling. He'd gotten to forty-three cracks before he heard, "Don't tell anyone."

Kid scoffed and shoved at Speedy's shoulder. "Speedy, we've known each other how long? You know I can keep a secret!"

"True," Speedy admitted, smirking. "It's anything involving your own life you can't shut up about."

"I totally can!"

"Who's the one who kept breaking into my room for months to whine about how Jinx wouldn't join the Titans right after leaving the H.I.V.E.?"

"No fair!"

Starfire gave a hum of delight as the brush smoothly slid through her hair. She usually did this herself, but Robin had done it for her on a few occasions since they'd started dating. Maybe she could ask Bumblebee to give him lessons because Bumblebee was incredibly good at this. "You have really pretty hair, Star," Bumblebee commented. "Not only the color, but it feels very healthy too."

"Thank you!" Starfire beamed at the praise. "Your hair is lovely as well!"

"Aw, thanks!" Bumblebee returned to her brushing as Starfire silently looked around the room. The place reminded her of the battle pits she'd fought in before coming to Earth. There were cracks and dents in the walls, and pieces of furniture were scattered all over the place from the pillow warfare. Apparently, the term ‘pillow fight’ was incorrect as not only pillows had been used as ammunition during their battle. Raven had even thrown the couch through the wall in an attempt to hit Jinx, who had barely dodged in time.

But now it was peaceful as Bumblebee brushed Starfire's hair and the other three girls sat in a triangle, painting each other's nails. Jinx waved a hand through the air to let the newest coat dry as she read the newest message on her phone and snorted. "Star, your boyfriend's an ass."

"Robin is not a donkey," Starfire pointed out as she sat up. "Unless you mean a villain has attacked and turned him into an animal."

Jinx shook her head. "No, I mean he's a jerk. Apparently," she nodded at Birdie. "You can't have a crush on Beast Boy because he doesn't have a crush on Beast Boy."

Birdie stared at her in shock as Raven's grip tightened on her hand. "Kestrel. If you like Beast Boy of all people..."

"I don't though. At least, not romantically," Birdie protested. "Why do they...Oh. The desserts." She sighed and leaned her head back. "Can't a person do something nice for a friend without people assuming it's romantic?"

Starfire winced as Bumblebee jerked the brush through her hair a bit too quickly. "Sorry, Star. And why exactly does how Robin feels have any impact on who Kes wants to date?" She crossed her arms and lifted her chin proudly. "He's not the one involved after all."

"Exactly," Jinx agreed. "Which is what makes him the ass in this scenario."

"Are asses cruel animals?" Starfire asked curiously. Jinx gleefully opened her mouth to explain, only for Raven to cut her off.

"Robin will explain when he gets back." Starfire nodded slowly. She was curious, but she trusted Raven. Even when Jinx shared an ominous smile with her that reminded Starfire of the days when they fought the H.I.V.E. 5. Raven then returned to adding the purple paint to Birdie's nails. "He shouldn't have said that."

"My own fault." Birdie gave a small shrug. "I haven't talked to him since I left the tower. All he has in his head is what I was like living here and I really was acting just like him."

"You are not the only one who could have reached out," Starfire pointed out sadly. She had tried coaxing Robin into sending Birdie a message or calling, but her boyfriend had proven quite stubborn in this regard.

Birdie shook her head. "Don't blame him too much. I get it. More than both of us would like, but I do." She looked at Raven. "You understand too."

"...I do." Raven screwed the cap back onto the bottle and nodded. "We'll do the clear topcoat in a bit. Starfire, have you decided on your colors?"

"Oh, there are so many to choose from!" The Tamaranean's eyes darted from color to color, wishing she had more nails to paint.

"You could do a different color on each nail, like a rainbow," Birdie offered as she waved her hands to dry them. "And we can do your toes too."

"Oooh!" The idea cheered her, even as a new thought occurred to her. "Birdie, you said you did not have romantic feelings for Beast Boy. But is there someone else you do have romantic feelings for?"

"Ooh, gossip," Jinx grinned as she settled atop one of the scattered sofa cushions on her stomach. "Do tell."

Birdie shrugged again. "Afraid that Bee has more news in the romance department than I do. Considering she's been on four dates with Herald at this point."

"Four dates?" Jinx practically pounced on Bumblebee, who had stopped her brushing and was now flushing a bit. "Now why haven't I heard this before?"

Starfire reached up to grasp Bumblebee's arm tightly. "You and Herald could join Robin and I for the double date! Or with Kid Flash and Jinx for the triple date!" She beamed brightly up at Bumblebee who only glared at her teammate.

"Thanks, Kes."

It had been fun. The tower had swiftly been repaired before they'd settled in to watch a series of really cheesy rom coms that Kes hadn't seen before but made all of them cry. Then they'd huddled together on the sofa and passed out in a huge pile before waking up to the rising sun. Yawning, Kes checked the time and tapped Bumblebee on her leg. "Bee, it's almost ten back in Steel City. The portal should be opening soon."

Groaning, Bee sat up and stretched. "Hope those boys left my tower standing." Kes silently looked over at the fridge, which they had shifted slightly to cover the large crack that they hadn't been able to fix. Thankfully, they had gotten the dent out from Bumblebee's attempted throw at Raven's head. Bee playfully smacked her arm. "Don't sass me like that."

"Sorry." There was a flash as the expected portal slid open, waking up the other girls. Instantly, Cyborg hopped through the hole, carrying a bloated Beast Boy in one hand and a tray still stacked with goodies on the other.

"He refused to leave without them," Cyborg explained as Kid Flash zoomed underneath his arm and Robin brought up the rear. "You did good, Kes."

"So....good..." Beast Boy whined, reaching for the plate without bothering to sit up.

Laughing, Kestrel got to her feet. "I'll send you the recipes later so you can make them on your own," she promised, earning a thumbs up. Risking a glance at Robin, what she felt confirmed the amulet's affect was fading. Now, instead of shouting at her, his emotions were just talking too loudly. "Did you have a good time?"

Robin started, before giving a slow nod. "Yeah, I did. You?"

"Yeah." The confusion from everyone staring at them pushed Kes to cut the conversation short. "We'd better get going before Herald blows himself out."

Bee snorted and rolled her eyes. "That'll take a while," she muttered before snapping her wings open and flying over. "We'll do this again sometime, yeah?"

"Oh yes!" Raven sighed at Starfire's characteristic delight and nodded. Jinx snorted and gave a careless wave as she zipped away in KF's arms. Judging by his eagerness, he had plenty to tell her.

With a wave, Kes entered the portal first this time, smiling as Más and Menos raced over to greet them. Herald lowered his horn. "Morning ladies! How was your night?"

"The usual," Bumblebee answered as she walked over to kiss his cheek. "Rom-coms, nail painting..."

"Pillow fight," Kestrel added, smirking at the death glare Bee sent her way to Herald's confusion. She blinked at the number of empty plates left out. "Wow, you guys really plowed through it all."

"Kid Flash did at least half of it on his own," Aqualad explained, holding a partially full trash-bag. "The twins were a close second though and Cyborg made third."

"¡Un día, seremos campeones del concurso de alimentación!" Más and Menos declared proudly. Kestrel blinked and tried not to imagine the amount of food that would be involved in a super-speedster eating contest. Probably enough to feed a third-world country.

The door slid open and Speedy stalked in angrily. "Am I the only one..." he trailed off and smiled. "Hey, you're back."

"Sounds like we missed a lot," Bee commented. "And do I want to know what you were about to say?"

Speedy lifted his hands in defense. "Just that some people were supposed to help bring the empties down to the kitchen." He looked over at the twins who smiled nervously before piling up a bunch of plates and racing away.

Bee nodded. "Alright then. Kes, you go help clean the kitchen." Already half-expecting that, Kes sighed and nodded even as Aqualad frowned and Speedy watched her in confusion. "Rest of you, let's start with the clean-up here."

Más and Menos zoomed back as Speedy and Kestrel made their way downstairs. "Is there a reason for..." Speedy nodded back at the door and Kes grinned.

"I threw her under the bus yesterday with Starfire and Jinx. She's promised a triple date at some point." Speedy winced and Kestrel nodded. "Yeah. But at least it got me out of a conversation about my potential romance options."

"...Who told?"

"Kid texted Jinx who told the rest of us." She let the anger wash over her without really touching. "I'm not mad about it. A little annoyed, but not mad. And I'm not interested in BB, in case you were curious."

Speedy's steps slowed and Kes paused at the hint of nerves she felt. "I... didn’t think you were interested in anyone like that."

"Well, it's tricky. All my emotions are mixed up with Robin's and the only people I've really interacted with are my fellow Titans." She shrugged and glanced over her shoulder at Speedy. "So, I just didn't want to get into a 'which Titan is the hottest' contest."

"You could have just said Starfire and we all would have agreed," Speedy pointed out with a grin, making her laugh.

"Yeah, but they would have called foul since Robin's dating her. Or pushed me to say which guy I found hottest."

"And who would that be?" Kes hummed over Speedy's question, thinking about a yellow flower with a faint pink blush.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you."

Chapter Text

There wasn't much that could pull Neron from his desk when he was going over contracts. But the pulsations of the crystal mirror on the wall caused the demon king to lift his head curiously. His eyes narrowed as a large T appeared before it shifted into a familiar glowing green fang trapped under a glass dome. Scowling, Neron shoved his chair back and rose to his feet, striding over to get a better look. Yes, that was the amulet he'd given Angel and XL Terrestrial, the one which was supposed to be working its magic inside of Trigon's descendant. But Neron could barely see her in the background, asleep.

The Wishweaver gave a low hum as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting." But any other thoughts were swiftly cut off when his body was suddenly wrapped in a bright red energy. Neron's attempts to break free with his own magic proved futile as he was pulled through the floor and into the vault below. The shard of Trigon was also glowing as Neron was forcibly halted, floating helplessly in the air with his arms bound behind his back. Two sets of red eyes appeared in the crystal, glaring furiously at Neron. Swallowing, Neron forced himself to speak, "Lord Trigon-"

"Deception is beneath us, Neron," the demon snarled, causing bits of ceiling to tumble onto the floor. "Our deal promised me a host. One able to withstand my power so that I may regain what is rightfully mine. You yourself stood here and said our deal would be completed before the next earth year." The pressure of the magic around Neron suddenly tightened, causing the demon to gasp in pain for the first time in centuries. "SO WHY IS HER POWER FADING?!"

Neron's body shifted slightly from the mostly human form to something more demonic, with twisted horns of green and gold and snakelike eyes. There was a snap as neon green energy pulsed around his heart and Trigon's grip loosened. Not by much, but enough for Neron to drop to the floor in a low crouch. Though it bit at his pride, he lowered his head to the crystal in a bow. "Lord Trigon, it appears that your daughter is more powerful than we realized. She was able to remove the talisman I'd had placed in the girl." The ground shifted beneath his feet and Neron grit his teeth. "This is only a minor setback. She will be strong enough to carry your soul, I vow it." His eyes flashed as he chanced a glance up at the crystal. "I have never broken a vow and I will not start now."

The tremors slowly subsided as Trigon pondered this. "See that you don't." With that, the four eyes vanished, leaving the crystal unmarred once more. Scowling, Neron rose back to his full height and let his features twist back to their more human guises. He thought for a few moments. Another amulet or talisman was clearly out of the question; they would just have it removed in a similar fashion. Not to mention that the Titans would be on the lookout for a similar trick if they hadn't installed other protections already. So, he needed a way to boost the girl's powers that she wouldn't wish to have removed. Turning on his heels, he snapped his fingers. One of his gargoyles soared out of the darkness, a registry of all the magical items and artifacts that Neron had obtained through the years in its claws.

"There must be something here," Neron muttered as he opened the scroll and began reading. The black candles slowly melted down as the demon king read and mentally discarded items. Many of them wouldn't amplify demonic powers at all, others simply wouldn't do it in the time available, and all of them would likely be removed by Trigon's former 'gem' the second that they were discovered. But as the lights flickered, close to going out entirely, he found it. It was the result of a deal made eons ago; the prayer of a desperate mother that had called to Neron like a moth to the flame. Smirking, Neron lowered the scroll. "Oh, yes. This will do quite nicely."

It was a beautiful fall day in Steel City. Despite the chill in the air, the sun had a lot of people visiting the local parks or strolling the city streets. Of course, this meant most of them quickly ducked into shops or nearby alleys as a black and red motorcycle plowed through the middle of the road, with the Titans East chasing after him. Safe in the grip of Bumblebee, Aqualad was scanning the information that had been uploaded to his communicator. "Looks like Red X managed to nab a new experimental stasis gel the lab was working on," he reported with a couple of fingers pressed against his earpiece. "It's supposed to help speed up injury recovery."

"Why would he want something like that?" Speedy asked from below as he and Kestrel wove their bikes through traffic. Más and Menos kept pace, though they just ran over the cars in their way instead. "It isn't exactly something he could sell."

"It's not like he could just check into a hospital if he's badly injured," Kes pointed out as she stepped on the gas, closing the gap between her and the thief by a few inches. "Could be just a preventative measure."

"¡Esperemos que no sea un gel de estasis que le dé una cabeza de mosca!" the twins giggled as they zoomed ahead. Bumblebee rolled her eyes.

"Leave the bad movie references to Speedy and focus on getting this guy," she ordered, ignoring the indignant squawk the archer gave in response. Mentally, she quickly ran through her map of the city and made a few quick decisions. "You guys, stay on him. He's likely heading for Irongate Bridge, so we'll try to cut him off there." As Red X made a sharp left to avoid a traffic jam, Bumblebee let the grounded members of her team follow and just flew straight on. When she reached the bridge, she dropped Aqualad who landed in an easy crouch near the automated tollbooth. Bee shook her hands a bit to regain the blood flow as the water below began soaring upward into columns. "Careful not to use too much, or you'll be the one dealing with the flooding paperwork."

Aqualad sighed. "I'm an Atlantean. What do they expect me to do, run around causing fires or tornadoes?" Rolling her eyes, Bee shrank down and settled onto her teammate's shoulder as the sound of motorcycles reached their ears. "Fastball?"

Bumblebee grinned. "You know it." Smirking, Aqualad held out his hand and Bumblebee dropped into it. As she settled into a crouch, Red X shot into view with his foot pressed against the gas pedal. Aqualad drew his arm back and flung Bumblebee as hard as he could. As she left his hand, Bumblebee's wings went into overdrive and shot her forward as she grew back to her normal height. Red X's eyes widened behind his mask, and he instantly flung himself from his bike as Bee collided with it, tearing it in two. The thief managed to turn the jump into a smooth roll as he flipped into a crouch on the street.

"¡Más y Menos, sí podemos!" The twins plowed into the thief, their combined fists catching him right under the jaw. Red X bounced a few times before landing on his back as Más and Menos shared a high-five. Behind them, Kestrel and Speedy's bikes skidded to a halt as Bee and Aqualad enclosed him from the other side. They had him surrounded.

The thief sat up, looked around and then sighed when he caught sight of the remain of his bike. "Did you really have to do that, Honey?" he asked as the xes on his hands enlarged and he flung them outwards. "You know how long it took me to fix that?" Aqualad yelped as the x caught him right in the chest and pinned him to a nearby wall. Speedy's arrow caught another and exploded it as Kestrel slid underneath, bo staff already enlarging. She swung it at Red X's face, who easily dodged the hit. "Aw, don't be jealous, Bluebird."

On the other side, Bumblebee shrank down again and soared through the gaps, stingers out and already charging. As the thief stepped back to avoid another swing, she pressed them into his side and released the charge. The blast knocked her back a bit as Red X was sent flying with a surprised yelp. But even as he plummeted to the ground, his hand slapped into the x on his belt. He shimmered in the air before vanishing just before he hit the ground. Growling, Bee glanced over at Kes, who shook her head. "He's gone."

"Great," Bumblebee groaned before her eyes landed on a wet gleam nearby. She crouched down and smirked at the puddle of gel and bits of broken glass. "At least he didn't get what he wanted."

Speedy glanced over from where he and the twins were attempting to free Aqualad from his x-shaped prison. "So, who's going to tell the lab we lost their sample?" Kes just shook her head as Bumblebee turned and gave him a gleaming smile. As the realization hit, the archer groaned and let his head drop. "That's my own fault, should have kept my mouth shut."

The scientists, of course, were not happy that their sample was now a part of the dirt and grime that coated Steel City's streets. Speedy had reluctantly sat there as they ran their mouths about how their work would change the world of science forever and how the Titans needed to take better care when dealing with criminals. It was almost two hours later when Speedy was finally released, half-sprinting to his bike in his eagerness to get away. Already composing a tirade against Bumblebee (since it was the twin's punch that had broken the sample in the first place), Speedy revved the engine and sped off. As he drove, he frowned as he noticed a faint wobble in his bike. He'd have to check that out later.

It didn't take long for him to pull into the garage and pull off his helmet. But as he stepped towards his work bench, the door suddenly opened, and the rest of the Titans flooded in. Kes paused and frowned. "It's not you."

"Huh?" Speedy blinked, wondering if he needed to go for his bow. "What're you talking about?"

"Kes called us down, said you were feeling scared," Bee explained tersely, her stingers sparking. "Kes, are you saying that Speedy isn't afraid right now?"

She shook her head, eyes locked on Speedy's bike. "No, but I still feel it. I think it's coming from the bike."

Groaning, Speedy pulled an explosion arrow from his quiver and nocked it. "I swear, if I have to rebuild it again because it got possessed by something," he grumbled as he took aim.

Aqualad tapped Kestrel on the shoulder. "Any idea where exactly it's coming from?" he asked quietly.

Kestrel rubbed at her bracelet as she focused. "I think...it's on the right side. Maybe the spare weapon holder?" she offered with a glance towards Speedy.

"There was something off with the balance while I was coming back," he admitted, joining his team in inching to the other side. For a few seconds, they stood in silence before a faint sound reached their ears. A scratching noise, like something was digging around. Aqualad slid closer, lightly laying a hand on the weapons cover. Speedy nodded, the rest of the team all tensed, and then Aqualad practically ripped it off.

Several of Speedy's spare arrows fell to the floor, and then a tiny furry head poked out of the hole. It turned and stared at the shocked Titans with big blue eyes and tilted its head curiously. "Meow?"

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Aqualad screamed and flung himself backwards. Eyes wide with terror, he scooted away until his back pressed against the wall.

Bumblebee sighed as Speedy lowered his bow. Kes just glanced from the horrified Atlantean to the hole where the kitten had ducked back into at the scream. "Aqualad's...scared of cats?"

Bee pressed a hand to her temples. "There was... an incident. A shrinking incident. Involving a cat," she explained, giving Kes a tired look. "It wasn't great."

"It just kept playing with me. It smacked me around with its paws, bit me and picked me up, then dropped me again," Aqualad whispered with a haunted look in his eyes. "They're demons, all of them."

Más and Menos paid no attention to their traumatized teammate, instead standing as close to the hole as they dared. The kitten cautiously poked its head out again, making the boys squeal in delight. "¡Es un gatito! ¡Un gatito diminuto!" The kitten's ears went back as it hissed, ducking into the hole again. "¡Gatito, no! ¡No te lastimaremos!"

