(C/C) = Costume Color
~Pet
~~~
The massive room sits in complete darkness, save for a single spotlight. That light gives off no warmth as it shines down on my skin, but the rest of the Brotherhood don't even seem to notice it. Several large screens behind me throws colors onto my body as it plays and replays the footage of all the Titans being defeated. The four of us stand on a platform that allows us to stare down at all the other villains. Each of them stares up at us like we're gods among men.
It makes me want to puke and cheer all at the same time.
"Patiently we watched you all, waiting for our moment to strike," The Brain starts and the room settles into anticipatory silence. His robotic voice sounds extra grating today. "You forged your alliance. You trusted without pause. And finally when you thought your world was safe, it fell apart before your very eyes.
"You are merely pawns in a game and you played your part perfectly. There is nowhere you can hide and there is nothing you can do to stop us. Each small victory brings us closer to an even greater prize. The elimination of an entire generation of heroes. And we owe it all to you, Robin."
A second spotlight flicks on with a boom, revealing the Boy Wonder. His hands are cuffed in front of him and he's sitting on his knees on the floor. He looks so small from up here but the scowl on his face is no less fierce. Towering over him from behind is a freeze ray with a conveyor belt leading up to it. Aqualad stands in a glass tube on the conveyor belt which stops right under the nozzle of the machine.
He presses his hands against the glass in a last desperate attempt to beg for a way out. But he's pleading to a room full of villains. Professor Chang throws a lever and the machine fires into the container. I try not to visibly wince as it shoots steam in. Once that dissipates Aqualad's skin is blue and his hair looks so brittle that if you breathed on it the strands would break off.
The desperation and fear on the teenage superhero's face is now permanent. As I stare at his heart wrenching expression my limbs feel heavy, like I've been sitting in ice water for so long that they've gone numb. My heart feels so weighted in my chest that it feels like it's try to drop out of my rib cage. The Brain continues on with his monologuing and with every word I feel worse. I know he's not talking about me but everything hits too close to home. "Your network has been crushed.
"Your friends have no way to communicate or follow your command. Together you may be formidable, but apart you are lost, powerless, mine." Speedy in another tube moves under the machine and he too gets frozen. "You will fall one by one. Who among you can possibly stop me now?"
I see Robin furrow his brows and bare his teeth in rage as he watches all the captured heroes get frozen one by one.
Rouge turns to me and I force a smile on my face.
"If you want to say goodbye, do it now," the French woman says.
~~~Robin's POV~~~
The glass container holding me fogs slightly from my breath as it moves along the conveyer belt. Menos gets frozen before me, then he gets moved onto the wall-filling display-case.
"Victory is at hand," The Brain says as he stares down at all the other villains in the room. "And for your part, a gift. I give you, Robin." He turns to look at me as my container moves under the nozzle and all the villains cheer.
"This isn't over!" I shout as I slam my hands onto the glass. It doesn't even so much as crack.
"For you it most certainly is." A figure dressed in (c/c) steps in front of me and my scowl deepens. A vice grips my heart inside my chest and all I can hear is my blood pumping in my ears. Hypno brings a hand up and tauntingly waves goodbye with a little smile. Of course it's not the first time I've seen that smile, but I guess it might be the last.
"It's been fun," she says. My hands clench into tight fists at the sound of her voice. The voice that used to give me butterflies in my stomach with whatever flirty line would come out of her mouth. Now it fills me with a sick feeling between soul consuming rage and world ending sadness. She moves her (e/c) gaze to Professor Chang behind me and nods.
Our eyes lock one more time and she flashes me a wobbly smile before I hear Chang pull the lever.
~~~Still Robin's POV~~~
An alarm echoes through the room as I land on the floor of a familiar museum in Gotham. As I stand up the alarm shuts off. Before I even have time to question it a voice rings out.
"Took you long enough." I turn to face the voice and see a (c/c) clad girl. She sits on a broken display case with an annoyed look and her arms crossed over her chest. "I actually had to wait for you this time. I could have gotten away with this robbery if I wanted to," the girl says, her frown deepening a little further.
"I was on the other side of town, Hypno," I state as I walk up to the thirteen year old (h/c).
