Disclaimer: This is a my perspective on characters who belong to DC comics. So all rights and stuff go to them except for the character(s) that I make up.
Chapter 7: Titans
"Please don't hurt me, I'll give you everything!" Dayton Hobbs, a sophomore at my school shouted. He was being held at gunpoint in an alley. He was walking, minding his business, when all of a sudden, they grabbed him. Who were they? They weren't regular thugs, they were Neo-Nazi scumbags, " What do you want?"
One of the men held his gun up, " Say it." one of them said, " Say that you're the weak link in our society. Faggots, Nig..."
"Finish that sentence and you'll need a straw for solids." I said, revealing myself. I took a look at them. One was a portly man, the other was slimmer. Think Edward Norton in American History X. That's how I'm gonna refer to him as Edward Norton, just cause that's who he reminds me of. As I surveyed him, I figured that if he wasn't a racist moron, he'd be sexy. But he was a racist moron. One that had no idea how close he was to non-existence.
"Jesus Christ, Now those monkeys are super-heroes? Why don't you just stick to the NBA."
"For the same reason you don't shower." I smirked, " It's a personal choice."
"Enough of this Nigger's jabber." The other one said, raising his gun.
I cringed at the word, " Hope you like soup." I frowned. As they raised their guns and pulled the triggers, I stepped back into the shadows. I watched as they searched for me and grabbed Dayton and whisked him into the shadow, " Stay." I growled, leaving him in the shadows. I walked out of the shadows.
"Nice trick." the fat one said, " The eyes is a nice touch."
"Are. They are a nice touch." I said, staring at them, " You were in danger when you pulled the boy into the alley. You were close to death when you pointed the gun." I said, not taking my eye off them, " You see, in school, there were always people like you...People who thought that one color defines everything. Not just whites, not just blacks, but people. I use the term loosely. I risk my life, daily, because people think they're better and I'm just about done with it. You see, I'm not feeling entirely too sane, hearing voices and such...So, if I happen to kill one person, not gonna really care."
"You Niggers, always trying to kill somebody!" the fat one said.
My astral self flew from my body and punched the fat one so hard that he flew back against the wall and I flew back into my body, " We never asked to come here...A boat brought us, but we're here now. It's a melting pot...So if you can't stand the fire...die." I growled.
"I don't need a history lesson." Edward Norton said.
"I didn't figure you would." I said quickly, " In a few seconds, I'm going to fight you, with every intention of killing you. But I won't, cause I'm not a killer."
"Is that so?" he chuckled, looking down at his gun, cocking it, and looking back up to see me gone. He looked around and turned around to catch my foot in his face. He fell to the ground, but still aimed the gun at me. I kicked it, causing it to fly down the alley. He tried to take me down by my feet and I jumped over his leg and kicked him in the face. I straddled his chest, punching him as hard as I could. I knew it was just the pain in me coming out. I felt the fat one and rolled back, kicking him in the chest and knocking him out. I was about to start punching Edward again, but stopped and looked over to the boy cowering in the shadows.
"Thank you, I..." he said before I grabbed him and pushed him against the wall.
I growled, " Stop waiting for someone else to save you." I said, letting him fall. I turned to see Batman and Robin staring at me. They both looked at me, wide-eyed. I walked past them, shooting a grappling hook and flying away.
"You can't do things like that." Bruce said, half his suit off. He had taken the time to let me know that what I did was inexcusable, " People already fear us and it's wrong."
I had my hands across my chest, sitting in a chair while Bruce told me how wrong I was. Dick and Tim were training on a part of the cave just off where we were. I could tell they were listening. I frowned, " It's not my job to be unbiased. I just have to protect them." I said coldly.
"I know how you must feel..." Bruce said.
The computer screen went blank and came back, " You have no idea how I feel!" I growled, " Tell me how hurtful that word is. Tell me how a bunch of skinheads can think they're better than anyone else."
"People like that have no control over their lives, so they try to control others." Bruce explained.
"I don't care. Not anymore." said, looking up at him, " The pity part of this is, they'll never know how it feels to be afraid to go to school because you're afraid of being bullied because you're not the same skin color or the same orientation, or both!'
"Or maybe that's just the point." Bruce said, " Maybe that's why."
"Are we done?" I asked, " I didn't kill him. Neither one."
"But you could have." he argued.
"I can't be here anymore. You can't understand." I said, getting up.
"I think I know of a place that I could take you. They'd understand." Tim said quickly.
"Where?" I asked.
"Titan Towers." Tim said, " I am one of the founders of the Titans."
"Nothing like a bunch of aliens to explain how I feel." I joked.
"Alone." Bruce said.
"Or a man half-dressed in a bat suit." I said, looking at him.
"Somebody needs a hug." Dick said, jumping down and hugging me, " It's okay, baby. I'll always be here."
"Titans Towers it is." I said, taking his arm from around me. It felt weird with Bruce there. I could tell Bruce felt that too because he shifted and looked away.