"It's still really scared, guys," Kestrel pointed out as she carefully stepped closer and crouched down. From the safety of the hole, the kitten narrowed its eyes at her. "It doesn't feel dangerous."

"Except I can't think of any good reason to stick a cat into my bike," Speedy pointed out, returning the arrow to his quiver. "Not too many people would know how to get into it that easily either."

Bumblebee nodded. "Grab the cat, we need to run some tests."

An hour of tests later, the Titans hadn't learned anything relevant. They now knew the kitten was male, about nine to ten weeks old, and was a very pale gray with black tabby stripes. There was a patch of black fur on his head, like the stripes had been smeared together by something. Trapped under a small glass container, the kitten balanced on his back paws to stand against the glass. He smacked his left paw against the red dot of the laser pointer Más was aiming, making the twins coo. "Más, Menos, stop teasing him," Bumblebee commanded as she scanned the information. "...Yeah, nothing strange about the DNA. Just a normal cat."

Speedy frowned and crossed his arms. "Still no good reason to stick a cat in my bike," he repeated.

"Maybe they thought it would land on your arrows while you were driving, make the bike explode?" Aqualad offered from the hallway. The Atlantean had refused to come any closer as the rest of the team researched, his gaze never leaving the cat.

"Possible, but unlikely," Kes pointed out. "If someone wanted to blow up me or Speedy, why not just use a rock? A living creature could brace itself against the sides, keep from touching anything." She watched as the kitten dropped back to the ground, licking a paw to rub over an ear. "He is really cute though."

"¡¿Podemos quedarnoslo?!" Bumblebee's instinctive 'no' was cut off when Más and Menos slid to their knees in front of her, hands clasped and begging. "¡Lo alimentaremos, lo acariciaremos y le daremos todo el amor!"

Speedy snickered as Bee sighed. "Boys, we aren't keeping something that could be a threat to our team."

The twins pouted. "Pero las otras Titanes tienen Silkie..."

"Silkie hasn't..."

"Uh," Kes lifted a hand to interrupt. "Yeah, Silkie isn't the example you want to go for here, Bee." When the rest of the team gave her confused looks, she shrugged. "He might have...grown to a gargantuan size and then Killer Moth got hold of him and used him to attack the city. And then he exploded due to love for Starfire?"

"Huh." Bumblebee blinked a few times. "They...is that why we weren't supposed to feed him Zo...Zor...whatever those berries were when we were watching Jump City?" Kes nodded. "Alright then. But no, we aren't keeping him," she added, catching sight of Más and Menos's eager faces.

"Pero prometemos no darle comida tamaraneana ..." Más whined.

"¡O deja que un villano lo rapte para que puedan atacar la ciudad!" Menos added.

Bee pursed her lips and sighed. Behind her, Kes shot Speedy a grin and nodded when he gave her a questioning look. "I want Jinx, Herald, or Raven to come and take a look at him. If they say he's not dangerous..." The twins gasped eagerly. "...then we can keep him."

"¡Booyah!" The twins cheered before flying to the computer. "¡Necesitamos comprar los mejores suministros para gatos!"

"Softy," Speedy snickered, grunting when Bumblebee shoved an elbow into his side. In the hallway, Aqualad gave a desperate whine and sagged to the floor with his face in his knees. Shaking his head, the archer looked at the kitten, who was now lying on his side with his paws under his chin, blinking cutely. "So, we just gonna leave him in there?"

"We'll need to give him food and water eventually," Kes pointed out, taking a step closer. "And when we do that, he'll need a litterbox too." Bumblebee groaned.

It didn't take long to set up one of the many spare rooms as the cat room. There was a large litterbox shoved in one corner, a running water bowl for him to drink from, and a pretty, green bowl with little pawprints on it filled with high quality kitten food. Various toys ranging from the traditional feather on a stick to motion-controlled mice to a stuffed fish that thrashed around when poked were also scattered around. At the moment, the kitten was rolling around and biting a catnip-filled bird as Más and Menos sat nearby. The twins were having a lot of trouble coming up with the perfect name.

"Podríamos llamarlo Gato," Menos offered, making his brother groan.

"¡Pero eso es tan vago! ¿Y Pequeño?"

"Sin embargo, no siempre será pequeño. Ronroneo?" And so, the argument went on. As the twins fought, the unnamed kitten paused and sniffed the air. He approached the food bowl, gave it a good sniff, and turned away almost immediately. Sniffing again, he approached the door, which had been programmed to keep the kitten from roaming the tower as he wanted to. He rose onto his back paws and scratched at the door a few times. Nothing happened. Dropping back to the floor, he sat there with his tail curled around his paws. Blinking a few times, the kitten crouched down and then leaped at the door. As his paws left the ground, a black and white portal appeared in the door, creating a hole that the kitten sailed through.

Now in the hallway, the kitten lifted his nose and sniffed the air a few times before padding off.

"¿Quizás Suave?" Más grimaced at his brother's latest suggestion before he looked over. His eyes darted around the room for a few seconds before he paled.

"Menos, ¿dónde está el gatito?" Menos turned to look and then blanched as well. The twins linked hands before speeding around the room. But a few rotations proved their worst fears; the kitten had vanished.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Screaming in terror, the pair raced out of the room and sped to the main-ops room, where the rest of the team were going over their findings. "¡El se fue! ¡El gatito se ha ido!"

Speedy blinked and then looked at his communicator. "Wow, less than twenty minutes and you already lost him. I thought you'd last at least an hour."

Bumblebee folded her arms across her chest. "Más. Menos. I told you two not to let him out of that room."

"¡Pero no abrimos la puerta!"

"Sí, estábamos sentados en el suelo y luego miramos hacia arriba y ¡se había ido!" The other Titans all exchanged glances.

"Bee, they're not lying," Kes confirmed as she rose from her chair. "You sure he's not in the room somewhere?"

The twins sadly shook their heads. "Lo comprobamos tres veces. No está en ninguna parte."

Bumblebee sighed and rubbed her hands together. "Alright. If you're telling the truth, then that cat got out somehow. We need to find it. Everyone, take a floor and start searching." Aqualad lifted a hand and Bee immediately answered, "Yes, that means you too, Aqualad." The Atlantean groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Kes sighed as she stepped out of the third-floor closet. This was the third room she'd checked and still no sign of the cat. She'd spotted Más and Menos zipping around a few times, but she doubted they would find it. If anything, their speed might just spook the cat into hiding again. Closing her eyes, she pressed against her bracelet and tried to focus. Lot of fear floating around from the twins and Aqualad, as well as annoyance from Speedy and Bumblebee. They weren’t having any luck either.

Opening her eyes, she turned to the next room and then blinked. Sitting there in the middle of the hallway, tail wrapped tight around his paws, was the kitten. "Seriously?" Kestrel asked as she stepped a bit closer. "Were you here this whole time?" The kitten blinked twice and then meowed. Shaking her head, Kes reached out with her mind. "I found him. He's in the third-floor hallway." The relief pouring over her made her smile as she grinned at the cat.

"What had you escaping anyways?" she asked, focusing on the faint emotions. Not much there, just a low burning in the pit of her stomach. "You're hungry? I swear the boys put food in your bowl."

"¡Lo encontraste!" Más and Menos skidded to a halt beside her, making the kitten flinch with his back arched and tail puffed up.

"Yeah, and he's pretty hungry," Kes reported. "Didn't you guys feed him?"

Más nodded firmly. "Ponemos la comida en su plato."

"¡Media taza, como decían las instrucciones!" Menos agreed.

Kes frowned and absently rubbed her stomach. "Well, it doesn't feel like it. Make sure that he..." She glanced over and trailed off, staring. "Is it just me, or he bigger than before?"

"¿Eh?" The twins turned, and then screamed with their eyes wide. Because the kitten was bigger. As he stepped his forward, the tiny body grew larger and larger until there was no longer a kitten in front of them. Instead, there was an enormous white tiger with a thrashing tail, dripping fangs, and big blue eyes. As he dropped into a hunter's crouch, his back lit up with blue flames that danced along his spine and down his tail. "¡Ese no es nuestro gatito!"

"Run! Get the others, now!" Even as she gave the order, Kestrel was already lunging forward with her staff out. Más and Menos linked hands and raced away as the tiger's leap carried him right into Kestrel, knocking her to the ground. Pinned, she pushed back against him as his claws caught in her bo, teeth snapping closed mere inches from her throat. Grimacing, Kes drew her legs back and pushed out with both staff and feet at the same time, knocking the tiger off her just enough to let her roll free. Growling, he lashed out with a paw, slicing through her cloak, and leaving it in tatters.

"Kes!" Speedy's arrow hit the ground between the pair, creating a large flash of light that made the beast retreat a few inches. It was enough for Kes to scramble to her feet and race back down the hall as Aqualad and Bumblebee charged. In clear defiance of his earlier fear, Aqualad flipped over the tiger's back and wrapped his arms around his belly, hauling him backwards. Bumblebee shrank down to avoid the thrashing paws and flew to the back of his neck, growing large enough to wrap the tiger in a chokehold. "What the hell did you do to this thing?" Speedy asked as he fired another flashbang to make the tiger retreat.

"Exist in his space while he was hungry," Kes retorted, pulling out a disc and flinging it. The sonic waves it emitted once it struck the ground make the tiger roar and press his ears down. As he did so, the flames on his back suddenly surged higher, making Aqualad let go and yelp as his suit caught fire. Even as the sprinklers rained down from above, the flames refused to go down as the tiger bashed his head against the walls so that Bumblebee loosened her grip, falling to the ground in a daze. Growling, another portal appeared at the tiger's feet, and he plummeted through, vanishing.

"Where..." Speedy lowered his bow only half an inch before he got his answer. The portal ripped open above them, and the tiger lunged down with a roar, forcing the pair to dive to opposite sides of the hall. The tiger then whirled around and crouched low, ready to lunge at Kes who was still pushing herself to her feet.

"¡Gatito malo!" Más and Menos raced forward, a large collar with a muzzle in their hands. Roaring, there was a flash of claws, and the collar was instantly shredded as the twins were knocked into opposing walls. Ignoring the easy prey, the tiger stalked towards a retreating Kestrel.

"Do tigers have target fixation?!" she mentally yelled as she twirled her staff, keeping it aimed outwards. A grappling arrow soared free and wrapped around the beast's neck. Speedy, Aqualad, and Bumblebee all grabbed the rope and pulled, hauling the tiger back a few feet.

"Get out of here!" Bee ordered as the flames started to burn brighter once more, and Kes grit her teeth before obeying. Even as the beast roared, Kestrel sprinted up the stairs for the main-ops room. Whatever this thing was, it was something magical and they needed backup.

As the door slid open, Kes raced through and nearly bowled over the girl about to go through. "Raven? What are you doing here?"

The sorceress frowned and held out a small silver hair pin of a trio of feathers. "I'm here to deliver the amulet Herald wanted Jinx and me to design for you. Didn't you say you wanted one of us to look over a cat too?"

There was a ripping noise and Kestrel instantly tackled Raven to the ground as the tiger lunged from the new portal. "Yeah, but it's not exactly a cat anymore," she quipped as she rolled back to her feet. Raven looked up and grimaced as the tiger turned and snarled at them.

"It never is," she muttered as she lifted her hands. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A large black shield with white edges formed between the girls and the tiger as it leapt towards them once more. The tiger's eyes glowed a bright blue as he slammed his claws down, leaving large gashes in the shield. Raven's eyes widened as he sank his fangs into the shield, ripping a piece off. "Oh, you little...!"

"Wait!" Kes pressed a hand to her stomach, which was finally starting to feel less hungry than before. "Keep the shield up!" When Raven stared at her, she quickly elaborated, "It's attacking cause it's hungry, and it can eat your shield. Do the math!"

Glaring, Raven's eyes glowed white once more. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The shield was swiftly replaced, and the tiger ripped into it, devouring the pieces ravenously. Even as his pace started to slow, Raven began to stagger. "I... I can't keep it up! It wants too much!"

Kes bit her lip before giving in to her desperation. "Then use me." Ripping her gloves off, she pressed against Raven's back, covering her hands with her own to make sure there was as much contact as possible. And then, she opened. Raven pulled at her energy like a tornado, ripping out whatever was there and using it to rapidly replace the shield. The tiger ripped and tore, but there was just too much. As the rest of the Titans charged in, all burnt and bruised, they could only gape as Raven and Kestrel's combined energy slowly enveloped the tiger as it shrank and warped.

Panting, the two sagged against each other as the tiny kitten hiccupped and licked his whiskers. Finally full, he licked a paw and used it to wipe at his face while the rest of the Titans all dropped to the ground in relief. Even as they did, the cheerful sound of a trumpet echoed through the tower as another portal opened and Herald stepped in. He lowered his horn slowly as he turned from face to face. "...So, I see I missed the party."

"You were right that he's just a cat," Herald explained as the Titans all gathered around the glass dome in the lab. The kitten was trapped in there once more, snoozing in a tight little ball. "But he's specifically what's known as a demon cat."

"Demon. Of course," Speedy muttered. "That's how he got in my bike."

Herald shook his head. "He's not a true demon. They're called that because they're used as pets to defend against demons." He played a few notes and a hologram of a black panther sparked with dark lightning appeared in front of them. "They're spirit beasts, really, specifically bred to track down and devour demonic energy."

"So that's why he went after me," Kes commented, sipping her water gratefully. "I was the only source of demonic energy in the tower until Raven came in."

Raven stared at the kitten with disgust. "So, what do we do with it? Just let it loose, let it go after whatever demon it finds?"

Herald shifted, letting the image fade. "Well, maybe. Let me just check something..." Reaching down to a pouch on his belt, he pulled out a small glowing purple stone. He pressed it against the glass, rubbing it up, down, left, right. The kitten didn't move. "I was afraid of that."

Aqualad leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands. "What?"

Herald pushed off his hood to run a hand through his short hair. "Look, white tigers like this guy appears to be, they were really rare. The reason is that they were bred specifically to be demon trackers. Once they lock on to a demonic energy, nothing is going to keep them from going after it."

"And the only thing that will satisfy him now is Trigon's energy," Raven finished. When Herald nodded, she sighed. "Then he'll just keep coming after either me or Kestrel until he kills us, then move onto the other one." 

"What would happen after that?" Bee wondered. "Would he move on to another demon species?"

Herald shook his head. "They're rare for a reason. If they can't find another demon with that same energy source, they starve to death."

Aqualad grimaced, Bee winced, Speedy sucked in a breath, and the twins let out a dismayed cry. Kes just stared at the little kitten, who shifted slightly so that his tail now pressed against his nose. Raven sighed. "So, we just need to lock him away until he starves to death then."

"What, no!" Kestrel instinctively protested. "That's not fair! He's just a kitten, he doesn't know any better!"

"Then what are you saying we should do?" Raven asked. "It took both of us to create enough energy to sate him, and he's only going to get bigger. We're lucky this didn't kill us both."

"I... I know." Kes turned to look at Herald. "Is there any way we can keep him alive?"

Herald shifted from foot to foot, awkwardly avoiding the glare Raven was sending him. "Well, there is one potential option. We could do a spirit bind."

"No." Raven's instant denial earned her some confused looks from the rest of the Titans.

"¿Qué es un vínculo espiritual?" Herald blinked at the twin's question before making his best guess.

"Well, you basically form a permanent spiritual connection between the beast and a person. A magic user is usually the best, and in this case, someone with Trigon's energy would be ideal. Rather than hunting demons, the spirit beast just feeds from the bond. It's a constant process, so there's usually no... well..."

"Growing to massive sizes and trying to eat the first person with demon energy it finds?" Bumblebee guessed, making Herald smile awkwardly.

"Yeah. That. Course, a binding like this has some...ramifications. Magic users who end up doing this usually end up...growing in power. It's a symbiotic relationship." He gave a shrug. "The beast gets fed, and the feeder gets power."

Bumblebee slammed her fist against the table. "So, this is Neron's new plan."

"It's smart," Speedy admitted, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. "Using a living creature instead of an amulet since he knows we can get rid of those. I'm guessing we can't do that with a spirit bind."

"Not unless I want to end up on the menu," Kes agreed, looking over at Raven. "Raven..."

"Neither of us can do this, Kestrel," Raven flatly stated. "Neither of us can afford to have our powers grow like that."

"He's innocent, Raven. All he's done is what his instincts have told him." The kitten, as though sensing the change in the air, lifted his head and blinked a few times. He gave a big yawn and then stretched out. "If there's a way, we can save him..."

"It's a threat. It would be easier if we just killed him."

"You didn't kill me." That made Raven pause and all the Titans flinched. Kestrel just stared at her. "You told me the night you found me that heroes help people. That's why you helped me, even though I could be dangerous to you." Her eyes locked with the kitten, who was now rubbing against the glass and purring. "What makes me any different from him?"

Raven stared for a moment, then closed her eyes as she sighed. "You'll have to deal with the consequences. Whatever they may be."

Kes gave a small smile. "Yeah, I guess I will."

Kes opened her eyes to her garden mind and stared at the familiar hedge maze. "I really thought this would look different," she admitted as Raven slipped into her mind beside her.

"You aren't giving your mind to the beast," she pointed out, lowering her hood. "Just creating a path that you both can travel."

Kestrel hummed in response, glancing around until she spotted the small leaf-covered path leading into what looked to be a jungle. "I guess that's it," she pointed at the new area. "You're not going to try and talk me out of it?"

"Would I have a chance of success?" Raven dryly asked. "Then let's get it over with." She floated down the path, leaving Kes to slowly follow. As they left the garden, the trees covered everything in shadows and the scent in the air turned rich and watery. As they walked deeper, they could feel the pressure of a pair of eyes on them. There was a rustling, and then Raven froze with her hand out as the tiger leapt from the shadows to stand in the middle of the path.

Swallowing her nerves, Kestrel stepped out from behind Raven and slowly approached the beast. The tiger stared at her with bright blue eyes, flames dancing on its back as his tail twitched back and forth. "I'm pretty sure this isn't what either of us wanted," she admitted as she stopped right in front of the tiger's face. "But it's the best chance we've got. I just have to name him, right?" she asked, over her shoulder.

Raven nodded. "Names are powerful things, especially when it comes to magic."

Kes snorted. "And I'm stuck with Birdie."

"Blame Beast Boy for that." The two shared a smile before Kes looked back at the tiger. Cautiously, she reached out and stroked a hand over his head.

"Well, you did come to us on a motorcycle, and likely nearly killed Speedy with that stunt," she muttered as the tiger leaned into the petting. "And you have that smudge on your head. So, I think I'll call you...Skidmark." There was a flash, a pulse, and then Kestrel winced as her head pounded with a powerful pressure that vanished almost as quickly as it came.

Raven took to the air, soaring above the jungle before dropping back just as quickly. "It's done. The path has fused permanently, the bond is there." She glanced from Skidmark to Kestrel. "I hope you know what you're doing," she commented before instantly vanishing. Kes lingered as Skidmark pressed his face into her stomach.