"Well, whatever. You caught me." Hypno tosses me something and without thinking I catch it. I open my hand and see a ring with a massive diamond on it sitting on my gloved palm. "Now, follow me."
The (h/c) haired girl slides off the glass case she was sitting on and starts walking out of the room. I quickly place the ring a shattered case-where I assume she took it from-before whipping around and following the thief.
"What are you doing?"
She doesn't even look at me as she answers. "Have you ever been inside the museum after dark?"
"No because that would be trespassing. Which is illegal." That gets her to look at me from over her shoulder and she rolls her eyes.
"You're a vigilante. What you're doing is illegal."
"That's different." Hypno turns back around and I let a smile slip up for a moment. The girl leads me all the way to a room filled with paintings. The museum is usually never very full during the day but seeing it completely empty is almost surreal.
Hypno steps further ahead of me and twirls around so she's facing me. "What do you think? Great place for a date, huh?" Luckily she turns around again after saying that because I can feel my face heat up with a blush. She continues into the dimly lit room and as she passes by each light it gives her a glow.
The few lights that are on are harsh and really only so security can see as they do their rounds, but they make her look otherworldly. My stomach twists with newfound nerves and my chest tightens as I watch Hypno walk further away. But at the same time my heart pounds against my ribs and I feel euphoric. She turns back around once she notices I haven't moved and a pout pushes out her bottom lip. "You can't seriously be that against trespassing that you're stuck by the door."
I shake my head with a smile and start after her.
"I just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to take anything."
"So, you were looking for an excuse to chase me? I can give you an excuse." Hypno holds up her hand and I see my batarangs in her grasp. "The bat would probably be upset if you went home without these." With that she turns away and starts running.
"Hypno!" She only responds with a laugh.
~~~Hypno's POV~~~
A sigh leaves my lips as I lean against the railing on the platform. Below me I can see Control Freak waving his hands around, trying to catch my attention and Kitten glaring up at me from beside her boyfriend. All of it just makes me want to go home. My gaze drags lazily around the large room before landing on the frozen heroes. My stomach twists and a bitter taste lands on my tongue as each familiar face stares at me.
Do the others even know I've betrayed them? My stomach lurches and I feel like I might puke as I imagine the hurt looks on their faces. I rip my eyes away from the "trophies" and stare at all the criminals below.
"I didn't expect winning to be so boring," I force out to cover my guilt.
"Patients, Hypno," The Brain says. "It's not over yet." Like he knew it was coming, Jericho, Pantha, Beast Boy, Herald, and Más break through the door at the side of the room. I feel the corners of my mouth twitch up when I see the shapeshifter leading them in.
"Alright, Brain! You're going..." Beast Boy trails off as he spots me. He mouths my name as his face twists in confusion. Then he seems to realize what's happening. Even from up here I can see the anger and betrayal in his eyes.
I try to avoid his gaze but not make it too noticeable to the Brotherhood. Then a spotlight turns on above the little group, moving Beast Boy's attention to all the other villains in the room. The criminals all just laugh at the little, pathetic looking group of heroes.
"The five of you against all of them? Even I find that amusing," Rouge says with a cocky smirk.
The anger in the shapeshifter's eyes travels out to be visible on the rest of his face as he looks back up at us. "Tell me where our friends are!"
"Little green one, you always try so hard and always fail so completely," the Brain says. "This time will be no exception."
"Where are they?!"
"Would you like to say hello?" Rouge asks. The wall behind the little group of heroes lights up showing off the frozen bodies there.
"¡Menos!" Más cries and I feel my stomach drop. I clench my hand into a fist so tightly that I can feel my nails digging into my palm.
"Oh, but it seems you are too late," Rouge taunts. Beast Boy turns to face the crowd of villains with a scowl.
"I think we can take them," he says.
"I think you are correct," Pantha adds. Beast Boy changes into a t-rex and the criminals take this as their que to charge. For being such a small group against so many of our greatest losers they're easily able to hold their own.
"They fight with much enthusiasm," Mallah states. "Allow me to crush them."
The Brain protests. "Let our friends have that pleasure. The end for these five will come soon enough." Unfortunately, he's right. Quickly the group of villains start to over power the group of heroes.