BEEP BEEP
"Justice Leage." Batman said.
Dick hadn't taken his eyes off me. He looked at me strangely, " I'll go in Tim's place." he said, heading to suit up.
"Dick..." I said slowly.
"I'll see you when you get back." he said, flashing me a weak smile and disappearing.
"Tim, Titan me now." I said, standing, " Should I take the costume?" I asked.
"No. Dress normal." he said.
"Am I gonna be the only one dressed normally?" I asked.
Tim shrugged.
I touched Bruce and saw some flashes, " Bruce. Dick, tell him not to go into the core. And don't wait...just remember that." I said. Bruce looked at me oddly, then nodded, " Hahaha, keep Dick safe. Whatta pun." I smiled, leaving.
The Tower was amazing! I hadn't seen this since Dad, Mom and I had lived in a mansion. We gave up the mansion when Mom...It was easier not being there. After my mom died, I went into auto-pilot. A to B student. Gay. No life whatsoever. Lost in Gotham. Dad had easily agreed to let me run the paper because I wasn't doing much else. School was a struggle. I say was because I hadn't really been lately. i had my credits already, so it wasn't a must have year. I remember kids picking on me because I wasn't 'conventional'. I was African American and Gay. It took a while for me to come to the decision that neither defined me, but both affected me. I never agreed to be vulnerable. Watching heroes on t.v., I had never wanted to join them. I wanted to watch and report their great deeds. I guess I was destined to be 'Reaper'. It was an odd name...Reaper. It wasn't gloom and doom, but it called to me. I no sooner looked around than I felt something odd.
Raven <Who are you?>
I looked around. No one was there. For the last few weeks, I'd been hearing voices, " Who's there?" I asked.
"Me." a voice said. I turned to see a cloaked figure standing before me and I jumped to my feet, taking a fight stance, " Be calm, I am Raven."
"Raven? The Raven?" I asked, mentally slapping myself for being so dumb, " Sorry...I didn't see you before."
"I wasn't here before." Raven said, looking me over, " You must be Phoenix."
I extended my hand, " Yeah, but what do you mean you weren't here?" I asked.
Raven
"Sorry, I can't speak back." I said slowly.
"You can't?" she asked, puzzled.
Before I could say no, Robin entered the room with the other Titans. The Titans he brought were Starfire, Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, Ravager, Wonder Girl, Kid Devil, Miss Martian, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Jericho, and Super Boy.
"Guys, this is Phoenix Fox." Tim smiled, " Phoenix, this is the guys....and girls."
"Hello." They all smiled.
"Hi." I smiled.
"Phoenix is here because he needed an escape from Gotham." Tim smiled.
"Yeah, the doom and gloom is just too much." I smiled.
"So, you haven't met Raven?" Beast Boy asked.
Raven threw him a dirty look.
"Actually, she's pretty cool." I smiled, " She got into my head."
"I think someone's in love." Speedy smirked.
"Unless she has a penis, pretty much not interested." I replied.
"Huh?" Kid Devil asked.
"I'm not batting for the 'we like girls' squad." I said, " Unless that's going to get me super-bashed, then I'm totally into her." I joked.
They all laughed.
"Why would we bash you? Take a look around." Super Boy said, " We're all pretty different."
"Yeah, not everyday you see somebody hovering." I said, watching Super Boy hover just above the ground.
"You can't hover?" Raven asked.
"Should I be able to?" I asked.
"You're drowning in magic power." Aqualad said, looking me over.
"Huh? Me? No. I get a nosebleed just levitating things!" I said quickly, " I can't talk mentally. Or hover."
"I don't hover." Super Boy said defensively, " I fly."
"Who doesn't these days." Ravager sighed.
"Me." I said, raising my hand.
"Have you tried?" Starfire asked.
"Well, I...I...There was this one time, I stood on air." I said, remembering.
"Sounds awesome." Kid Flash said, " The best I can do is run on water."
"You're kidding, right?" I asked, " Sounds like fun."
"It's alright." Kid Flash said, disappearing in a blur and appearing on the opposite side of me in what seemed to only be a second.
"You know, in any other world, I'd be in Arkham for even suggesting you did that." I said, " So, Raven, think you could help me with that magic thing?"
"Got over that lonely thing, did you?" Tim asked.
"Hell yeah. I wanna live here." I smiled, looking around at them.
"How'd you like to be a member?" Tim asked.
I looked at Tim in disbelief at what he said, " Tim, what are you talking about?" I asked.
"I'm serious. I don't think the gang would mind." Tim smiled, " And you said it yourself."
"I was joking." I said quickly, " Do you really think I could be a Titan?"
"With the power I feel emanating from you, yes." Raven said quickly.
"Plus, we could always use funny people around here." Ravager said.
"Hey!" Beast Boy protested.
"How about we start with that magic lesson." I said.
"I'll teach you." Raven nodded.
"Ok." I said, turning to Tim, " Hey, can you scrounge up some info on the Justice League. I've got a bad feeling about that mission."