"So do I."

Hours later, Kestrel stood in the kitchen. Skidmark was settled in the hood of her cloak, purring as she added popcorn to bowls. The door slid open and Speedy strode in, blinking at the white cat head hanging out the side of her hood. "You know, you don't need to keep him with you all the time."

"I tried locking him out. He just portaled in and dropped into my hood," Kes admitted as she finished adding the jalapeño flakes to the red bowl in front of her. "Might as well get used to it." Speedy hummed in acknowledgement and Kes decided to take advantage of their privacy. "Do you think I did the right thing?"

The archer drummed his fingers against the counter thoughtfully. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "But I think you tried to do something kind. We'll see if it pays off."

"Yeah." Kestrel paused in opening the newest bag and turned to Speedy. "I need to ask you a favor."

Speedy frowned. "What's the catch? Because I'm not taking over any cleaning duty or..."

"I need you to kill me." Kes winced at herself as Speedy's shock overtook her. "That...didn't come out right."

"I'll say. You want me to do it now, or is there a specific date you're planning on?" Kes sighed when Speedy glared at her. "Is there an arrow you'd like me to use?"

"Speedy, I'm serious!" Shoving the bowls aside, Kestrel whirled around. It made Skidmark let out a meow of dismay as the action swung her hood back and forth. "I know what I did. I know that by doing this, I made it even more likely that I could end up possessed or involved in whatever Neron is planning. I know it made me more dangerous if I do end up possessed." She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. "I know...that what happened today means I could end up hurting or killing a lot of people. And I know that if that happens, you all will try to break me free and get me back."

"You'd do the same for any of us." Speedy carefully stepped closer and pressed a hand to her shoulder. "Why wouldn't we do the same for you?"

"I'm dangerous, Speedy." She gave in and leaned against him. "Raven was destined to destroy the world, and I have that same power at a lesser scale. I'm not strong enough to fix the damage like she can if the worst happens." Kes took a deep breath and forced herself to meet Speedy's eyes. "If it looks like it's too late, if there's a choice between saving me and innocent people getting hurt, I need you to promise me that you'll stop me. Please."

She could feel him wrestling with his emotions, the anger, the sadness, the fear. And she felt it when determination took over. "Alright. I promise I'll stop you." A weight lifted off her shoulders at that before Speedy continued, "But you have to make me a promise too. Even if you get grabbed, or a demon takes over your mind. You have to fight, Kes. Even if it looks like you won't win. Even if you don't think there's a way out, you have to keep fighting."

Kestrel bit her lip before nodding. "I promise."

"Good." A grin, just a bit too sharp to be happy, slid onto Speedy's face. "Now grab the popcorn. We have the Titanic to watch."

"Speedy?" A hum in response. "Thank you."

Chapter Text

It was the whimpering that pulled Menos out of his slumber. Blinking sleepily, he rubbed at his eyes with one hand as he stared up at the top bunk of their bed. Now that he was more awake, Menos could hear his brother tossing and turning as he fought the demons of his dreams. Frowning, Menos slid out of bed and quietly scaled the ladder. Más was currently facing the wall, trembling slightly. Carefully, Menos reached out to place a hand on Más's shoulder, causing his twin to jerk and instantly flip to his other side. Menos smiled gently. "Soy yo, Más."

Tears welled up in Más's eyes and he hastily wiped them away. Menos grabbed his brother's arm, lightly tugging him until the twins perched on the edge of the bed. Their feet dangled off the edge as they stared out at the late-night sky. Más's head dropped onto his twin's shoulder. "Traté de descongelarte, pero no te despertabas," he whispered. Menos wrapped his arm tightly around his brother and squeezed. Ever since the mass attack of the Brotherhood of Evil and the subsequent rescue, Más had been having nightmares regularly. Thankfully, Menos had no memory of his time spent frozen, though he wasn't sure if that was a him thing or if Speedy and Aqualad were the same.

But that wasn't important right now; easing his twin's fears was. So Menos squirmed as close as possible. "Estoy aquí. Me salvaste y los detuvimos juntos. Como siempre lo hacemos." He grinned at Más, but his brother dropped his gaze down to the floor. "Más?"

"...¿Pero qué pasa si no estamos juntos?" Pushing off the bed, Más dropped to the floor and began to pace as Menos looked on. "No pude hacer nada mientras estábamos separados. Realmente no. Tenía que seguirlo y actuar como un rastreador GPS glorificado para ti."

"No habrían podido encontrar el escondite de la Hermandad con nosotros," Menos pointed out, his legs swinging back and forth. "Y luego pudimos descongelar a todos muy rápido."

"¡Sí, después de que volviéramos a estar juntos!" Más stamped his foot angrily. "¿Qué pasa si un villano nos separa de nuevo? ¿¡Qué pasa si uno de nosotros decide dejar de ser un héroe!? ¿Y si ... y si ... " His face crumpled up and he started to cry. Menos instantly jumped down from the top bunk to hold his twin as he sobbed. "No quiero dejar de ser un héroe. No quiero estar indefenso cuando estás en peligro porque nuestros poderes son inútiles cuando estamos solos."

Menos bit his lip, not sure of how to ease his brother's mind. Then, an idea came to mind. "Técnicamente, no necesitas poderes para ser un héroe," he pointed out slowly, making Más sniffle and lift his head curiously.

"Pero somos Más y Menos." Menos grinned.

"Nosotros no tenemos que ser." Más blinked twice before he caught on, and the twins shared identical grins. Linking hands, they raced out of their room and into the night.

Bumblebee lowered her mug from her lips as Kestrel glanced at the kitchen door once more. The girl had been anxious ever since she'd walked into the kitchen that morning, with her leech of a cat perched atop the refrigerator, tail twitching madly. "Is a supervillain going to break in and start attacking us before breakfast?" Bee asked, setting her tablet down. "Because if they are, I'll need a fresh cup to toss in their face."

Kestrel grimaced. "No, not a villain. It's..." She paused and shook her head. "Más and Menos are feeling really excited right now. And the last time they felt like this was with that pudding balloon they launched last week."

Bumblebee groaned; that had been a pain to clean up and she still wasn't sure where the twins had gotten their hands on that much pudding in the first place. So, when the door slid open, both heroines jumped as Aqualad and Speedy entered the room. The archer headed straight for the coffee pot as Aqualad glanced around. "Where are Más and Menos?" he asked as he dropped down onto a free stool. "It's not like them to be late for breakfast."

Bee nodded at Kestrel. "Apparently, they're excited about something." Aqualad sighed and Speedy let his head drop against the cabinet.

"I swear, if it's another pudding balloon..." Speedy muttered as his cup slowly filled. He side-eyed Kes. "Any idea what this is about?"

Kes gave a helpless shrug. "No clue. Maybe KF called them for some training later? I just can't think..." The door slid open, and Kestrel trailed off in shock. The rest of the team turned, and all jaws just dropped.

Standing there now weren’t the familiar white and red uniforms of their speedster teammates. Instead, there were two completely differently dressed figures. The one on the left was clad in a mostly bright teal bodysuit, with the chest being a dark red. He wore white leggings and golden boots, along with black gloves that matched the dark goggles covering his eyes. On the right was a similarly sized individual, but in a full bodysuit of dark brown. His head was covered by what looked to be a dog's head, with his mouth showing through the open jaws of the mask, complete with shiny white fangs. As the Titans stared in shock, the one of the left spread his arms dramatically. "¡Enfréntate a las garras de Quetzal y los colmillos de Chupacabra!" The claim made Cupacabra tilt his head back and howl madly.

As one, everyone turned to stare at Kestrel, who lifted her hands defensively. "Emotions, not minds. I have no idea what's going on."

"But...they are Más and Menos, right?" Aqualad asked quietly, eyes darting back to the boys. "Not some supervillain doubles?"

Kes shrugged. "I'm pretty sure they are. At least, they feel like Más and Menos."

"¡Oye! ¡No más usar esos nombres! ¡Somos Quetzal y Chupacabra!" Quetzal protested, making Chupacabra howl again.

"Isn't el Chupacabra Mexican?" Speedy pondered aloud as Bumblebee pushed back from the counter. She crouched down to get a better look, nodding when the one in the mask grinned at her.

"Más." She pointed at Chupacabra. "Menos." The finger shifted to Quetzal. "Mind explaining what's going on?"

Quetzal's arms folded across his chest as he pouted. "Podemos cambiar nuestros nombres y disfraces si queremos," he grumbled.

"Yeah, but a little warning would have been nice," Bumblebee pointed out angrily. "When did you decide to do this, last night?" When the boys nodded, her head dropped onto her knees as she groaned. "Of course, you did."

Kestrel and Aqualad exchanged glances before Kes's finger flew to her nose. Scowling, Aqualad stepped in. "Look uh...Quetzal. If you guys wanted to try and change your branding, you really should have let us know first. Changing your identities is a big deal. I mean," the Atlantean waved a hand over both of them. "What exactly are we supposed to tell people when they meet you?"

Quetzal beamed, pulling out a pair of tiny three-pronged sai from his belt. He lifted them high, so they gleamed in the light. "Quetzal es bendecido por el dios serpiente, Quetzalcoatl, ¡aquí para proteger a la gente del mundo!" he proclaimed proudly. Chupacabra inched closer and whispered something into his twin's ear, making it look like the dog head was knawing on Quetzal's ear in the process. "Ah, y el Chupacabra es un Chupacabra tradicional, que acaba de recibir forma humana a través de ciencias poco éticas que lo llevaron a enloquecer brevemente y hacer trizas a sus creadores."

Bumblebee let out a muffled scream into her knees as Aqualad gaped at the pair. Kestrel pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed while Speedy snorted. "So, one of you is blessed by an ancient Aztec god and the other is a victim of science gone too far?" he asked, downing the last bit of coffee in his mug.

"¡Exactamente!" Speedy blinked at the grinning Quetzal and turned back to the coffee pot.

"This is going to be a long day," he predicted as he refilled his mug. Chupacabra whispered something else into his brother's ear.

"¿Tenemos sangre de cabra?"

Kestrel instantly shook her head. "No, we do not have any goat's blood. Or blood of any kind, really."

"¡Pero el Chupacabra solo puede sobrevivir con la sangre de las cabras!" Quetzal exclaimed as Chupacabra let out an unhappy whine.

Bumblebee lifted her head to glare at the pair, making them flinch back. "Were either of you bitten by a vampire last night and didn't tell us?" As one, the boys shook their heads. "Then you're eating cereal."

Less than an hour later, the team was in the gym for some solo training. Aqualad was doing some of his customary laps in the pool as Speedy and Bumblebee raced each other through the aerial bars. Kestrel was finishing up a combination of punches and kicks on the stationary punching bag. Panting, she wiped her forehead as she felt a tug at her cape. She glanced down to see Quetzal beaming up at her. "What's up, Quetzal?"  While she wasn't entirely sure what prompted the change, Kes could feel the twins were serious about it, so she was trying to be respectful.

Quetzal pointed at the punching bag. "¿Puedes enseñarme cómo hacer eso?"

Kestrel tilted her head. "You mean martial arts?" When Quetzal nodded, she frowned and thought for a few seconds. "Knowing how to defend yourselves more easily could only be a good thing, so sure." She smiled and stepped back as the kid let out a delighted cheer. "Okay, let's start with a few jabs and crosses, see what your basic power level is at and go from there."

As his brother worked with Kes, Chupacabra had a different instructor in mind. Skidmark was curled up against the side of the wall, half-asleep as he watched the training. There had been some initial hope after the bond that Kestrel would be able to get him to fight alongside them. But telling a tiger what to do was apparently just as successful as telling a regular cat what to do. So Skidmark's days were spent idling trailing after Kestrel and napping in various places, and presumably napping again when the team was called out for a fight or patrol.

But Skidmark was the best potential instructor for tapping into animal instincts, which was just what Chupacabra needed right now. Dropping down onto all fours, Chupacabra half-crawled, half-hopped over and started barking at the demon cat. Rather than encouraging a potential battle, Skidmark's head remained on his paws. The only sign that he'd heard the barking at all was his tail slowly beginning to twitch back and forth. Growling, Chupacabra lashed out with a paw and retreated, hoping to start a chase. But the cat didn't budge.

As Speedy hastily grabbed onto a bar so that he didn't lose his balance, he glanced down and frowned at the hero charging and retreating multiple times at the demon cat. "What...is he doing?" the archer asked slowly as Bumblebee hovered beside him.

"I have no idea," Bee admitted. "But I'm about to find out." She zipped over to pair and landed lightly between them. "Chupacabra, stop it." The hero whined and lifted a leg to scratch behind his ear, like a dog. Eyes wide, Bumblebee glanced up at Speedy, who gave a baffled shrug in response. "Chupacabra? ...Más?"

"¡Oye!" Bee glanced over to see Quetzal glaring at her. "¡Ya no puedes llamarlo así!"

"Well, he wasn't acting like a dog before!" She glanced down at Chupacabra, a little worried she would see him lifting his leg to pee against the wall. But no, he was just belly-crawling towards Skidmark there, who was staring at him nonchalantly. "If something happened last night, you need to tell us now."

Quetzal groaned. "No pasó nada. Solo está tratando de aprovechar sus instintos animales para la batalla."

Aqualad poked his head out of the pool, leaning over the side to rest on folded arms. "How exactly will that work in a fight though?" he asked reasonably.

"Unless you're planning to ride him like a pony," Speedy added, getting some glares from the rest of the team.

"Oh, ya no vamos a hacer eso." The team froze, staring at Quetzal. "¿Qué?"

Kestrel stepped back from where she'd been helping to brace the punching bag. "Quetzal, what are you talking about? Are you saying you two aren't going to be using your superspeed anymore?"

"Sí. Chupacabra y Quetzal no tienen relación entre sí, por lo que no usarían la súper velocidad de todos modos." He puffed up proudly, hands on his hips. "¡De ahora en adelante, lucharemos impotentes!" Chupacabra nodded in agreement before returning to barking at Skidmark.

"WHAT?!" The combined shouting of the other four Titans made the twins jump. But before they could get any more explanation, the alarms above started blaring. Bumblebee grit her teeth as she pointed to Quetzal and Chupacabra angrily. "We are not done with this," she hissed before her wings snapped out and she zipped out of the room, the rest of the Titans hot on her heels.

With the twins refusing to use their powers, it meant that Bumblebee had to start up the computer as they reached the main-ops room. The screen shimmered for a few seconds before showing a man in a dark brown three-piece pinstripe suit, a dark hat pulled low over his brow, and several unconscious museum guards lying on the ground. "Looks like we've got a newcomer," Speedy smirked as a flash of red appeared on the monitor checking for matches in their system. "I'm touched."

"Save it, Speedy," Bee warned as the address popped up. "Looks like he's hitting the new exhibit at the museum; the one with all the famous jewels throughout the ages." She glanced over at Kestrel. "You have that talisman on?" Kes nodded, one hand flying up to touch the silver feather hairpin that Raven had delivered a couple of weeks ago. "Good. Aqualad and I will head straight there. You two, meet us there as fast as possible." Kes and Speedy nodded as they headed for the door, with Quetzal and Chupacabra trailing behind. "And where do you think you're going?"

The twins froze even as the door slid shut behind their teammates. "¿Ir a luchar contra el villano?" Quetzal offered, Chupacabra nodding emphatically.

Bumblebee shook her head. "No. As of now, you both are benched." She lifted a hand at the sounds of protest both boys made. "I'm not budging on this, guys. It's too dangerous for you two if you're refusing to use your powers."

"¡Pero Speedy ni siquiera tiene poderes!" Quetzal whined.

"No buts!" Bumblebee glared at them, making sure they were cowed. "If you two aren't going to fight to the best of your ability, I don't want you out in the field." Grasping Aqualad's hand, she heaved him into the air and the two took off. There was the loud rumble of motorcycle engines as Speedy and Kestrel joined them on the street below. Quetzal and Chupacabra stared at the screen for a few seconds before looking at each other and grinned. They had a plan for this.

Inside the Steel City Museum, a man stood there, tapping his foot. In his left hand was a dark gold pocket watch, precisely wound and slowly ticking away. The smile on the villain's face grew as the second hand approached the minute mark. "Three...two...one." As he flipped the lid closed, Bumblebee and Aqualad dropped through the open skylight. The Atlantean landed in a traditional superhero landing while Bumblebee hovered above him, hands resting lightly on her stingers. "Aqualad, Bumblebee. Right on time, as expected." The man bowed low, his hat blocking the dark domino covering his features. "An excellent trait for a pair of heroes."

"Whatever it is you're looking for, you won't be getting it," Bumblebee warned, taking aim as the nearby drinking fountains began to rumble ominously. "I'll give you one chance to turn yourself in."

The man smirked in delight as he straightened. "Oh, but you don't understand, Titans. You see, I've already won." As the words left his lips, there was a BOOM! The screech of metal coming apart made both Titans look up as one of the lights began plummeting towards them. Instantly, they dove to opposite sides with Bumblebee floating above some displays and Aqualad flipping over a bench. As he landed, one of his feet sank down.

"Hey!" The Atlantean tried to pull his leg free, but the quick-dry cement had already hardened, leaving him trapped. "Let me go!"

The villain chuckled, flipping open his pocket watch to check the time. "Now, why would I do that after all the trouble I went through to set this up?" As the minute hand moved to the three, he crouched down to pick up a solid metal sheet. He lifted it into the air as an arrow bounced off it, sinking into the wall nearby before going off in a burst of light. "And there are Kestrel and Speedy, as expected."

Speedy growled and nocked another arrow as Kestrel slipped over to try and free Aqualad. Bumblebee's stingers sparked with electricity as she dove for the villain. At the very last second, he dove forward and slid underneath a bench as Bumblebee's arms sank through another of the quick-dry cement traps. "Ah, just a bit too slow," the villain taunted. "Now you're stuck for a while, I'm afraid."

Abandoning her futile attempts to pry Aqualad free, Kestrel flung some discs just as Speedy released a trio of arrows. But their enemy practically danced out of the way as their ammunition crashed into each other and exploded into pieces. His dodging took him directly into the path of a water fountain, which promptly exploded into a powerful surge of water. "Take...what?!" Aqualad gaped in shock as the villain flipped onto a display, lifting his watch to check the time again.

"And three...two...one." The watch flipped closed again as there was a series of beeps and several metal tentacles erupted from the base of multiple displays, each diving towards a Titan. Bumblebee instantly turned so that her legs could wrap around one, its pronged claws snapping shut mere inches from her face. Speedy gave a yelp as a tentacle snagged at his bow, twisting and struggling to pull it free. As he did, a second dove into his quiver and pulled his arrows free, dragging them across the room. Kestrel just managed to block two aimed for her with her staff, only for them to surge upwards and leave her open for a third that caught her right in the gut, tossing her into Speedy and sending both of them out of the room. Aqualad was left in a wrestling match with the remaining tentacle as it coiled around him like a snake.