Pantha gets pinned by Steamroller-the very first criminal Titans East fought as a team. Fang gunks up Herald's trumpet with a web. Professer Chang grabs Más, who was trying to get to his brother, and puts him under the freeze ray. Lastly, Johnny Rancid shoves Beast Boy to his knees.
"Did you actually think your pathetic resistance could stop what I have created?" The Brain asks. "Once again, Beast Boy, you failed. Add them to the collection." Rouge leaps off the platform. She lands in front of Beast Boy and grabs him by his collar.
"Any final words?" she asks as she lifts him up to her eye level. Cracks in the floor start to spiral out from her feet without her notice and I can't keep down the smirk that crawls onto my face.
"Yeah," Beast Boy says with a smug look. "I wouldn't stand there if I were you." He turns into a fly and escapes Rouge's grasp just as the floor bursts. Cyborg with Kole and Gnark leap out as Rouge goes flying.
"Lesson number one: never throw me down a hole unless you make sure I stay there," the mechanical male says as he stands up straight. The sight of him brings a smile to my face. A hole gets blown through the ceiling which causes most of the villains to duck and cover their heads. Out through the smoke flies Starfire, Bumble Bee and Red Star-who's surprisingly still alive.
"The lesson two: we never give up," the Tameranean says. A black figure rises up through the floor and then reveals itself to be Raven. She opens her cloak and Melvin, Timmy, Teether and Bobby all step out.
"Lesson three: your lair isn't very secret," the half-demon says.
"Lesson four: don't mess with the Titans," I mutter, earning a glare from Mallah. I pay him no mind as I stare out at all of my friends. Then my heart clenches as I remember that they're no longer my friends, and that's my fault.
"Titans! Together!" Beast Boy shouts. All the Titans and honorary Titans charge, as do the villains. As the two large groups clash, Beast Boy comes running straight for us. Rouge, who's still on the floor, meets the shapeshifter before he can get to the platform.
It's hard to focus on just one fight in all the chaos so I try to watch as many as I can. Then my gaze move over to the frozen figures and stops on Robin. My eyes burn and I have to blink back tears. Well, future me. You'll be sad to know that I made the wrong choice.
"Perhaps now would be the time to take our leave," Mallah says, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Cowardness does not become you Monsieur Mallah," The Brain says. "Go put an end to this nonsense. Now." The gorilla jumps down from the platform and The Brain and I watch as all the fighting continues. "I do hope you aren't thinking of leaving us, Hypno."
"No. I'm gonna stick it out to the end. Even when they arrest us all."
"They won't."
A clipped laugh leaves my lips. "They will. Everyone here has been beaten before and they'll do it again. Trust me on that." I notice Más climb up the display shelves in the back.
He just barely is able to pull himself up high enough to grabs onto his frozen brother's hand. But he does. Activating their powers the two boys are momentarily engulfed by a light. When it disappears both boys are standing tall and unfrozen. "The tides are already turning."
Rouge pulls herself back onto the platform and lands beside The Brain.
"Is this part of the plan, leader?" the woman asks with a smirk.
"A minor annoyance," The Brain replies. I see the twins zoom over to the freeze ray and they start fiddling with the control panel. The machine starts to let off little bursts of electricity before the display shelves are suddenly blocked by steam. Several of the once frozen heroes are now thawed and leaping or flying off the shelves.
"Your annoyance is no longer minor."
"Technically they're all minors," I say, which earns me another glare.
"I do things my way now." Madam Rouge jumps off the platform and disappears into the crowd. I see Starfire fly over to the shelf. She stops at Robin and reaches her hand out to help him down. My stomach twists but not with the usual jealousy. Instead I can also feel my throat tighten as I imagine it's me helping him down.
Más and Menos round up Professor Chang and his henchmen and freeze them all with the freeze ray. Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire group up and I feel a tear roll down my cheek. I should be down there with them. But I was stupid. The five charge at the HIVE group who all turn tail and run for the door.
A red blur appears before them and it morphs into a person. It's a guy in a red suit with a lightning bolt on his chest. Kid Flash I think his name is. Jinx, of all people, steps up beside him. The pair quickly take down the small group and Kid Flash takes them to the freeze ray.
The pink haired girl looks up and we make eye contact. She gives me a shocked look and I shrug sadly in reply. I turn my gaze away just in time to see Madam Rouge get frozen. Good riddance. Mallah climbs back up onto the platform and turns to The Brain beside me.