"Will do." Tim said, " Have fun."
I nodded and followed Raven away.
Raven had lighted candles and made two circles with salt and sat in one. She looked up to me and I thought about something. I had left the safely deadly harbor of Gotham. I missed the Manor. So, I'm guessing this isn't going to be a walk through the park.
"What're we doing?" I asked.
"Robin said something about you looking for your father's murderer." Raven said, assuming a meditation position and closing her eyes, " Have a seat, we're going to find the source of your anger."
"I think I already have." I said quickly.
"Then it should be easy." Raven said, not bothering to look at me.
I sat down in the other circle, " So, what do I do?" I asked.
"Just clear your mind." Raven said softly.
I did. I closed my eyes and reached out, grabbing Raven's hands. Suddenly, I felt something snatch me and I was standing in the middle of Gotham. People were walking around and everything was normal...except that no one had a face. Everyone was faceless and I took a step forward, trying to find someone I could identify.
"What is this?" Raven asked, standing beside me, " Is this what you see?"
"You're the big magic-mama, you tell me what this means." I said, still unable to look away from all the faceless people.
"Trust issues?" Raven asked.
I looked at her, " Yeah." I said, " How could I not have them."
Raven almost smiled, " So, this is the big secret?" she asked.
"Who said I have a secret?" i asked.
"We all have secrets." Raven said, " What's yours?"
I shrugged, " I'm afraid of committment. Dick did that. I'm not sure who to trust." I said, " And when I almost killed a skinhead, it was the best feeling I've ever had."
"Why?" she asked.
I looked at her, " Maybe I'm not the titan you thought I was." I said.
"Why are you afraid of your powes?" she asked.
I frowned, " Me being powerless makes me a threat." I said robotically.
"to yourself?' she asked.
"To everyone else." I said quickly, " You said it yourself, who knows what I can do."
Raven nodded darkly and stared at me. I watched as the scene changed and the faces came into view. A ten year-old me shimmered into view, running down the street. I was remembering. I looked left and saw that Batman and Robin were beating up someone in the alley. I hadn't seen that as a kid. I found the guy, but...
"I have an idea." I said quickly.
Raven looked at me, " An idea?" she asked.
"I didn't see this particular scene...I can see it now, looking back." I said, thinking about the night. I felt something in my heart begin to beat. I was going to watch my father die.
"This is advanced, you might die from trying this." Raven cautioned.
"I became a hero to solve this crime. I'm going to do this." I said, " Until all this weird stuff started happening in my life, I was just a student. A journalism student, now I'm wearing a kick ass costume and I have powers. You can't understand what I feel."
"To have power and not be able to control it?" Raven asked.
As the days flew by, I felt light-headed! I almost past out, but Raven grabbed me. It stopped.
"Where are we?" she asked.
I looked up and saw Nightwing about to jump, " We need to freeze this scene." I said, freezing the scene of Nightwing in air.
"You're bleeding." Raven said.
I nodded, " It happens." I groaned, " We have to get to the garage."
Raven swung my arm over her shoulder and began to run to the garage. When we got there, we bot stopped. There was a gunshot and Carmine fell to the floor. Two-Face put the gun back into his pants and looked at my father.
"What the Hell is wrong with you! You're supposed to wait until Batman saves me!" he yelled at Two-Face.
"He's was irking my nerves...all of them." he said, flipping a quarter, " Besides, I changed the plan."
"What plan?" Dad spat.
"Boys!" Harvey said, his boys bringing a still smoking corpse into the room, " You're dead."
"What about my son?" Dad asked.
"I hadn't thought it through, we have to go." Two-Face said.
Dad nodded as there was clump behind us and I ran in behind us. Raven looked at me and I couldn't catch my breath. I wasn't sure if I was angry or if I was happy. I started to fall, but Raven held me up.
"He's alive?" I coughed, " I'm going to kill him."
Raven's dropped me and grabbed her head, groaning.
I looked up, " What the...Raven...what's wrong?!" I asked.
"We have to go back to the real world." Raven said, " Something's happening."
"Go, I'll find my way back." I said, watching her disappear.
I hadn't been watching the scene, but when I looked around, Ra's Al Ghul had appeared. He poked around the bodies. I looked around, must have been after we were gone.
"Find his son. We must use them both." he said angrily.
"For what?" I asked.
He looked around, as if he could hear me, then his eyes focused on me, " His astral self..." he said, walking toward me. As he got to me, I disappeared.
When I woke up, I was flying. I wasn't, I was being carried. I looked up at Super Boy, who smiled.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Ninjas. Must be your friends." Super boys said, but he stopped, " Kryptonite!" he said weakly.
He dropped me and as I fell, I couldn't do anything. I just fell until someone grabbed me!
"You fall good." Aqualad smiled.
"Thanks." I said, looking around at the ocean, " Can you get me to Gotham. ASAP."
"Sure." he said, swimming away with me.
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