Chuckling, the villain returned his watch to his vest pocket and lifted a briefcase up from the floor. As he flipped it onto its side, the few remaining tentacles smashed their way through the glass casings. Gathering up the various necklaces and bracelets, they were rapidly piled into the briefcase before it was barely able to close. The villain smiled and picked it up, tipping his hat in amusement. "Well, this was fun, Titans. But it appears you were no match for Timepiece." Chuckling, the man strode through a door as the tentacles suddenly released their prey and vanished into the display bases again. There was another BOOM, and the wall above the door suddenly collapsed, leaving no way to chase the man.

Fueled by powerful rage, there was a burst of electricity from Bee's stingers and the cement shattered, allowing Bumblebee to pull her burned hands free. Muttering curses under her breath, she strode over to Aqualad and grabbed under his arms, lifting him up so he could aim a few good kicks at the ground to free his own leg. As Speedy reclaimed his bow, Kestrel knelt to examine the rubble burying Timepiece's exit. "It looks like there's more rubble on the other side. He must have rigged bombs in multiple areas," she reported as she slowly rose, a hand rubbing lightly at her stomach.

Speedy scowled as he scooped up a few arrows that hadn't been broken by the claws, frowning at the displays. "He must have had this in place for months; no way he snuck those things in right before we got here."

Aqualad stared at the ground and frowned, water slowly bubbling up through the tiles. But only around the places where he and Bumblebee had been trapped. "Just two of these traps, and nowhere else. And they just happened to be in the places where we landed."

Bumblebee nodded. "Combine that with the bomb going off right when we were below the lights, the watch, the name 'Timepiece'?" She sighed and rubbed at her arms. "Looks like we've got ourselves a pre-cog." The Titans all groaned in unison.

That's when a familiar yapping filled the air as Chupacabra leaped through the door. There was a collar around his neck, and a leash attached which helped drag Quetzal, who was awkwardly balanced on roller skates. Chupacabra halted in front of Bumblebee, which left Quetzal sliding across the slick floor until he crashed into a bench. Clinging to it for balance, he gave an awkward smile. "¿Qué nos perdimos?"

Back at the tower, Aqualad dutifully mixed healing tinctures for his injured teammates. Both he and Bumblebee had burns from the cement, Speedy's palms were ripped up, and Kestrel's ribs were badly bruised, if not cracked. As he added a few yellow drops to one, he watched Bumblebee slam her communicator close. "Of course, this happens the one week that apparently all the Flash family members are busy saving the future. What is with them and time travel?"

Speedy looked up from where he was adding arrowheads to replacement shafts. "You really think a pre-cog would try to pull something like this if he knew KF was around?" he snarked. His eyes narrowed at Quetzal and Chupacabra, who were pouting in a corner. "Probably knew about these two too."

Chupacabra growled and Quetzal glared. "No puedes obligarnos a usar nuestra velocidad," he muttered.

"No, but we can ask for an explanation," Kestrel pointed out, downing the mixture that Aqualad offered her and shuddering as it worked on her sore ribs. "You were using your powers yesterday, so what changed?"

The twins exchanged glances but remained silent. Aqualad looked down at the burn mixtures and frowned. "Did you both learn something dangerous about your powers? Were they hurting you?"

Bumblebee turned the chair around from where she'd been running grid searches for Timepiece to glare at the twins. "If you two were hurting yourselves every time you used your powers, I swear that I'll..."

"¡No es eso!" Quetzal protested, crossing his arms. "¿Qué hay de malo en no usar nuestros poderes? Speedy ni siquiera tiene poderes, y lo hace bien."

Speedy glared down at his arrows. "I can't tell if that was a compliment or an insult," he muttered as he reattached an arrowhead.

Quetzal and Chupacabra shared confused looks. "Solo queremos decir que no necesitas poderes para luchar contra los malos y ganar."

Speedy slammed his hand down on the table, making all of them jump. "Is that what you think?" he growled furiously. "That all you have to do is pick up a weapon and that's it? That I didn't work my ass off to get as good enough with a bow? That all this is easy?!" He waved a hand out over the rest of the team. "We're heroes, and the reason we are is because we use everything we have to help people. While you two are goofing off, saying you won't use what you have because I..." The archer paused and shook his head. "Forget it." Speedy stalked off, the door closing behind him as Aqualad lifted up the medicine.

"I'll get it to him," Kestrel immediately volunteered, getting up and plucking it from the Atlantean's hand. As she reached the door, she paused to look over at the twins. "And for the record, I agree with Speedy."

Once she was gone, Bumblebee rested her chin on her newly healed hands as she stared the boys down. "I don't know what's going through your heads, and I won't ask. But neither of you will be allowed into the field like this."

"Pero...!" Bumblebee lifted a hand to cut off Quetzal's protest.

"Neither of you are trained to fight without using your speed. Most of the training you've undergone is working together and learning to control your speed. You're not above civilian level as you are right now." Picking up her tablet, she rose to her feet. "As team leader, you both are benched until I believe you have enough skill that letting you fight a villain won't get one or both of you killed."

Aqualad closed the lid on the medicine box as Bumblebee also left. "We could have used both of you out there today," he said as he moved towards the door.

As the door shut, the twins sagged against the wall. Chupacabra looked at his sad brother and muttered, "Quizás esto no fuera una buena idea después de todo."

Quetzal shook his head. "Solo necesitamos más tiempo para practicar. ¡Todavía puede funcionar!"

Chupacabra bit his lip. "Sé. Pero ... ¿queremos que así sea?" When his brother tilted his head, Chupacabra leaned back to stare at the ceiling. "¿Qué hicimos hoy? Aprendiste lo duro que golpeas las cosas, le ladré a un gato demonio. No nos convirtió en mejores héroes."

Quetzal gripped at his knees nervously. "Bueno, no."

"No nos hizo más fuertes. Más duro. No me dio una forma de protegerte." He reached up and tugged off his mask, staring down at the dog-like face sadly. "Esto se siente como un disfraz. Fue divertido, pero ... no es real."

"Sí." Quetzal removed his own mask and the pair stared down at them. "Sin embargo, nos veíamos muy bien."

"Lo hicimos." As the pair grinned at each other, the alarms started blaring once more. They looked at the screen to see Timepiece once again, this time heading for the Steel City Bank. "¿Crees que nos verá venir?"

"Lo venceremos de todos modos."

Timepiece gave a hum of pleasure, flipping open his watch to check the time. Another three minutes before the Titans would show up to fail and stop him. This time, the bank was closed so there was only a few security guards to deal with. And the first one would be here in three...two...

"¡Ja!" There was a blur of white and red and Timepiece staggered backwards as the force hit him. He frowned and glanced down, only to see that his watch was gone.

"What? Where did..." As he glanced around, there was another blur.

"¡Olé!" This time, Timepiece spun around a few times before noticing his briefcase was missing. Growling, he stomped his foot.

"This is impossible! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Necesita aprender a esperar lo inesperado." The sound of two voices speaking fluent Spanish made Timepiece's eyes widen and he whirled around to see a pair of twins in white and red suits. One of them was holding his pocket watch while the other hand a hand resting on his briefcase.

"No." Timepiece staggered back with wide eyes. "No, that's impossible! You aren't supposed to be here."

"Pero somos." Grinning, the twins linked hands with one another and charged forward so fast that Timepiece hadn't a hope of dodging. "¡Más y Menos, sí podemos!" A pair of fists caught him right under the chin as the villain went flying. He bounced across the ground, landing on his side. As he pressed one hand to his head, Timepiece didn't notice until it was too late that his other hand had sunk through the cement trap up to his shoulder.

"Ooh, that's gonna be painful," Bumblebee cooed as she dropped down from the ceiling. The other Titans joined her with identical smirks. One of Speedy's arrows was glowing with energy from where it was aimed at Timepiece's heart, Kestrel's bo staff tapped against the ground, and Aqualad cracked his knuckles ominously. Timepiece's eyes darted from hero to hero, pausing on Más and Menos as they raced over to stand behind his head. "Now, how about you tell us just what happened to all that jewelry you took?"

A few hours later, and the team was back at the tower as the sun set. Quetzal and Chupacabra's costumes were folded up on the table with their masks lying on top. Aqualad glanced back at the twins. "So, what do you two want to do with them?"

"We could destroy them?" Speedy offered, plucking an arrow from his quiver and twirling it around his fingers. "I have a few arrows I need to test anyways."

Kestrel reached out to rub the material. "These are really high-quality," she noted. "How did you get these made in one night?"

Más and Menos grinned. "¡Nuestra abuela es muy hábil!"

"Your grandmother made two bullet-resistant, heat and friction-resistant suits in one night?" Kestrel blinked before glancing down at her own suit. "Does she do requests?"

Bumblebee clapped her hands together. "Alright, that's enough." She scooped up both suits under one arm and grabbed the masks with her other hand. "I'll just put these two away in the vault for now. Just in case we need them in the future."

"¡Como para fiestas de disfraces!" Más proclaimed.

"¡O el próximo Halloween!" Menos quickly added.

Aqualad shook his head in reluctant amusement. "So, what exactly made you guys come up with those backstories? I mean, blessed by an ancient Aztec snake god? The whole 'former monster turned human by science'?"

"Al menos son mejores que Speedy."

"Hey!" the archer glared.

Bumblebee grinned. "I mean, I would have thought of Speedy as a good name for the Flash's sidekick, not Green Arrow's," she pointed out just to watch Speedy seethe. "It's not all that creative."

"I didn't come up with it," he hissed through gritted teeth.

Kestrel glanced at him curiously. "You didn't? Then what would you have gone with as a hero name?" To everyone's surprise, Speedy muttered something incomprehensible and looked away, ears turning red. "Come on, it can't be that embarrassing."

Bumblebee looked directly at the twins. "Whoever gets Speedy to spill on his original hero name gets him to do their chores for the next month."

"I don't agree to that!" Speedy instantly protested, but it was too late. Both twins turned to stare at him with eager eyes, and the archer shut his mouth and dove for the exit.

"¡Más y Menos, sí podemos!"

Chapter Text

With his back pressed into the corner, Speedy checked the ammo on his gun and waited. Más and Menos had been taken out early, so there wasn't a need to watch for a blur in the dimly lit room. From the panicked scream and angry cursing he'd heard earlier, it was likely that Aqualad and Bumblebee were down as well. Which left only one. Speedy scanned the floor below, looking for any small alcoves that Kestrel could take advantage of. Most of them provided solid cover from most angles, but not from above. So Speedy had a solid advantage as long as...

A flicker of movement caught the archer's eye and he lunged, keeping his head down as he snagged one of the aerial bars. Twisting, he aimed and fired in a few seconds as Kestrel's own shot went off. There was a loud blare as the lights flashed on to full. Speedy glanced at the gun and let out a joyful whoop as he dropped back to the floor. "And that's a headshot!" he crowed.

Kes landed smoothly in a crouch and grinned back. "Nice shot. You're still bleeding out from the neck though. Odds of survival are slim."

"I accept no rebuttals from someone without a head," Speedy scoffed, making her giggle. Bumblebee sarcastically clapped as she rose to her feet from the bench the rest of the team had been sitting on. "What is that, fifteen wins for me?"

"¡Kes, creímos en ti! ¡Tú eras el elegido!" Más and Menos whined as they flopped to the floor tragically. Speedy glared at them as Kes rolled her eyes.

"Even if I did win this round, we still would have tied overall," she reminded the pair as she and the archer returned the laser-tag guns they'd been using to their charging units. "And unless you want to skip dinner, we don't have time for a tie-breaker."

Bumblebee held up a finger as she pulled up the match records on the computer. "Hold on, we still need to go over strengths and weaknesses." Speedy groaned as he dropped onto the bench beside a still pouting Aqualad. Bee ran the numbers, pausing as she pulled up number of glancing hits. "Okay, Más and Menos are still on-top when allowed to use their speed..."

"Más y Menos, sí podemos!" the twins cheered, slapping their hands together in a high-five.

"But when powers are down, Speedy and Kestrel are still up there. Total wins go to Speedy," she acknowledged with a nod to the archer. "But Kes was right behind him, and she got more hits off total while Speedy's were more kill-shots."

"Batman tended to focus on that anyways," Kes agreed, leaning against the wall.

Bumblebee nodded as the data shifted to dodges. "I'm top-rank with dodging hits. Better when I can shrink down, obviously, but still first even depowered," she preened. "Más and Menos are up with me when they can use their powers, but otherwise..."

"Sitting ducks," Speedy smirked, aiming and firing a finger-gun. "Not to mention that if you get one, you can usually find the other right next to them." Más stuck his tongue out back at him.

"Still, something you need to work on." Then Bumblebee's eyes fell on Aqualad, whose gaze instantly shifted towards the wall. "Aqualad..." 

The Atlantean threw his hands up in fury. "I get it, okay! But this isn't stuff I normally use!"

Bumblebee stared at him flatly before pressing a button, pulling up the details that Aqualad's gun had recorded. "You were first out in every single round, the person you hit most of the time was yourself, and you only managed one kill!"

Más and Menos exchanged glances before both raised their hands. "¿A quién se las arregló para matar?" Más asked curiously.

"No recuerdo que nos golpeara ..." Menos added, rubbing the back of his head. Aqualad turned scarlet as Bee sighed and pressed the option for more detail.

The twins instantly burst out laughing as Speedy buried his snickers in his fist. Kestrel just turned to stare at Aqualad in confusion. "How exactly did you manage to kill yourself?"

Aqualad huffed and looked away as Bee shut the computer down. "That's enough," she warned, cutting off the laughter. "Speedy, you and Aqualad stay down here a bit longer so he can have some more target practice."

"Why me?!" Speedy asked, shooting to his feet as the twins instantly raced out the door. "Why can't you do it?"

"One," Bumblebee began with a lifted finger, "I have better things to do. Two, you're the sharpshooter on the team so this is your specialty. Three, it's your turn to clean up the training room so might as well wait until you're all done. Kes, what's on the menu tonight?"

Kes hummed as she and Bumblebee headed for the exit. "I was thinking fajitas. I found this new recipe that I wanted to try."

"Sounds good." The door slid shut behind them, leaving a grumpy Speedy and an embarrassed Aqualad behind. Letting his shoulders drop with his sigh, Speedy marched over to his shooting range and started adding in a manual program.

"You shouldn't start at the distance I normally use," he muttered as he brought the targets closer in. "Grab one of the guns; I can adjust the targets to track them."

"This doesn't make any sense," Aqualad grumbled as he stalked over to pull out the laser-gun with the still mostly charged battery. "I do close combat and water magic. When am I ever going to need to use a gun?"

"Not even a harpoon gun?" Speedy instantly lifted his arms protectively when Aqualad glared as the nearby pool started to bubble. "Okay, bad joke. But it's still not a horrible idea to have a back-up plan. What if we're in a place with limited water and a lot of guns?"

"Then I am punching people. You know, like I normally do." Speedy snorted and the Atlantean's shoulders relaxed slightly as he approached the line the archer usually shot behind. "So, how am I supposed to use this thing?"

Speedy took one look at the gun and then reached out to flip it over. "Start by aiming it at the target instead of yourself."

Aqualad sputtered, waving the gun around angrily. "It looks the same both ways! How..." he trailed off; eyes locked on the ground. "Speedy, what's that?"

"Hmm?" Speedy glanced down and his eyes widened. He was now standing in a perfect circle of yellow light. Carefully, he tried reaching outside the circle only to bump his fingers against an invisible wall of some kind. "What the hell?" He began punching and kicking at the wall, but no cracks began forming.

Aqualad tried getting closer to help, only to bang into a similar forcefield. A quick glance down confirmed that he was trapped in a similar circle as well. Instantly, he pulled out his communicator. "Bee, you need to get down here. Something up with me and Speedy."

"What's going on?" Bumblebee asked instantly.

"I think that..." That's when the light suddenly brightened in a bright flash and a loud humming began filling the air. Aqualad yelped and Speedy shouted as their bodies began to shimmer and fade around the edges. The door to the gym opened as Más and Menos rushed inside, just in time to see their friends vanish.

"Uh oh, eso no es bueno." The two sprinted back out and raced up the stairs, pausing only when they ran into Kestrel and Bumblebee. "¡Speedy y Aqualad han sido secuestrados!"

"Pull up their tracking data, now!" Bee ordered and the twins hastened to obey. "What did one of them do to piss off aliens? We don't normally get those!" she complained as she flew upwards towards the main-ops room.

"Might not be aliens," Kestrel pointed out as she used a grapple to keep up with Bee's speed. "Could just be someone with a teleporter and a grudge."

"Hopefully," Bumblebee muttered as they reached the main room. Menos was perched on Más's shoulders as they stared at the monitors. Onscreen was a pair of blinking red and blue lights signaling Speedy and Aqualad's location. There was also a miniscule T to show the tower, and a thin set of white lines showing the distance between them. Kestrel's jaw dropped as Bumblebee's clenched as she pressed the print button. "Can someone tell me how two members of my team traveled to somewhere in the Centauri System in less than 5 seconds?!"

The twins shared a nervous look and sprinted for the door. "¡Configuraremos el T-Ship!"

"Make sure to pack a lot of snacks," Kestrel called after them before turning to put a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder. "Let's just be grateful Starfire told us how to travel faster than light and go get them."

"Yeah," Bumblebee agreed as she ripped off the coordinates. "Whoever it is that took them is about to be in for a world of hurt!"

Speedy had less than five seconds to fling his arms out before he dropped to the ground. The impact made his hands throb, but at least he didn’t end up with a broken nose. There was some raucous laughter as the archer quickly shot to his feet, bow in his hands and an arrow half-nocked. "Welcome, young warrior!" Speedy whirled around angrily to find himself face to crotch with a dark green loincloth. He tilted his head back and fought to keep his jaw from dropping at the figure standing before him.

The being was somewhere between two to three times Speedy's own height and thickly muscled, with thick stalks of purple hair that jutted out at odd angles. His skin was a sickly shade of yellow, with tiny narrow eyes of a darkish color Speedy couldn't quite make out. His mouth took up more than two-thirds of his face, with thick fangs that jutted out to cover both sets of lips as he leered down at the archer. The loincloth was the only thing he wore, other than a pair of thin bracers made up of a blue metal Speedy couldn't recognize. He spread out his arms, revealing four-fingered hands with long purple claws. "Perhaps you have heard of me. I am known as..." He let out a shrieking wail that suddenly cut off at the end, making Speedy's skin crawl.

Speedy grit his teeth, fighting to keep his hands steady as he aimed at the thick neck. "Yeah. Never heard of you and I'm not trying to pronounce that," he snarled. To his surprise, this made the alien laugh and clap him on the back, sending Speedy staggering forward several steps.

"Then you shall call me 'Hunter' for that is what I am." Hunter grinned as he reached out and scruffed Speedy like a misbehaving kitten. He carried him over to a large glass window before dropping him to the ground. "I have brought you here as my guest."

"Could have sent an invite first," Speedy muttered. He rubbed at his sore neck slowly as he scanned the area. They were definitely not on Earth anymore, as the trees had twisted trunk and dark red and purple leaves and the grass was a brilliant teal. A quick glance upwards confirmed two suns, one large with a bluish tint and the other small with a reddish tinge, lighting up a purple sky. The soil that Speedy could faintly make out was also a bright orange. "What am I here for?"