"Master, it is time we left," the gorilla states.
"Agreed," The Brain says.
"And here you were asking me if I was gonna run," I say as I turn away from the fighting. The two turn to escape but Aqualad and Tramm block their path. The two villains turn a different way, but Bee and Speedy appear in front of them. The East team briefly flash me shocked looks before turning their attention back to the two villains trying to escape. Then my team... my ex-team shows up to finish surrounding us. Beast Boy and Robin won't even look at me. Starfire keeps glancing between me and the two remaining Brotherhood members with sad eyes. Cyborg and Raven mostly stare at me in a mixture if shock and hurt.
"No one's leaving," Robin says sternly.
"Then you give me no choice." With a little puff of steam, The Brain separates from his metal body and Mallah grabs him before climbing the supports on the wall. As a distraction, the floor in the middle of the room opens up and robot soldiers get brought up on a platform.
"Oh man, and just when this was starting to get fun," Cyborg says, but there's no amusement in his voice. The Titans East team, plus Raven and Starfire, jump down to help deal with the robots.
"He is not getting away," Beast Boy growls. He changes into a pterodactyl and flies up, after the criminal duo. Robin fires his grappling hook at the supports and follows the shapeshifter. Cyborg continues to stare at me.
"I can't believe you," he huffs. "After everything you went right back to being a criminal like it was nothing."
"I'm not exactly know for making good choices."
"You're also not known for being a bad person."
"I was." Before anything more can be said, The Brain's body starts to beep. Cyborg turns to inspect it and to avoid more of his disappointed stare I look up.
Robin lands just above Mallah, cutting him off. The group exchange words which I can't hear from all the way down here. Mallah jumps away and continues the climb to a hole in the ceiling. A blur of red from the corner of my eye catches my attention and brings me back down to what's happening around me. Starfire lands next to Cyborg.
"It's a fusion device and a big one," the metal Titan states. "I have no idea how to shut it down. We need a miracle."
"No, we need a friend," the redhead says. She flying off, back to the battle field, but not before casting me another sad look. With me being useless down here I turn my gaze back up.
Beast Boy turns into a bird to fly up high and then changes into a gorilla and drops onto Mallah. The genius gorilla lifts one of his feet to shove Beast Boy off, causing him to fall a few feet. As Mallah goes to continue climbing my eyes turn (f/c). Before he can move his hand several girders on the supports wrap around him, holding him in place. He looks down at me with a deadly glare, knowing that I'm what's stopping him.
His eyes turn (f/c) to match mine and he drops The Brain. Robin dives after the glass container while Beast Boy climbs up to the stunned Mallah. The Boy Wonder shoots out his grappling hook and grabs the jar before catching himself on another support. He looks at The Brain for a second before meeting my eyes. For that split second I feel normal. Like Robin will flash me a smile and when he gets back on the ground he'll pull me in for a celebratory kiss.
He doesn't even give me a nod before he turns away. He just throws The Brain to Beast Boy who flies off with it.
I don't have much time to dwell on it as Starfire flies back with Herald in her arms.
"Any requests?" the hooded male asks as he gets set on his feet.
"Far away would be good," Cyborg says. Herald blows into his trumpet and a portal opens up. Stars and very distant planets fill the space. At the edge of the portal I can just barely see Earth. Cyborg and Starfire pick up The Brain's body and heave it in. The portal closes, leaving the bomb to blow up in space.
"Dudes, check it out..." Beast Boy's voice calls. The shapeshifter stands behind the freeze ray and tosses The Brain onto the convey belt. Once the container stops under the nozzle the twins throw the lever. "Brain freeze." I allow a chuckle to escape me which brings everyone's attention to me.
Every instinct in my body tells me to turn invisible and run, but... I can't.
"Hope you didn't forget about me," I say, forcing on a smirk. Beast Boy and Raven fly over to the platform and Robin drops down in front of me. All five of them look uneasy and it makes my heart hurt so bad that I just want to curl up into a ball. My eyes turn (f/c) as a creature taller then the ceiling rises up behind me. Everyone gets prepared to fight, but the illusion flickers before disappearing completely. "Sorry. I guess I'm too tired to put up much of a fight."