Hunter smirked before turning around. "As a Hunter, I have dedicated my life to traveling through the galaxies to bring down the greatest of prey." Speedy cautiously followed his gaze to the wall behind them, which was covered in thousands of plaques, each with what he believed was a severed head of some kind. "But it has not been enough. The hunt is grandest when there is great victory. And thus," he smirked down at Speedy. "A challenger, who must be defeated."

"Yeah," Speedy drawled, wondering if he should stick with the explosion arrow or swap to an electric one. "Hunting like this really isn't my thing."

Hunter threw his head back and let out that eerie laugh. "Oh, don't be so modest. I was watching you, young warrior. Shooting your prey in the dark like that, despite your lack of night vision." He frowned as he took in the bow and quiver. "Though I wasn't expecting such primitive weaponry."

Speedy grit his teeth. "I'm fine with what I have," he growled. "But I'm not interested in any contest like this." The last time he'd been abducted for a challenge of some kind had resulted in him and a bunch of other heroes being shoved together in a necklace, and he wasn't looking forward to reliving that any time soon. "So, if you could just send me home, that would be great."

Hunter's hand came down to smack against Speedy's back again, and he barely kept himself from tumbling to the floor. "No false modesty here, young warrior! Come, we shall begin the selection of our targets." A low growl escaped the archer's throat as he reluctantly followed the alien. His best chance right now was to play along until he found Aqualad, and they could get out of here. Even if Speedy was interested in hunting for sport, this wasn't any sort of situation he wanted to be in. Hunter stalked over to a small green monitor and waved a hand over it. The screen started glowing and the glass window shimmered to reveal a familiar green skinned Atlantean with jaws dripping acid. "This creature, also taken from your home world, shall be your target."

"Kordax?" There was a sinking feeling in Speedy's gut as he started at the Atlantean villain. Sure enough, the second image to grace the window was Aqualad.

"And this one shall be mine. Whoever can track their target and bring back their head to the podium in the middle of the jungle shall be crowned as the victor!" Hunter pointed out to a raised metal base hovering just below the main tree line some miles away. "Our prey has already been released, along with other predators and prey who we can track at our leisure." The alien turned and grinned down at the archer, who was staring at Aqualad's picture with gritted teeth. "Well, young warrior? Shall we begin?" 

Speedy was silent for a few seconds before removing his arrow and sliding it back into his quiver. "Yeah," he agreed, turning to glare at the alien. "Let's go."

Miles away in a shadowed glade, Aqualad leaped free of the cloudy water and fell to his knees. He coughed and choked until a thick cloudy slime flew free and landed in the mud below him. "What is wrong with the water on this planet?" the Atlantean complained as he wiped his mouth clean with one hand and scrubbed at his covered gills with the other. His first instinct upon being dropped here in this strange place had been to reach the nearest water source and start swimming until he either found someone to give him directions or found Speedy. But it had been less than a half an hour before he'd started choking on the oddly viscous water the planet offered.

"Stupid planet, stupid aliens for abducting us," Aqualad grumbled as he resigned himself to walking for the time being. "Why not go and grab someone from Robin's team? They have an alien already! We don't do space!"

This had been a bad day for Aqualad. First there had been the stupid training session, which had been laser tag in disguise, and now this. The only good thing about it was that he wasn’t here alone, though it would have been better if he could find his communicator! He hoped it wasn't back in the tower as that would do none of them any good.

There was a rustling in the nearby bushes and Aqualad paused. Hopeful for a potential guide to the area, and wary of a threat of some kind, the Atlantean focused, and a few water balls were pulled from the river to begin hovering around him. He inwardly sighed with relief that his hydrokinesis was working, though the water felt a bit heavier than he was used to. "Hello?" he called out cautiously as he stepped closer. "Anyone there?"

There was some more rustling and then a six-legged creature with five eyes and a red and black pelt darted from the brush, making Aqualad yelp and leap backwards. It was a good thing he did because several vine-like tendrils shot out after the creature, impaling it through several eyes as well as the back of its neck. The Atlantean gaped as the vines began tugging its now-dead prey back, leaving a thick greenish blood trail behind. Letting the water balls fall, Aqualad turned on one heel and immediately began marching in the opposite direction. He really didn't want to find out whatever that thing looked like, or if it would be satisfied with such small prey.

He didn't know how long he'd been walking; it wasn't like he knew how fast time went on this planet anyway. But Aqualad was panting and wondering if he should chance drinking from the stream he'd come across when a shadow passed over him. "Huh?" Aqualad turned and lifted a hand, scanning the tree line carefully. "Is anyone there? Hello?" Some more water balls separated from the stream as he searched. PYOO! There was a flash of white light and Aqualad screamed as a powerful pain hit his ankle and echoed up the rest of his leg. Staggering, he glanced down and paled at the perfectly circular hole in his ankle, where a few tendrils of grass poked through.

"Hmph. What pitiful prey." Aqualad stumbled backwards, yelping, and falling back into the stream when he put pressure on his injured leg as a tall yellow alien with purple hair and a green loincloth dropped down from the nearby trees. He rose to his full height, glaring down at Aqualad as he rested a black weapon with a glowing white tip against his shoulder. "I had brought you here to be a challenge for me. You're more pitiful than those foolish Schlurch."

"You brought us here?" A panicked thought hit Aqualad's mind, and he pushed himself up straighter. "What did you do to Speedy?!"

"Who?" The alien frowned in confusion before his expression cleared. "Ah, the little warrior. He is currently tracking his own prey now. A pity. I thought perhaps we might enjoy a few rounds before his inevitable loss." He lifted his weapon to aim it at Aqualad, the white tip starting to glow brighter. "But it seems your heads shall sit right next to each other on my trophy wall."

Aqualad closed his eyes, focusing as the ground beneath the alien began to rumble. He frowned and lifted his weapon just as a large geyser of water erupted, sending the alien flying into the trees. Aqualad then lurched to his feet, stumbling into the brush, and grabbing random trees for support as he hurried away. He needed to find Speedy, fast!

Speedy glanced down at his communicator’s 'No Signal' message and scowled before returning it to his belt. He knew that chances of him reaching the rest of the Titans were slim, but he'd been hoping that since he and Aqualad were at least on the same planet...Sighing, the archer leaped onto another tree, trying to follow the river below as closely as possible. Knowing Aqualad, it was his best chance of tracking him down quickly. "Come on, Aqualad, where are you?"

PYOO! The odd noise sent birdlike creatures scattering into the sky as Speedy whirled towards the sound. If Hunter's target had been Aqualad, that meant either he'd been distracted hunting something else or he'd found Aqualad before Speedy. "Shit!" Dropping to the ground, Speedy began sprinting upriver.

He was so focused on tracking the noise that he didn't notice the water bubbling beside him until a pillar of water erupted. Instinctively, Speedy pulled out an arrow to aim as the water parted to reveal a familiar green figure. "YOU!" Kordax snarled, poison dropping down into the water. "You're one of Garth's pet humans!"

"PET!?" Incredibly offended, Speedy released the arrow. Kordax used the pillar to launch himself higher, dodging the arrow entirely as he plummeted downwards towards Speedy. The archer ducked and rolled out of range as the Atlantean raked long fingernails across tree bark, making the sap bubble and blister with the acid. "I'm no pet!" Another arrow was nocked and fired as the archer spun around, this one landing a glancing hit against Kordax's arm. The water on it instantly crystalized as his left arm became encased in a thick ice.

Kordax roared and charged forward, swinging his frozen arm like a club. Speedy dodged the first swing and then lifted his bow to catch the next one, which knocked him back a few feet. Pebbles broke off from the river's edge and tumbled into the water below. "Look, the guy who brought us here is out there!" Speedy pointed out into the forest. "If we work together..."

"I'M NOT SO WEAK I WOULD TURN TO HUMANS FOR AID!" Kordax snarled as his rage forced all the water around them into the air. Not far above them, a large rock shattered as the force of the Atlantean's rage pulled the water trapped behind it free, launching it forward in a torrent. Both hero and villain's eyes widened as the water slammed into them, knocking them into the river below.

His arrows were pulled free of the quiver by the water, but the archer had no time to care. Speedy tried to push through the thick liquid towards the surface, but a clawed hand on his ankle pulled him deeper as Kordax stared at him with hungry eyes. Speedy snagged one of the arrows sinking nearby and fired it, catching Kordax right in the neck. The Atlantean let out a howl of rage as he tried to claw away the growing ice around his throat, sinking deeper until he was out of sight.

Swimming with all his strength, Speedy gasped in relief as his head broke the surface. He paddled over to a low riverbank nearby and clawed his way out. He lay panting on his stomach for a few seconds before forcing himself upwards, licking his lips and then spitting in disgust. "What's wrong with the water here?!"

"98 botellas de cerveza en la pared. ¡98 botellas de cerveza! Si a una de esas botellas, Le ocurre caer, 97 botellas de cerveza en la pared!" Bumblebee's right eye was twitching as she turned off Más and Menos's microphones again.

"Kestrel, how long have they been singing?" she asked quietly as she side-eyed the twins rocking back and forth in their separate sections of the T-Ship, singing away. "Because they've just reached 97 bottles."

There was a silence before Kestrel's mind touched hers. "I think they started at 999." Bee pressed her head against the steering wheel and groaned. "Hey, imagine how annoying it would be if we couldn't turn off their mics."

"Good point," Bee admitted before lifting her head back up to the darkness of space. "Any luck reaching the boys?"

"Sadly, the vastness of space has done nothing to improve my range," Kestrel admitted sadly, rubbing at her bracelet. "But they'll be alright, right?"

"They'd better be," Bumblebee muttered, glancing down to check the coordinates again. "Cause we aren't getting there anytime soon." She fought a grimace at the despair that Kes instantly tried to hide. "Good news is we finally reached the Centauri system at least."

"That's something," Kes admitted before a blink on her radar caught her eye. "Bee..."

"I see it." Bumblebee flipped on the microphones and cut through the travel song. "We've got some company. Keep an eye on your weapons in case they prove to be hostile. We can't separate with an empty pod."

"¡Sí, señora!" There was a low hum as the T-Ships weapons charged up before a large black and silver ship shimmered into view. Bumblebee hit the brakes as the ship hovered in front of them, an intricate gold and black emblem on the front.

"Wait, I think I recognize that symbol." Kes quickly pulled up the Titans collective history files and skimmed through them briefly. "Yes, that's the emblem of the Centauri police!"

"Is that so?" Bumblebee smirked as a communications request pinged against their systems. "Will they be open to helping us?"

She felt Kes give a mental shrug in her mind. "Maybe. I'm not sure how well they think of us. But it couldn't hurt to ask."

"As long as there's no more singing." Bumblebee rolled her eyes at the twin's indignant squawks as she accepted the call. "This is the T-Ship of Teen Titans East. Think you could give us a hand?"

The red crablike figure on-screen frowned. "Did you say, 'Teen Titans'? We thought you were defenders of your own solar system. What are you doing in Centauri space?"

"Two of our friends were abducted and their last location is somewhere in your territory." Bee's eyes narrowed. "If your people are looking to attack humanity, you won't be looking at an easy target."

"What would the Centauri Empire want with mere hu-" The alien's eyes darted to the side, either watching something or listening to someone behind the screen. "Ah." He then let out a shrieking wail that suddenly cut off at the end.

Bumblebee shook her head to get rid of the ringing noise before glaring at the Centauri. "Should I take that as a threat?"

The police officer shook his head. "That is the name of a known fugitive. In your human tongue, he would be known as 'Hunter'." He pressed a button, sending a thick file along with the picture of a yellow alien with purple hair. "He is known for traveling to far off planets and bringing specimens he deems worthy back with him. Some he hunts alongside; some he uses as targets. No one has ever returned."

"Espero que no convierta a Aqualad en su compañero de caza," Menos remarked.

"Simplemente echaría de menos todo," Más agreed.

Kestrel and Bee exchanged worried looks before Bumblebee voiced Kestrel's question. "What's kept the Centauri Police from arresting him already?"

"Hunter himself remains on an expertly cloaked ship that none of our systems have been able to track." The Centauri's eyes narrowed at Bumblebee. "But if your friends were really taken by him and you can track them..."

A wicked grin slid onto Bumblebee's face. "I think we can work out a trade here. How fast can your ship move?"

Speedy scowled, running a hand through his damp hair as he shoved his few remaining arrows back into his quiver. Two explosions, an electrocution, a freezing, and a regular arrow. No heat-seeking, no sonic, no sleeping gas. Cursing Kordax, Speedy cautiously peeked out of the small cave he'd taken shelter in and looked around. He had no idea where he was and had no clue how he was going to find Aqualad either. At the very least, Kordax was likely somewhere frozen at the bottom of the river. Aqualad wasn't likely to run into him that way.

Glancing up at the slowly darkening sky, the archer reluctantly left his shelter and scrambled up the nearest tree. Moving swiftly, he leaped from branch to branch as he tried to make his way back towards the river. Hopefully, Aqualad would have the same idea, even if the water was disgusting. A rustling of the bushes below made him pause in the worst possible position as the branch he was standing on cracked and broke. Speedy yelped as he tumbled down, just managing to snag a vine long enough to slow his descent from bone-breaking to bone-rattling. "Speedy?! Oh, thank god!"

"Aqualad!" Speedy spun around, beaming at the sight of the Atlantean leaning against a tree. "I thought Hunter would have shot you by now."

"He did." He lifted his leg, making Speedy wince when he realized he could see the greenery behind Aqualad through the clean hole. "He also mentioned sticking our heads next to each other on his trophy wall."

"Of course, he did," Speedy groaned, offering a shoulder for Aqualad to lean on. "Come on. We need to find a village or something so we can call for help. Maybe for Kordax too, though I wouldn't mind leaving him here."

"Kordax is here?!" Aqualad yelped, glancing around worriedly. "Oh, that's the last thing we need right now."

Speedy frowned and elbowed the Atlantean. "Chill out. He's a chunk of ice somewhere south of here. Or whatever that direction is." He waved back towards the river. "Either way, he won't be a problem."

Aqualad glanced at Speedy's hair and smirked. "I was wondering about the new look. Going more Robin-esque." The archer growled at him angrily, making the other laugh.

PYOO! The ground in front of them erupted as the heroes staggered back. Hunter leaped over from the side, landing in a crouch as he aimed his weapon at the pair. "I didn't believe I would have to explain this to you," he growled darkly at Speedy. "Hunters do not interfere with the other's prey."

"You didn't want me as your prey, Speedy?" Aqualad cooed as he released Speedy's arm. "I'm offended."

"It was a random lottery," Speedy protested with a grin, pulling out an exploding arrow and charging it. "I'd pick you over Kordax any day."

"I'm touched." Growling, Hunter fired and the pair dove to opposite sides. Speedy released his own arrow, but Hunter swung, and his weapon emerged from the ensuing explosion unharmed. He aimed for the rapidly running Speedy, but a trio of water balls smacked against his face, and he aimed wide. The tree that he hit instead sagged over the hole before toppling to the ground as the alien turned back to Aqualad.

"I always get my prey for I am..." He threw his head back for that wailing scream again, but Speedy's electric arrow smacked into his water-covered side, making Hunter jolt. His weapon slipped free from temporarily numb hands and Speedy instantly dove for it. But just as his hand touched the weapon, Hunter caught him around his chest. Speedy cried out in pain as long purple claws dug into his skin and audible cracks echoed from his squeezing. Hunter lifted Speedy up so he could look him right in the eyes. "You are no warrior."

There was a charging noise and both of them glanced down. Aqualad was sitting there, pressing the weapon up between Hunter's legs. "He's a better warrior than you." Speedy sank the arrow he'd pulled from his quiver into Hunter's hand. The alien dropped him just as Aqualad squeezed the trigger. PYOO! The resulting explosion knocked the three apart with Aqualad and Speedy landing on one side of the clearing and the top half of Hunter hitting the other. Panting, Aqualad looked over at Speedy and grinned. "That count as a headshot?"

The archer threw his head back and cackled. "We'll count it if Bee asks." There was a whoosh and a black and silver ship tore through the horizon heading straight for them. "What are the odds it's someone else we need to fight?" Speedy asked as he pulled one of his two remaining arrows free and nocked it, ignoring his aching ribs.

"Considering the day we've been having, pretty high," Aqualad admitted as he aimed Hunter's weapon at the landing ship. There was a puff of smoke as the door slowly opened, and then a familiar blur rushed out.

"¡Te encontramos! ¡Aún no te comieron!" the twins cheered as they joyfully darted around the pair in circles.

"Más? Menos?" Speedy slowly lowered his bow as Bumblebee and Kestrel both raced off the ship as well. "Hey, about time you got here!"

"You both are in so much trouble!" Bumblebee scolded as she pulled them both in for tight hugs. "How dare you get abducted by aliens and make me worry!?"

"Bee, they're both hurt!" Kes warned, offering her shoulder for Aqualad to lean on as Bee released the pair. "The medical bay onboard should be able to treat you both."

"Thank god," Aqualad breathed as he sagged against her. "And I want it to be written down somewhere that I got the winning shot on that guy. Not Speedy, me."

Speedy rolled his eyes. "It's still only one win, so I'm still on top," he muttered, making Kes giggle.

A group of crablike mechanical aliens swarmed around Hunter's body, wrapping him up in several green tentacles. Más and Menos paused for a closer look. "Sabes, no parece tan amenazante como en la foto," Menos commented.

"Sí, realmente se saltó el día de las piernas." Speedy and Aqualad jolted as they saw Hunter being lifted, with itty bitty legs growing out of his muscular torso.

"And he regenerates," Aqualad hissed through his teeth. "That's just my luck today."

Bumblebee and Kestrel sighed together as Speedy started laughing. “Let’s just go home.

The last of the ice finally gone, Kordax broke free of the water’s surface. He glanced around before there was a loud rumble. A black and silver ship streaked across the sky, and some instinctive part of him knew that Garth was on that ship. He lifted a hand and raged at the setting sun. “GARTH!!!”

Chapter Text

It was time. Neron nodded to himself and carefully rebound the scroll containing the details of Trigon's original contract with him. Thanks to the spirit binding ritual, Trigon's granddaughter had grown sufficiently in power. Not enough to rival her mother in strength, of course, but strong enough to contain the fragment of Trigon's soul that Neron had guarded for eons. And before the end of current Earth year, just as he'd promised. A low chuckle slipped free as Neron snapped, summoning a minor demon to return the scroll. He pushed back from his desk and strode into his vault. The crystal that housed Trigon began glowing as Neron approached and dropped into a customary kneel. The surface twisted and warped as two sets of glowing red eyes swirled into view. "Lord Trigon, she is ready."

"Is she?" The short question made the walls tremble ominously. "Last we spoke, Neron, her powers were slowly weakening." Neron instinctively flinched as blood red magic coiled around him and dragged into the air. He fought the urge to squirm under the dual-eyed gaze. "If she breaks beneath me..."