I put my hands out for the cuffs and Robin steps forward with a stern look. As the Boy Wonder gets close enough to put them on I whisper to him. "I'm sorry. For everything."
"Why did you do it?" Robin asks quietly. "I thought you had changed."
"I did, but I didn't realize that. I... I thought it would be exciting. Like how it used to be. I hadn't realized that I don't like hurting people any more."
The look on Robin's face when I broke up with him flashes in my mind. I squeeze my eyes shut and hold back the urge to sob. When I open my eyes again I look at all my friends. All the Titans and honorary Titans. No more secrets. They all need to know everything.
I start talking about Mumbo's and Slade's warnings. How they told me someone was after me. I tell them about being stalked and finding out it was Rouge. Everything about the start of my actual betrayal when Robin and I went to save Hot Spot. "I thought it would be like with Brother Blood.
"That the plan wouldn't work and there'd be no consequences. But, I still hoped it would work at the same time. Finally accomplish taking over the world." I look at the team I betrayed and then at all the other people I hurt by going along with this. Robin's stern expression hasn't changed, but the other Titans look sad.
Then I hold my hands out further, gesturing for Robin to put the handcuffs on and take me to jail. "I'm okay with going to jail. Honestly it probably should have happened earlier."
"You know," Cyborg says, causing the Boy Wonder to turn and face him. "I think community service would do her good." My jaw drops is disbelief as I stare up at the metal Titan.
"We can also keep an eye on her if she stays at the tower," Raven adds.
"We know she can be useful ," Beast Boy says.
"She is deserving of the other chance," Starfire finishes. Before I can say anything to protest against the idea, Robin stops me.
"You have one chance. If you mess that up you go to jail like all the other criminals." Honestly I want to shake my head and insist they take me to jail, but it doesn't sound like I have much of a choice.
So I nod.
~~~
I sit stiffly on the couch in the Teen Titans tower's common room. The familiar space feels cramped with all the honorary Titans in here. It also feels different since it's been months since we were last here. Everything in my room is probably covered in dust.
"Home sweet home," Beast Boy sighs.
"I sure missed this place," Cyborg says.
"Cool pad," Kid Flash says as he practically appears out of thin air. "Got any eats?" The male doesn't wait for an answer and speeds off to the little kitchen. I gaze around the room as all the heroes talk to each other and explore the common room. My eyes stop on Starfire and my heart sinks to my stomach.
I never apologized to her... for anything I did. I hesitantly stand from my seat and make my way over to the redhead.
"Starfire?" My voice sounds meek and scared. I guess it describes how I'm feeling pretty well. The Tamaranean turns to face me with a nervous look. "I'm sorry."
"For what are you the sorry?" Starfire asks.
"For being a jerk. Blaming you for the whole Kitten thing, thinking you were trying to steal Robin from me... and, uh... you remember when we got stranded on that planet?" She nods. "Well, when you were in that cave with Robin, I... sent the Shrieker to attack you." Starfire's eyes widen and I prepare myself to be hit with a starbolt. "I'm sorry. I'm gonna try to stop being so jealous and... mean."
The shocked look on her face falls away and I ready myself for her to yell at me or just turn away completely. Instead she gives me a small smile.
"I too am the sorry for trying to kiss Robin. And I accept your apology. Perhaps we can be friends again?"
This time it's my turn to nod. "I'd like that." Suddenly the room flashes red and the alarm goes off. I've missed that sound. Security feed of Dr. Light robbing a vault pops up on the window screen.
"The Dr. Light?"
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Raven says. The honorary Titans are the first out the door while my team hangs back. I hesitantly turn towards them as they all stand in front of me.
"You ready to be a good guy?" Beast Boy asks with a serious look. With a little more confidence I nod.
~~~
From the rooftop of one of the buildings in Jump City all the Titans and honorary Titans watch Dr. Light burst out of the robbed bank. In his hurry to escape with the money, he doesn't even notice the sheer mass of people on the building just across the street.
"Maybe we ought to show him what he's up against," Cyborg says as he leans over the edge for a better look at the running villain.
"He's totally gonna freak this time," Raven says.
"Titans! Go!" Robin commands. My eyes glow (f/c) and a wall appears in front of Dr. Light.