A large part of him wanted to laugh, but Neron ruthlessly suppressed it and merely smirked at his fellow demon king. "Lord Trigon, you forget that your powers are not what they once were." Trigon growled as the Lord of Lies continued. "You are but a single raindrop compared to the hurricane of your full strength. If you were at full power, this would be impossible as no one could stand against your strength." The tendrils of magic loosened slightly, and Neron pushed back against them, freeing himself to float gracefully back down to the floor. "She will live, and her body will last until you have regained your strength. To offer otherwise would violate the terms of our deal."

There was a pause as Trigon predictably reached out with his own power. He gave a reluctant grunt of acknowledgement. "Very well. The next step?"

Human teeth lengthened into fangs as Neron snapped his fingers. His scrying mirror slid through a portal to land between the two demon kings, swirling with magic as the Titans Tower of Steel City shimmered into view. "We shall begin at your leisure."

Christmas wasn't usually a day off for heroes. There was always at least one crook who wanted to take advantage of the holiday spirit to rob a few banks, blow up some bridges, kidnap the mayor. Some were dramatic enough to start plans a week early with the climactic bits always winding up to coincide with midnight before Christmas Day. So as a compromise for the inevitable, the Teen Titans usually had their holiday party a week or so early, with food and games and the traditional Secret Santa. White Elephant had been attempted once and then banned after some apparent nastiness the year before. This year, it was the Titans East Tower's turn to host all the heroes ranging from the original five to more freelancers like KF and Jinx.

This meant everything was decked out in traditional Christmas lights and colors, with garlands and bells hanging from walls and ceilings. Several tables sagged with an eclectic mixture of foods made at the tower and other treats bought by their guests. Even now, there were Titans returning to refill their plates as most gathered in a corner to watch the unwrapping of Secret Santa presents.

The gifts themselves tended to vary. Jericho had recorded a lovely song on his guitar to present to a giggling Kole, while Wildebeest wore the paper flower crown that Melvin had crafted with dignity. Red Star had given a hand-knitted sweater even as Lightning sat in the corner with his brother and giggled every time he pressed a hand to his new plasma ball. But none of the packages had been quite as large as the one Kes was currently fighting to get open. Gritting her teeth, Kestrel gave a final tug, and the stubborn layers of packing tape finally gave way. She shot a glare at Kid Flash as the lid to the large box finally opened. "What exactly did you get that would need 8 strips of tape to keep closed?" she asked before peeking inside. The girl blinked a few times before looking at the gift-giver again. "This couldn't have been under the $50 limit."

Kid scoffed and zipped over. "I swear I only spent $50 of my own money on this!" He reached inside and pulled out a small pale brown teddy bear dressed in Kestrel's costume, complete with mask. "Besides, look how cute this is!"

Cyborg glanced up from reading the direction manual for the new waffle maker that Pantha had purchased. "That's a lot of cardboard for one tiny bear," he pointed out.

Kid Flash puffed up indignantly as Jinx loudly sighed and rolled her eyes from her perch on the couch. "Are you serious? This is Kestrel's first Christmas and that means she technically missed out on sixteen years of presents!"

"That's really not how that works," Kes attempted to protest even as the box was whirled away, and its contents lined up before her. She buried her face in her hands as the snickers from the other Titans started. "Kid, really?"

Sitting in front of her was an army of teddy bears, all dressed in a superhero costume. The Kestrel bear was right up front, with the bears representing Titans East on its left and the ones portraying Robin's team on the right. Rounding off the group to a total of sixteen were bears for Kid Flash himself, Jinx, Herald, and then Red X and Slade for some odd reason. Jinx leaned over to pat Kes on the back as Kid Flash beamed proudly. "I originally wanted to keep Más and Menos as a pair and get you another one, but that would have put me just over the limit," the speedster admitted. "Best present ever or what?"

Más and Menos glanced over at the sound of their names before instantly sprinting over to examine their bears. "¡Ooh genial!"

Starfire let out a delighted squeal as she flew over to pick up the Robin bear. "Oh, it is just like Robin! So soft!" She buried her face in the fur happily.

"You can keep it, Starfire." The Tamaranean's delighted gasp was almost overshadowed by KF's howl of dismay. Kestrel ignored him as she added, "In fact, anyone who wants to take a bear can have one."

"That is not in keeping with the holiday spirit!" Kid angrily protested as Más and Menos cheered before racing off, holding each other's bear in their opposite hands. Herald nonchalantly strolled over and almost casually scooped up his and Bumblebee's bears. He offered his own to her with a cheeky grin, and Bee playfully shoved him before tucking the bear with his plush silver horn under his arm. Melvin, Timmy, and Teether all raced over as well before Kid Flash scooped up the bears and raced over to dump them safely behind Kestrel. "No present returning!"

"Ignoring the obvious fact that you definitely overspent on these, there are a few reasons I won't take them." Kes picked up the Jinx and KF bears and tossed them at the speedster. "One, I'm definitely not keeping teddy bears of people in relationships already; that's just so weird! Two, why exactly would you think I'd want teddy bear versions of Red X and Slade? What am I supposed to do with them?"

"Stage epic battles between the forces of good and evil of course!" There was a blur of yellow and red as KF organized the bears so that the Titans were supposedly attacking a Slade and Red X who were on the defensive. And wielding steak knives for some reason. "You always have epic stuffed animal wars!"

Kestrel turned to stare at Jinx who gave a shrug. "I know, but he got this into his head. Be grateful I managed to talk him out of the life-sized ones." The look of pure horror on Kestrel's face made Jinx laugh.

Timmy eagerly latched onto the Raven teddy bear and let out a scream when Kid tried to take it back. "Want Raven, want Raven!"

An ominous shadow outlined in white appeared behind Kid Flash, make him pale. "Let him have the bear, Kid," Raven firmly stated. Kid Flash gave a heavy sigh but let go and Timmy eagerly rejoined his siblings. Melvin had taken a liking to Cyborg's bear, and Teeter had already ripped the head from Aqualad's. Starfire was pressing the noses of the Robin and Starfire bears together and giggling while Beast Boy tossed the Slade bear up and down, his own teddy getting a piggyback ride.

When Cyborg gave him a look, Beast Boy quickly explained, "I'm gonna hide it in Robin's room. Maybe he can use it for target practice." Cyborg thought for a few seconds before grinning widely.

Kestrel sighed and gratefully took a seat as the door slid open. Speedy smoothly rejoined the party, having had to lead a furious Robin on a merry chase when he'd presented his Secret Santa gift to Starfire. The collection of clippings and articles from Robin's early days as a hero were a lovely gift, but Robin had more than a few problems with the numerous pictures that Speedy had added. Kes side-eyed her teammate as he hopped over the back of the sofa to join her. "Finally lose him?"

Speedy grinned and pulled an arrow from his quiver. "New trapping arrow I'm experimenting with," he explained, tapping on the head. "When it hits, it releases a fast-drying and quick-spreading gel. Caught him down on the second floor. He'll get out of it. Eventually."

"Bee's going to kill you," Kes pointed out as the archer returned the arrow.

"Eh, we'll just add it to the rest of the clean-up we'll have to do later." Speedy leaned back, paused, and then reached behind him and pulled out the Kestrel bear. He stared down at it for a few seconds before turning with a smirk to an already blushing Kestrel. "I take it this is yours?"

Kes quickly snatched it from his hands. "KF's idea," she mentally muttered. "Fourteen teddy bear heroes and two villains. Do I look like I'm six?"

Speedy looked around, counting out all the bears he could see scattered around the room. "How exactly did he justify the money limit?"

"$50 of his money." As Speedy rolled his eyes, Kestrel picked up one of the remaining teddies off the floor and offered it to him. "You can keep him if you want. I already said anyone could take one."

The archer blinked down at the brown bear dressed in his costume with a small stuffed bow in one hand before shaking his head. "Nah. You're at least keeping this one, yeah?" He tapped the Kestrel bear and Kes gave a slow nod. Grinning, he plucked his bear from her hand and pressed it against Kestrel's. "So, you have to give her at least one friend. She'll be lonely otherwise."

Kes stared at the two teddies cuddling together and gave a small smile. "Well, it's down to you or Red X, so given the options..."

"Hey!" Speedy's playful protest made them both laugh even as the door opened. Robin stumbled in, some thick gel stuck to his left shoe and his hair a mess. He scowled at Speedy and made to approach him, only to be waylaid by Starfire and the bears in her arms. "And that's my cue to slip away until he calms down." Grinning, the archer waved before merging with the rest of the crowd. Kes shook her head and smiled as she settled back against the couch. Gnarrk was struggling through unwrapping what looked to be a mace of some kind, and the stress was beginning to make her feel twitchy. So, the light touch of Raven's hand on her shoulder made her jump.

"We need to talk." Kes swallowed at Raven's flat statement and nodded. Thankfully, Gnarrk's attempt to use his gift to smash through the remains of the wrapping paper provided a good distraction, so no one noticed the pair slipping out into the hallway.

The second they were out, a portal appeared overhead and Skidmark dropped down to land in the center of Kestrel's hood. Already half-expecting it, she absently reached up to scratch his chin as she started at Raven's back. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Why were you looking through my files last week?" Kes barely managed to keep from flinching as Raven turned to glare at her. "Not only are those private, but shouldn't you already have memories of them?"

"I do," Kestrel admitted. "But I wanted some...clarification on things." A purring Skidmark bumped his head against her head as her hand dropped. "I was planning on talking to you about it later, after the party."

"We'll talk now." Raven stepped closer, the shadows of her pulled-up hood making her eyes look dark and fathomless. She glanced at the demon cat, who laid his head down on Kes's shoulder. "Have your powers increased again? Were you looking for a way to block out emotions?" 

"I... not exactly." Kestrel rubbed at her temples before sighing and tugging off one of her gloves. She held out a finger, revealing a faint white scar on the side. "I was chopping vegetables for dinner and then Aqualad and Speedy had a fight about something. Aqualad got really angry, and I wasn't prepared, so I slipped and accidentally cut myself." Raven frowned as she got closer, staring down at the scar. "It wasn't a deep cut, but by the time I wiped off the blood..."

"...It was already healing," Raven finished. Kestrel nodded as she slipped the glove back on.

"I know that you said I only had your empathy, back when I first woke up. This didn't feel like something Skidmark has either." The cat lifted his head at the sound of his name curiously before dropping it again. "I just...wanted some answers."

Raven frowned thoughtfully. "It's true that my healing abilities are tied to my empathy. In theory, your powers could reach a level where you could heal, though it would take a great deal of power to reach that next stage." She glared at Kestrel. "You should have contacted us the second it happened."

Kes glared down at the floor. "I know, but what good would it have done? We already know that my powers are growing because of the soul bind. If I brought it up, you'd only tell me the obvious. 'Don't use them, don't make your powers stronger because Neron wants that for some still unknown reason'." She crossed her arms and lifted her gaze back to Raven. "I just wanted to feel like I had control over something."

Sighing, Raven pushed her hood back. "Kestrel, I know. I'm sorry." Kes looked away guiltily. "It hasn't happened since?" Kes shook her head. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Not even the bruises from training have healed any quicker than before." The quiet relief she was picking up from Raven made her angry, though she knew it was pointless. Hastily, Kes tamped it down. "But I was wondering..."

"No." The instant shutdown made Kestrel's shoulders tense. "It's a bad idea. Until we know what Neron wants, it's too dangerous to try and increase your abilities any further."

Kes grit her teeth as she felt Skidmark heat up against her back, reacting to her anger. "Our team doesn't have an active healer. If Aqualad is away or out of commission, we’ll have to rely on traditional medicine, which is slow. If I could learn to use this, learn to heal, then..."

"No, Kestrel." The double-punch of fear and anger made Kes instinctively step back even as Raven's hair fell back down. She exhaled through her nose, wrestling with control for a few brief seconds before opening her eyes again. "Once Neron is handled, we can perhaps discuss it. But not before then." Kestrel nodded reluctantly, unclenching her fists as Raven walked past her. "We should get back to the party before people start asking where we are."

Kes didn't respond, instead reaching up to rub absently at Skidmark's head. She only stopped when Raven stepped through the door. Instead of following her, she walked away, disappearing deeper into the tower.

A party usually required a lot of food, and that meant there were a lot of dirty dishes left behind. Even as the dishwasher hummed behind her, Kestrel stood at the kitchen sink, scrubbing at one of the pots. Skidmark perched on the edge of the counter, tail twitching as he swiped at the bubbles floating on the hot water's surface. Finally satisfied, Kes picked up one of the less damp rags and began wiping at the metal. Just leaving everything on the drying rack would give her no room to work.

She was still angry. The brief stop to her room to try and meditate had eased her temper slightly, but it hadn't gotten rid of the anger entirely. So instead, Kes had tried to do something productive. It would be better than hopelessly meditating in her room or returning to the party to fake smiles even as a headache pounded. This was the most people she'd been around outside of a combat situation, and the pressure of all the emotions crowded. Skidmark tried to roll onto his back, accidentally sticking his ears in the water and making him jump in shock. Kestrel smiled as the cat shook his head rapidly, sending water droplets flying. "Your own fault," she pointed out as she set the now gleaming pot aside.

The door to the kitchen slid open and Kes half-turned to see Speedy walking in. He smiled even as she turned to grab one of the dirty pans. "You know, people are normally expected to wait on cleaning those until after the party's over."

"Wanted to get a head-start on it," Kestrel replied, pausing as the archer's emotions touched hers. She sighed, letting her head drop along with the pan and sponge. "Raven told you?"

"She's not saying anything," Speedy denied, leaning against the opposite side of the sink. "But people noticed you were gone. Everything good?"

She clicked her tongue against her teeth absently, wondering how much she should tell him. Skidmark, sensing her change in mood, abandoned the counter for his usual perch atop the fridge. "My powers are growing again. I thought I could actually do something useful with them."

"They have been useful though," Speedy pointed out. "We've walked into so many ambushes with the upper hand thanks to them." Kes snorted, returning to angrily scrubbing at the pan. "Kes, come on."

Suddenly furious, she slammed the pan down on the sink, making the archer jump. Skidmark stared down at her, tail slowly beginning to sway. "And that's supposed to make up for all the trouble they've caused? Everything I've felt, all the changes that have been made to the tower?! All the demons that have attacked?!" She swept out an arm towards the ceiling. "The whole Christmas party which was supposed to be held at the Titans Europe tower this year but had to be changed because it's too dangerous for me to leave the tower for very long these days?! Because if Neron makes a grab for me away from Steel City, all the safety measures we put in place are pointless and even more people are going to get killed!" Kes tried to clamp down on the rage, but her head only started throbbing more.

"No one wanted to leave you behind," Speedy pointed out, slowly reaching for her. He pulled back when Kestrel flinched away. "Kes..."

"I shouldn't be here! If I'd just been left in that stupid tank, if they'd never woken me up..." Suddenly miserable, she turned back and started rummaging around in the soapy water. "Just, just go away, Speedy. Go back to the party."

"If you think I'm leaving you like this," Speedy growled, only to flinch when Kestrel let out a surprised mental cry. She jerked her hand free from the water, her palm already bleeding. "Shit, did you hit a knife or..." Even as he reached for a rag to bandage the cut, Kestrel's skin started to glow white. There was a shimmering flash and when it faded, there was nothing, but a faint white line slashed across her hand. Kes's eyes closed in shame even as Skidmark's tail thrashing picked up. Speedy gently caught her hand and flipped it over, running his fingers over the scar. "I'm guessing this is what you and Raven were talking about."

Kestrel nodded, refusing to meet Speedy's eyes. "It was an accident," she whispered weakly. "I didn't...I..."

"Hey, it's alright." He squeezed her hand. "This actually seems pretty useful. Now, if you'd blown up the dishwasher, then I definitely would have been pissed." The joke earned him a surprised giggle and Speedy leaned forward to let his forehead rest against hers. "It's gonna be alright, Kes."

"...Will it though?" Before Speedy could respond, the kitchen door flew open and people started charging in, Bumblebee and Robin at the head. As the room filled with everyone's emotions, Kes tugged her hand free and stepped back from the archer.

"What happened?" Bumblebee demanded, a stinger angrily sparking in one hand. "We heard Kes scream."

Más and Menos scrambled past everyone's legs to embrace's Kestrel's in a gentle hug. "¿Paso algo? ¿Speedy hizo algo?" The last part made Speedy glare at them.

"I'm fine. Just hit a knife in the water, I'm sorry," Kes quickly apologized. The tension instantly eased from most of the heroes, except for one. A few of the pots and pans began glowing with black light as Raven floated over to Kestrel. Reluctantly, Kes offered her palm to Raven. The sorceress stared at the new scar and frowned. "It was an accident," she repeated for only Raven to hear.

Raven opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when a familiar horn started playing and Herald dropped to land in a crouch on the counter. He stared down at them with a grave expression. "Kestrel, have you been feeling weird?"

The non-sequitur made everyone stare in confusion. Kestrel forced a dry swallow before responding. "There's been a lot of people, so I've been dealing with a lot of emotions, I guess."

"Any pain? Mood-swings?" His eyes fell to her open palm still in Raven's hand. "Unexplained bursts of power?"

"Herald," Bumblebee growled up at her boyfriend. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying is that the crystal I installed, the one that's running all the magical securities?" He flipped open his communicator to show a picture he'd taken. "It has a crack in it."

"A crack?!" Robin shoved his way forward to snatch the communicator from his hands. "I thought you said that crystal was basically indestructible!"

Herald glared at Robin. "No, I said that barely anything from any dimensional plane could break it. And that's still true?"

"Did XL Terrestrial break in again?" Aqualad asked. "If he had that amulet from Neron before, then maybe he was given something else to..."

"That's not what's going on," Herald interrupted. He looked over at Kestrel and sighed. "The damage isn't external, it's internal. Someone's attacking the tower, and whoever it is has enough power that the crystal can’t stand against them. It's overloading."

Speedy frowned. "And Neron isn't at that level of power?" he asked. When Herald shook his head, he threw his hands up in the air angrily. "Then he is an intermediary. But who would he be working for that...?"

"Oh." Speedy trailed off to look at Kestrel, who was staring at a guilty looking Herald. "It's Trigon, isn't it? Trigon's the one who wants to possess me." Everyone froze at the statement, silence filling the room as Herald gave a reluctant nod.

Menos swallowed and raised his hand. "¿Por qué Trigon querría a Kes? ¿No fue Raven quien lo destruyó en mil millones de pedazos?"

"Yeah, how is he even still around?" Beast Boy added, bouncing over to grab onto Raven's shoulders. "You blew him to bits, Raven! Right?" He stared at the helpless look on Raven's face, ears drooping nervously. "Right?"

Robin glanced at the Titans still awkwardly peeking in through the door and then back to Kestrel, who had dropped her gaze to the floor. "Party's over. We need to prepare."

Bumblebee angrily drummed her fingers against the table as she glared at Robin through the video monitor. Most of the Titans had been sent back to their homes to prepare in case Trigon did invade again. Robin's team was digging up all the intel they'd collected during his last attack, as well as the protections they'd attempted to use for Raven. Aqualad was in contact with Atlantis for potential aid, while Speedy was filling in Green Arrow and the rest of the Justice League. "Herald says the damage is around the core of the crystal. He's trying to fix it with Jinx's help, but even then..."

"It's a stop-gap," Robin finished. The Titan's leader angrily ran a hand through his hair. "We know that your tower is currently the safest place for her, even with the damage. But it will take time to set up a new safe-room for her."

"You don't have to tell me that, Rob," Bee growled, turning to stare out at the sun setting over the water. "Just get back here as fast as you can."

"...How...how is she?" Bee blinked before glancing back to Robin. "Has she said anything?" Bee bit her lip before sadly shaking her head. As the other Titans left, Kestrel had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Given the sudden lack of emotion that touched them all, she assumed that Kes was meditating to try and keep control. As she reported this to Robin, the Boy Wonder sighed. "Damnit, I should have seen this coming!"

"Yeah, we all should have seen an inter-dimensional demon returning from the dead to attack us and possess Kes," Bee flatly replied with an eye roll. "You're not omniscient, Robin. We just need to deal with it."

Robin frowned but nodded. "Keep her safe, Bumblebee. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"I'll look out for my team, Robin," Bee promised as the call disconnected. The door slid open as she turned away, with Aqualad striding in quickly. "What did Atlantis say?"

The Atlantean sighed. "Nothing much, really. With Ocean Master still at war, they can't afford to send us too much help right now." He dropped down gracelessly into one of the chairs. "They're sending some warriors our way and Aquaman is hoping the threat of Trigon might convince Orm to have a temporary truce. If anything could do that, it's Trigon." The humorless smile faded as he looked out over the water. "They won't be here for another two days though."

"It's better than nothing," Bumblebee muttered. There was a blur over the water and Kid Flash skidded to a smoking halt next to the table, with the twins swiftly joining him. "Anything?"

"Titans Europe is as prepared as they can be, and we filled in the mayor and local police," KF reported, vanishing for a few seconds only to return with a large sandwich. "Not much they can do considering it's a supernatural threat, but they'll be trying to get the homeless population of the street. Mayor's decided to keep it quiet for now, in case of riots."

Más and Menos also blurred away for a few seconds. "Jinx dice que ella y Herald han parcheado el cristal lo mejor que han podido. Están intentando prepararse para una reparación completa; creen que tienen todo lo que necesitan a mano."

"Justice League is running on high alert," Speedy added, the door sliding shut behind him. "GA says that they've got eyes on all the dimensions to try and cut Trigon off if he tries to make a move. Green Lantern's trying to pull the rest of the corps for aid too. But it will take time."

Bumblebee sighed. "And now we wait." She propped herself on the table as the boys all crowded around her. Stars slowly started appearing in the night sky as the last traces of the sun vanished over the horizon.

The garden was black. Black and twisted and overgrown with weeds, no matter how hard Kestrel pushed against them. But she'd known it was futile from the beginning. She could always get rid of others’ emotions, but not her own. Never her own. Exhausted and head throbbing, Kes slowly opened her eyes and fell back onto her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, admiring the pale glowing light of the witch's balls that the twins had hung up, all glowing with Atlantean magic. Made so that she'd be able to sleep at night in peace and safety.

Kes looked over to the bedside table, where her bracelet sat. Normally, she'd have slid it back onto her wrist, but not now. Her friends didn't need to deal with her emotions, not now. Not when all she was filled with was despair. It was Trigon. Not some nameless demon with too-big ambitions, but Trigon. Trigon the Terrible. Conqueror of dimensions, Ruiner of worlds, bogeyman of demons. And he was coming for her.

Kestrel had thought she was brave. Had hoped she'd have the courage to do what needed to be done. Had believed she'd gotten that from Robin at least. But even when she reached over to open the drawer, had picked up the small packet containing the cyanide pill she'd concocted a few days after binding to Skidmark, she'd always dropped it back inside and slammed the drawer shut. Like a coward. If she were truly brave, she would have swallowed the pill, have killed herself so that Trigon would never succeed in possessing her.

But she couldn't do it. Not because she thought she was strong enough to win, or because of the promise that she'd made with Speedy. But because she was scared. Absently, Kes reached up to rub at the tears that had leaked past her mask to roll down her cheeks. She rolled onto her side and blinked at the two teddy bears that someone, (probably Kid Flash), had left on her bed after she'd left the party. One dressed as her, the other in Speedy's costume. Sniffling, she slapped her bear to the ground and pulled the Speedy bear closer, burying her face in the costume as she shook with silent sobs. I want to live, I want to live, she wept into fabric. She wanted to spar with Bumblebee, chat with Aqualad, chase Más and Menos out of the kitchen. Sit in the garage with Speedy and work on their bikes, have another sleepover with the girls. Kestrel didn't want to die.

As the tears slowly subsided, Kes rolled over with the bear pressed against her chest. Her head still ached, though now she knew it was from Trigon trying to break in and possess her. Sighing, she forced herself to sit up and placed her hands on her knees, entering her mind once more. Once again seated at her mental gazebo, she focused and began to chant. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

The sound of a stick breaking made her jump and turn, staring in shock at the large white tiger standing in front of her. "You don't normally come this far," Kes pointed out as Skidmark approached and pressed his head against her stomach. "What are you doing here now?"

Skidmark made a chuffing noise and turned to glance up at the sky. Kes followed his gaze and froze. Rather than the normal blue vastness, or even the storm-ridden gray she'd expected, there was a crack. A thick black crack that began to glow red as it spread wider and wider. At this point, she knew it was over. The crystal had failed, Herald and Jinx's patch attempts hadn't worked. Instantly, Kes bolted from the gazebo, charging through the brambles of the hedge maze rather than sticking to the path because if there was ever a time for speed, it was now. Pieces of the sky began plummeting as a red hand with black clawed nails reached down even as she raced through the gate. Eyes flying open, Kestrel dove for her bracelet, grasping it even as blood-filled tears poured down from her eyes. "HE'S HERE! TRIGON'S..."

And then she knew no more.

"HE'S HERE! TRIGON'S..." The mental scream made everyone launch to their feet and streak for the door, weapons in hand. Of course, it was Kid Flash who reached the door first, only to end up blasted back into a wall the second he tried to vibrate through it. The twins zipped to opposite sides to help him sit up as the other Titans joined them. Then the door slid open.

She wasn't wearing her bracelet. That was the first thing Speedy noticed about the Kestrel who stepped out of her room. Rather than anxious, tense, and guilt-ridden, the person in front of him stood there relaxed, with hands lightly folded atop their arms and a smirk on their face. Speedy reached for his quiver slowly as Bumblebee braced herself in front of the team. "Kes?" she slowly asked.

The smirk grew wider still as the edges of Kestrel's mask began to glow red. Slowly, from the outside in, it disintegrated and crumbled away until nothing remained. Just two pairs of closed lids, which opened to reveal glowing red pupilless eyes. Kestrel was gone, and all that remained was Trigon.

Chapter Text

Instantly, Bumblebee lunged for Trigon. The demon easily sidestepped his attacker, sealing the door behind him and leaving Bee trapped inside. Aqualad launched himself into a tackle which had Trigon flip backwards to catch the Atlantean right in the nose with a kick. Aqualad yelped in pain, blood dripping down his face even as Speedy released his first arrow. Trigon slapped it away, tilting his head back to release a silent laugh as a thick coat of ice began growing on the wall. When no sound escaped his mouth, he paused and frowned. That's when the door to Kestrel's room burst open and Bumblebee came out swinging, electricity leaping free as she charged. "Más! Menos! Go!"

With the demon distracted, Más and Menos saluted before linking hands and streaking out of the hallway. "¡Llamaremos para pedir ayuda!" they called, only to run face first into a pair of legs as a neon green portal appeared in front of the stairwell. A tall blond man in a dark suit stepped free of the portal, sneering down at the twins. "No bueno!" The speedsters sprinted back towards the rest of the team. "¡Hay un tipo raro en la torre! ¡Podría ser un demonio!"

"Because that's the last thing we needed," Aqualad cursed as the pipe behind the frozen wall burst. Trigon rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A wall of dark red flames appeared, shielding him from the shards of ice. Kid Flash instantly launched an attack, spiraling around the demon and creating a fire whirl that had the smoke alarms screaming. But even through the flames, Trigon's smirk could barely be seen. As the speedster completed another lap, he suddenly let out a pained cry as he stumbled into a wall. Kid looked down at his leg to see his right ankle had been twisted so that it was almost facing the wrong way.

"Kid! You good?" Speedy asked as he aimed another arrow, releasing it at the same time as Bumblebee fired her stingers and Aqualad channeled a jet of water. The three projectiles swirled together as the fire whirl weakened and died. But each one collided with a familiar looking red energy shield and were destroyed instantly.

"Yeah, I'll heal," KF grunted as Más and Menos raced over to grip the injured leg. He gritted his teeth and nodded, barely holding back a scream as the twins twisted the ankle back to its proper place before his accelerated healing could lock it in. "What was that about another demon?"

There was a flash and burst of green light and the Titans were sent scattering with cries of pain. The blond demon lowered his glowing green fist and then dropped into a respectful kneel before Kestrel's body. "Lord Trigon. I see that the terms of our deal have been fulfilled."

"Neron," Bumblebee hissed as she pushed herself up on her arms. But the two demons ignored her as Trigon stepped forward to catch Neron's jaw.

"Have they, Neron?" The two sets of red eyes glowed sharply as jagged cracks in a similar color began forming on Neron's skin. The Wishweaver squirmed slightly as Trigon's grip tightened. "This body is defective. I cannot access even a fragment of my true power! It can't even speak properly." Scowling, he shoved Neron's head down before stepping past him. "Do you not remember the terms accurately, or were you seeking to cheat me?"

Coughing, Neron quickly and gracefully rose to his feet again. "I would never. Lord Trigon, you must realize that no human could ever exist that could truly hold all your power. Until you have regained your strength..." Trigon's eyes flashed again and a burst of red energy launched Neron down the hallway into the far wall. Aqualad quickly reached out to snag Bee's wrist, shaking his head cautiously as Trigon casually strode past them. Bumblebee grit her teeth angrily before turning to the speedsters.

Warn the others, she signed carefully, grateful they'd all taken the time to at least pick up the most likely signs for them to use. Más and Menos instantly vanished, heading for the main-ops room to alert the other Titans as Kid Flash vibrated through the floor to hopefully warn Jinx and Herald. Speedy slid an arrow from his quiver as silently as he could, nocking it even as the small puddles of water began sliding closer and closer to Aqualad. Bee turned to stare at the back of their possessed friend with her stingers charging up to full.

Trigon didn't notice or didn't care, staring down at a winded and angry Neron before sniffing dismissively. "The only reason you yet live is that you still have your uses to me." He crouched down so that his head rested by the demon's ear, and his mental voice became a mere whisper. "You will serve me until I have regained my full power. To be Trigon is to be power."

The elevator door slid open, and the Titans instantly reacted. "Now!" Bee yelled as she fired her stingers, bolts of electricity twining with Aqualad's thick water whips. Speedy released a trio of exploding arrows at once, which spiraled around the waves of hot pink magic and sonic blasts from Jinx and Herald. Kid Flash and the twins streaked ahead of the attacks, ready to shove the demons forward and hold them down so that they couldn't escape.

Trigon and Neron shared an exhausted sigh as both lifted a hand. Más and Menos let out confused cries as they froze in place, bodies pinned to the floor by green light. Kid Flash vibrated madly, but not even that could break Neron's hold. All the magic and mechanics aimed for them converged onto the center of Trigon's palm, fading away to almost nothing as the demon smirked. Then his palm began glowing red and started expanding. "Oh, don't you dare!" Jinx pressed her hands together into a merged fist and slammed it to the ground as hard as she could. The floor instantly shattered beneath everyone's feet, forcing Trigon's aim upwards as heroes and villains fell to the third floor, and tearing a massive hole in the tower so that the light of the setting sun could be seen.

Growling, Trigon lunged to his feet with glowing eyes, focused directly on a smug Jinx. "You weak little human!" Two sets of eye beams fired forward, only to miss when Kid Flash scooped Jinx up and carried her out of range. The demon's attempt to follow them was cut off when Speedy snagged one of the abandoned trays and flung it into Trigon's head, making him stagger forward and close his eyes.

"How's this for weak?" Bumblebee crowed as she caught Trigon under the jaw in a powerful uppercut. As the demon's feet left the ground, the right one was snagged by Aqualad to half-spin him into the nearest wall. Even as Trigon staggered free, Herald lifted his horn to his lips and played. The sound was beautiful to the mortals but made the demon scream in agony as his hands flew to cover his bleeding ears. "Boys?"

"Los tenemos!" Más and Menos held up the power-suppression cuffs they'd snagged earlier. "¡Y también les agregamos algunos trozos rotos del cristal de poder!"

"Nice," Speedy praised as he stepped behind the demon and pulled his hands behind his back. "Don't worry, Kes. We'll get him out of you," he whispered as the twins sped forward to lock them tight.

"Oh, I don't believe you will." Neon green power filled the room as thick tendrils wrapped themselves around each Titans' arms, legs, and throat. Weapons tumbled to the ground as each hero was pulled apart to be slammed against separate walls. Neron chuckled as Trigon panted on his knees. "Causing superficial damage is all well and good, but the contract wouldn't permit me to let you win after all."

"Neron..." Trigon glared angrily, spitting blood onto the tile. The demon smirked before crouching down and cupping Trigon's head gently. But his fingers were tight enough against his neck that it would take minimal effort to crush it.

"Perhaps 'Trigon is power', but you are not there yet," Neron cooed. "Until then, you will respect me. Now come." He casually reached down and lifted Trigon into a bridal carry. "This body is still too weak, and you will need to regain your strength." As a portal appeared behind him, the demon paused before stepping through it. He half-turned and caught Speedy's eye. "I would give up on this body's former inhabitant. It belongs to Trigon now, as per the deal."

"You...!" Speedy fought against the bonds, but they lasted long enough for Neron to carry Trigon away and the portal to close. Instantly, the magic vanished and most of the Titans fell to their hands and knees on the floor. Bumblebee caught herself and hovered long enough to land. Gritting his teeth, Speedy shot to his feet and glared at his leader. "What's the plan, Bee?"

"Get up to main-ops and pull up Kestrel's tracking data," Bee instantly proclaimed. "Looks like Trigon didn't bother removing her suit. We have a teammate to get back."

While most of the fourth floor had been destroyed by the battle, Kestrel's room remained surprisingly intact aside from the broken door. Curled up under the nightstand was a little tabby cat with black stripes. His side rose and fell smoothly with even breaths until suddenly his eyes shot open. The kitten glanced around, yawning lazily before stretching casually. He trotted over to the large hole that used to be the door, sniffed at the edge of the lost floor a few times before turning back. A black and white portal appeared before him, and the kitten leaped through it to land a floor above in the middle of the table.

The noise made Aqualad turn and blink. "Oh, Skidmark. Where were you before?"

Bumblebee paused in tracing the location of Kestrel's tracking device before glancing over her shoulder. "Skidmark? I thought that Trigon would have taken him along to help increase his powers."

"Why would he?" Speedy asked angrily, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "You heard them; Kes's body is only temporary. Why focus on keeping it alive when it won't matter in the long term?" He glared at the cat, who lifted a paw to lick before wiping it over his face. "I want to know why he wasn't fighting Trigon when he first attacked!"

"Easy, Speedy," Herald cautioned, carefully reaching out to stroke along the cat's back. Skidmark let out a whine at the first touch and inched away as Herald instinctively pulled back. "The...easiest answer is that he was bonded to Kestrel. So, when Trigon attacked, it took him out along with her."

Kid Flash rapidly drummed his fingers on the table, accidentally phasing through them more than a few times. "So, Kes might not actually be dead? Just knocked out and trapped in her own mind?" he asked hopefully. The Titans East members paused and turned to Herald hopefully, who flinched under their intense gazes.

It was Jinx that took pity on him. "For a full possession like that, one where she didn't even attempt to fight back even though he was trying to kill us? No." The witch sighed and shook her head sadly, a hand coming up to squeeze Kid Flash's when he placed it on her shoulder. "Trigon would've hit her fast and hard, and Kes took the time to warn us instead of defending herself. The odds of anyone surviving an attack like that are minimal."

"Kes está ... muerto?" Menos whispered. Más whimpered and buried his face in his hands. Aqualad bit his lip and dropped his gaze to the floor as Bumblebee's hands tightened on the arms of her chair. Speedy scowled and shoved himself forward.

"So, that's what we've decided? She's dead? Fuck that!" He jabbed a finger into Jinx's chest furiously. "Minimal odds? Hell, we've faced odds worse than that every damn day! I'm not giving up on Kes, not now!"

Jinx shoved the archer back. "You keep thinking like that, Trigon is going to gut you like a pig," she warned, pink sparks flying from her fingers. "Sometimes we don't beat the odds, Speedy. Sometimes, heroes lose. Sometimes, heroes die."

"Enough!" Bumblebee shoved back from the computer and stepped between the pair. "Maybe Kes is dead, maybe she isn't. The important thing right now is stopping Trigon, especially now before he has a chance to recover." She pulled out her communicator and nodded. "The coordinates have been uploaded to everyone's T-comms, and Robin's team is on their way. Everyone, do what you need to do to prepare and meet back in five." Speedy shot Jinx one final glare before turning on one heel and storming away.

As the door closed behind him, Aqualad glanced down at Skidmark. The cat blinked up at him lazily from where he was crouched on the table with his legs tucked under him. "Uh, Trigon can't see us through Skidmark, can he?"

Herald shook his head. "Kes was the connection. Without her, he'll probably starve in a few days unless Raven takes him on."

Menos and Más pressed together tightly for comfort as the kitten began to purr.

His quiver stuffed full of both lethal and non-lethal arrows, Speedy paused as he looked at the pair of swords leaning against the wall. He pressed a hand against the sheath, thinking back to that night in the kitchen. "If it looks like it's too late, if there's a choice between saving me and innocent people getting hurt, I need you to promise me that you'll stop me. Please."

"Damnit, Kes," he whispered even as he pulled the swords from the wall to strap them to his back. "You promised you would keep fighting." He pushed the anger and grief welling up aside as he turned and climbed onto his motorcycle. As he revved the engine, there was an odd noise as a fuzzy pressure dropped onto his shoulder. Speedy turned his head as Skidmark wobbled on his shoulder for balance. "Oh, now you decide to show up." The demon cat purred before dropping down to climb into one of the pockets of Speedy's jacket. "Well, maybe you'll be useful."

As the archer rode out of the broken tower, he was almost immediately joined by the rest of the Titans. Bumblebee flew overhead, with Herald clinging to her hands. The twins raced along his left and KF, carrying Jinx, kept pace at his right. But there was still someone missing as the team sped through the night, heading to a familiar look-out over Steel City. As they approached, Speedy barely caught sight of a shimmer in the air and hit the brakes, screeching to a halt just before he hit the barrier. Bumblebee landed beside him and glanced over at the pair of magic users. "Anything you can do to manage this?"

Herald smirked and twirled his horn in his hands. "I might have a few ideas." But before the horn touched his lips, Jinx smacked him upside the head.

"Yeah, and all those ideas are just going to alert Trigon that we're here!" she pointed out. "If we're going to be smart about this..."

"He already knows." Aqualad stepped out of the water, shaking himself dry as he approached. "If he's got Kes's powers, then Trigon knows we're here." Más and Menos looked at each other nervously before Más raised his hand.

"¿Intentaremos arrestar a Trigon o ...?" he paused and bit his lip as Menos squeezed his arm. Bumblebee looked at Herald and Jinx.

"You're both sure that Kes couldn't have survived?" she asked quietly. Jinx instantly nodded, but Herald hesitated.

"It's possible that the attack shattered her spirit beyond repair," he admitted. "But he could have just suppressed it. Pushed her soul down so that she's basically asleep. If Trigon is removed, then she would wake up."

The witch whirled on Herald angrily. "You really think Trigon of all people wouldn't take the opportunity to kill her outright?"

"I think that before Neron stepped in, we were winning," Herald instantly countered. "This isn't a Trigon at full strength. If there was any chance for someone to survive him, it's Kes right now."

Bumblebee thought for a few seconds. "Then the plan is the same as last time. We take Trigon down and then try to exorcise him later. Raven should be able to help with that once she gets here." Speedy's shoulders sagged in relief as Aqualad beamed and the twins cheered. Grinning, Bee turned back to the shield. "Herald, break it down." The boy in blue played his horn loud and proud, cracking the shield before making it shatter into pieces that vanished as they touched the ground. "Teen Titans, go!" Aqualad scrambled onto Speedy's bike as the archer revved up and followed the horde of heroes into the clearing. Trigon was sitting there cross-legged as though meditating, with Neron nowhere in sight. Four red eyes slowly slid open as the Titans charged him.

"Humans," Trigon scoffed as a wall of red fire erupted between them. The bruises and cuts from their last fight were already healed as the demon rose to his feet. "Tenacious, but stupid."

"Get off our planet, Trigon!" Bumblebee commanded as she flew over the wall, firing electric bolts freely. KF tossed Jinx up as well so she could fire her own blasts of magic. Trigon sighed as he stepped between the attacks casually, like they were moving through molasses to reach him. "Speedy!"

"On it!" Whipping one of the new entrapment arrows from his quiver, Speedy took aim as Aqualad pulled a rolling wave from the nearby river. The demonic flames were washed away as the archer fired, arrow soaring right for Trigon's legs. But as it flew, Trigon smirked and waved a hand. The arrow flew through a newly created portal, catching Kid Flash in the chest and knocking him to the ground as a thick, sticky substance began expanding.

"Aw gross!" Kid began vibrating, but the trap held firm. "Speedy, what's in this stuff!?"

As the demon chuckled, the speedster twins streaked up behind him and flung one of Kestrel's discs. A large metal net came flying out to cover Trigon. But even as Más and Menos exchanged high-fives, Trigon reached between the gaps in the net and tore it in half. The twins grinned nervously before streaking away. Thinking quickly, Herald lifted his horn before letting out a powerful scream. Everyone flinched as the horn dropped to the ground, Herald's fingers and hands becoming twisted and broken as Trigon's eyes glowed red. "Not this time, Guardian."

Bumblebee's eyes grew red with rage as she abandoned long-distance to dive straight at Trigon. Even as she approached, the demon's eyes flashed once more, and Bumblebee's wings snapped. She screamed as the delicate wings were torn apart, weeping as she crashed into the ground. "Bee!" Trigon approached, fire dancing on a hand before there was a blur and Bumblebee vanished, pulled to safety by Más and Menos. Even as the demon turned to give chase, he was forced to dodge the massive ball of ice created by Aqualad's hydrokinesis and one of Speedy's ice arrows. Scowling, he flung a fireball that shattered the projectile, sending everyone running for cover as dagger-sized pieces scattered.

Panting, Speedy crouched for cover behind a boulder with Kid Flash, who had finally gotten free of the trap. The speedster glanced up briefly before his eyes widened and he tugged at Speedy's arm. "What is that?"

Following his friend's gaze, Speedy's jaw dropped at a sadly familiar sight. Large green portals had opened high above the city, and gargoyles were descending upon the people. There was a familiar orange ship that he could barely spot, firing attack after attack to prevent the raid. Dark amusement filled the Titans' minds as Trigon chuckled. "Ah, Neron has completed my request, it seems."

Speedy grit his teeth, feeling the swords pressing against his back as he stared at the T-Ship battling for Steel City. He lowered his voice. "Kid, you and Jinx get everyone else down there fast. If Raven can heal Herald's hands, we can get rid of those things."

Something in his tone must have made Kid Flash hesitate. "What are you planning to do?"

Speedy slid an arrow into his quiver and nocked it. "Keep a promise. Now, go!" He shot up and fired an explosion arrow, forcing Trigon to leap back to avoid the blast. With the corner of his eye, Speedy could barely see the yellow and red blur streak in and out of the meadow, heading straight for the heart of the city. The demon ignored them; eyes focused on the archer.

"Ah, they grow wise at last," he mused as a trio of fireballs hovered in his hands briefly before they flew out towards Speedy. "But you are too foolish to follow them!"

"Sorry," Speedy smirked as he rolled beneath the fire, letting his bow fall even as he pulled his swords from his back. He swung out widely as he came to his feet, forcing a startled Trigon to retreat. "Things I still have to do here. You really shouldn't have messed with Earth; didn't you learn your lesson last time?!"

Trigon's eyes glowed with rage as he deflected one of the swords with an energy shield. "A mere fluke! No human shall ever defeat Trigon!"

"First time for everything." Speedy shoved against the shields, watching them crack and shatter as Trigon staggered back, panting. "What's the matter, Trigon? Getting tired?" The demon snarled and lunged forward, but that just let the archer catch him by the arm and flip him onto his back. He let one of his swords fall, gripping the other in two hands as he knelt atop Trigon's chest. "Kes?" Speedy couldn't help but ask. "You in there?"

"There is only Trigon!" the demon snarled; mouth stretched in a grotesque smile. "The human you knew is nothing but ashes!"

His hands trembled, but Speedy forced them to firm as he lifted the sword high. "Kes, I'm sorry." And then he stabbed down, straight through Kestrel's chest and out her back. Trigon froze in shock and pain as blood began bubbling up from the wound. And then he started to laugh.

"FOOL!" There was a blast of energy and Speedy was thrown, flipping through the air before landing hard on his back. Trigon casually rose to his feet, gripping the sword by the handle and pulling it out smoothly before breaking it over his knee. "You believed a mere sword wound would defeat Trigon the Terrible?!" Amused delight rattled through Speedy's mind as Trigon picked him up by the neck, lifting him high as he began to squeeze. "Trigon is invincible. Trigon is eternal!" he cackled as the archer weakly clawed against the hand choking him. "Trigon will never lose!"

Looks like I can't keep our promise, Kes, Speedy thought as black spots filled his vision. His struggles weakened, even as something in his pocket banged against his leg. But you broke it first.

"Trigon will-GAAAAAH!!!" The pressure around his throat released and Speedy dropped back to the ground, coughing, and gasping as Trigon staggered back with a tiny tabby sinking his fangs into his ear. As his breath came back, Speedy glanced up to see Trigon's face changing. Where there were once four glowing red eyes, there were sudden flashes of a single pair in violet. Trigon, then Kestrel, back and forth like a rotating slot machine.

"Kes?" The archer staggered to his feet and stumbled towards her. "Kes!" For a few seconds, Trigon's eyes glared at him as fire crackled between his palms. But it vanished just as quickly as Kestrel took over again, mouthing a single phrase. Kill me. "No, no way!" Speedy reached for her, only to flinch back when Trigon took control and swiped at him. "You made me a promise, Kes. You swore you'd fight him. Come on!"

Dark in the shadows of the jungle that marked Skidmark's mind, Kestrel flinched at Speedy's words. Skidmark let out a little growl as she leaned against the tiger, fists twisting in his fur. "Easy for him to say," she muttered as the pair pushed against the border between her mind and Skidmark's. "He's not the one dealing with this!"

This was Trigon, who had twisted the beautiful gardens and stone gazebo into a twisted macabre graveyard with a blood-red sky. Sitting on the metal throne, the demon leered down at his granddaughter. "A foolish mortal. Perhaps I will rip his throat out and drink his blood before I abandon your weak body."

"If you want that, then get out!" Kestrel growled, both she and the demon-cat glowing slightly as a wave of white washed over Trigon. He ignored it as one would ignore a light breeze, flicking his nails and firing back with a burst of energy. The hit sent the pair staggering, Skidmark's tail thrashing madly. "Why do you even need my body in the first place? Why not go after Raven?"

"Why would I answer your questions?" Trigon asked as the black stone beneath him shifted. Kestrel staggered even as thick vines from the jungle shot out to knock the newest attack aside. "Does the man tell the ant why before crushing him underfoot?"

To her surprise, Kes couldn't help but laugh. "You couldn't get in, could you? She's too strong for you." Trigon's eyes flashed and Kes let out a scream of pain as black and red fire engulfed her. Skidmark growled before his own blue fire shot out, burning the darkness away. "Thought so."

"I will make her watch." Trigon's gaze shifted upwards even as Kes stiffened with the new flood of emotions. Now it wasn't just Speedy's anger, fear, and desperation she was feeling. Now it was joined by Bumblebee’s, Aqualad’s, Más and Menos’s, Kid Flash’s, Herald’s, Jinx’s. Even the other Titans, which was very distracting. "The world she fought so hard to protect, the world she thought she'd saved. I'll watch her despair as it crumbles into ruin all around her before I kill her slowly."

"Heh." The demon's gaze fell to her once more as Kes shook her head. "You really learned nothing from last time, did you? You somehow manage to destroy the world, that'll just really piss Raven off. Then she'll beat you again and restore things. Face it, Trigon. You can't win. You couldn't beat her at your strongest with her at her weakest and you won't be able to do it now."

"Silence!" Another blast of power, this one sending Kestrel to her knees. "You know nothing! You are nothing! Powerless! Useless! Alone and nothing!"

"Really throwing a tantrum here," she muttered, face pressed into the dirt. Kes knew that this was useless but hitting at Trigon's weak points was at least entertaining. And hopefully distracting enough for the other Titans to kill her body. Why weren't they doing it already? As if in answer to her question, a tiny flower bud broke through the dead ground to press against her cheek. Not her own, but Speedy's worry. Kestrel glared at it for a few seconds before her eyes widened. I'm an idiot! Grinning, she turned back to Trigon. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am nothing compared to you, maybe I am useless right now." She shoved herself to her feet and reached for the walls that Raven had helped her create that first day. "But I'm not powerless and I'm never alone."

Trigon's eyes narrowed as the walls dropped. And that's when the arrow struck. A powerful explosion arrow caught the demon right in the nose, knocking him back off the throne. As Trigon sat up, he received a powerful punch to the face from a Bumblebee glowing with yellow energy. "What is this?!" he cried as a shimmering blue Aqualad dropped from the sky to land atop his head.

"I'm an empath, Trigon," Kestrel reminded him, smiling as more and more Titans poured in. Kid Flash and the twins whizzing by to drag Trigon back a few feet before he pulled free. Jinx and Herald firing blasts alongside Speedy that pushed the demon even farther. A green T-Rex charging and roaring with Cyborg atop his back, firing his sonic cannon. Starfire hurling star bolt after star bolt that twisted around Robin's discs even as Raven pushed at her father with magic. "I know I'm not strong enough to push you back on my own. But I was never alone, not from the beginning. Thanks for the reminder." She stroked a purring Skidmark's head as the barren ground grew fertile with emotion and flowers. And with them, came power she could use. "So, Grandpa, consider this your eviction notice..."

"...And get out of my head!" The familiar voice echoing in his mind made Speedy grin as Kestrel's body started to glow. Skidmark finally dropped to the ground, licking blood from his paws as the white magic converged at the center of Kestrel's forehead before firing outwards. A large red demon with black hooves and deer antlers yelled in shock and pain as he was shot out and landed on his back. Grimacing, the demon sat up with a hand pressed to his forehead, only to find himself surrounded by a bunch of bruised, bloody, and incredibly angry Teen Titans.

Robin grinned and slammed a hand into his fist eagerly. "Titans..." he began but was cut off with a familiar green portal appeared and Neron stepped through smoothly.

"Neron, our contract," Trigon panted as he pushed himself to his feet. "Let us..."

"I'm afraid you'll have nothing more from me, Trigon." The Wishweaver's flat statement was contrasted by an amused smirk as Trigon turned on him.

"What?"

"Oh, don't you remember the terms of our deal?" Neron snapped his fingers and an old bound scroll dropped into his palm. "I was to aid you until you were provided with a body that could and would contain all of your original power. Your current form fits those criteria perfectly." A low growling noise filled the air and everyone's eyes turned to see Skidmark, now in his tiger form, stalking towards Trigon slowly. His tail slowly swayed back and forth, and he licked his lips eagerly. Neron's smirk widened. "Ah, I suppose he would be hungry, wouldn't he?"

Herald laughed as Trigon nervously stepped back from Skidmark. "Yeah, those demon-cats really do prefer going straight for the source for a meal."

"No. No!" Trigon made to turn and summon a portal to flee, but a black force-field swirled into being around him and Skidmark.

"Where do you think you're going?" Raven asked with glowing white eyes.

Cyborg tapped against his chin thoughtfully. "Hey BB? How much food can a tiger eat in one day?"

Beast Boy grinned. "Oh, about 50 kg. But he looks pretty hungry, so I bet he can eat a lot more."

Trigon's eyes darted back and forth until they landed on Kestrel. The Titans East were crowded around her, helping her sit up even as blood slowly dripped from the wound in her chest. But magic was already closing it even as Kestrel met his gaze. She smirked, and both her and Skidmark's eyes went white. Trigon screamed as the tiger tore through his shields and clawed at his chest, ripping through his heart. As his body turned to magic, it was absorbed into the demon-cat who let out a roar of triumph. Neron politely clapped his hands even as the Titans warily lifted their weapons. "An excellent display, to be sure."

"Glad you were entertained. You want us to kick your butt too?" Jinx asked, already charging up a hex.

The demon chuckled and shook his head. "Alas, I have other things to address. Such as the former Trigon's realm, as it now falls under my authority. Oh yes," he grinned, amused at the shock and dismay on the Titans' faces. "You just granted me a lot of power tonight. Perhaps we shall meet again in the future." Instantly, he stepped back as Skidmark pounced, barely missing the demon with his claws.

A beautiful melody started playing and Neron's face paled even as he dropped to his knees, ears bleeding. As Herald jammed out, Jinx whispered something into her boyfriend's ear that had him vanishing and reappearing in seconds. She grinned and tossed the amulet that Neron had put into Kes up and down lazily. "Hey Raven? Want to see just what we can make him do with this?"

Raven smirked, lowering her hood. "I have a few ideas."

Hours later, Kes slid off the bed in the medical bay to stand on her own. The magic around Raven's hands faded as well. "Your wounds have been healed, but you'll need to rest for a while," Raven reported.

Kestrel nodded, absently tugging at the bracelet once again sitting on her wrist. "Yeah, I'm exhausted," she admitted as Skidmark pressed against the back of her neck, purring from his perch in her hood. "How did you find the energy to bring back a planet after beating him?"

Raven smiled. "He really pissed me off." That made Kes laugh. "Oh, and since Neron is being managed, we can get started on your training."

"I can learn to heal? Really?!" Kes beamed with delight. "Thanks Raven!"

The girl paused and sighed. "I owe you an apology, Kestrel. You were stronger than I believed. I was wrong."

"No, you weren't." Kes absently reached up to stroke under Skidmark's chin. "I couldn't beat Trigon on my own. I'd given up before then. It was all of you, everyone's emotions that got him out of my head."

Raven lifted a brow. "Is that why I can feel you more clearly now?"

Kestrel hesitated before nodding. While the two of them were in the medical bay, most of the Titans were setting up for a well-deserved party. Beating Trigon for the second time was always something to celebrate after all. "I'm not ready to close myself up. Not yet." The feeling of everyone's joy and laughter upstairs was a blessing after Trigon. Even when Beast Boy and Cyborg started arguing about something and KF started being mushy while Jinx pretended not to love it. Though there was one person, down in the basement and avoiding the party, that she really needed to talk to. "So, I'm good to go?" Raven blinked but nodded. "Great, see you in a bit!" A black and white portal flashed behind her and Kes stepped through as Raven gaped.

"Wait, how did you...?!" Kes couldn't help laughing as she closed the portal behind her.

"How long do you think it'll take for her to figure out I'm just channeling your powers?" she privately asked Skidmark, who purred before dropping back into her hood. Sighing, she paused in front of the basement door and knocked. "Speedy, it's me. Can we talk?"

There was silence, and then there was a series of beeps as Speedy unlocked the door. When it slid open, the archer was already stepping away towards his work bench. The broken pieces of his sword were lying there, untouched. "Thought I'd be the last person you wanted to see right now," Speedy muttered.

Kes bit her lip at the guilt she felt pouring off him and instinctively stepped forward and hugged him. She felt him gasp as she pressed herself against his back. "Speedy, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Speedy pulled free and turned so that he could cup her face in his hands. "Kes, I tried to kill you! I almost did and..."

"Because I asked you to. Because I made you promise that you would so that it would be easier on me!" Kes shook her head, ignoring the meow of protest from Skidmark. "I was selfish, and it was easier to put all the pressure of stopping me on you instead of fighting. I'm sorry, Speedy. I'm so so sorry. Please stop blaming yourself."

Speedy bit his lip and looked away. "I didn't have to listen to you. I didn't have to make that promise in the first place." He absently ran a hand through his hair. "Kes, I..."

"Stop." Kes threw her arms around him, and this time Speedy hugged her back. "Let's just agree we were both really stupid and we'll never make a promise like that again."

"Deal," he smiled into her neck. But even as they stood there, Kes could already feel the incoming Titans charging down. Speedy lifted his head as she pulled away, following her gaze to the door. "I'm guessing we're about to get an interruption?" When Kes nodded, he grimaced. "Great."

Sighing, Kestrel caught the archer's hand. "If we're going to have to listen to lectures, we might as well be comfy," she commented as she reached through Skidmark. A portal appeared beneath their feet, dropping them down onto the cough of the newly repaired game room. She laughed as Speedy glanced around before turning narrowed eyes on her. "Look, I had to get something as a consolation prize from being shoved into Skidmark's mind by Trigon."

A reluctant chuckle escaped him as Speedy reached for the remote. "So, that all you can do now?"

"Maybe." Kes curiously lifted a hand and focused. There was nothing for a few seconds before a blue ball of fire began floating an inch or so above her hand. Grinning, she banished it. "But I'll have a lot of fun finding out."