As the little Kryptonian bore down on him Lobo laughed before being momentarily silenced by the scorching heat of Sentinel's heat vision. Feeling the wind leave his chest as fist after fist collided with it, Lobo took a few moments longer than usual to regain his composure before the towering alien wrapped a giant hand around Sentinel's head and pushed him to arm's length.

"The Main Man appreciates complications, however he isn't a babysitter." Lobo snarled before suddenly dropping to one knee as Accelerate delivered a blow to the back of the Czarnian's leg. With a snarl, Lobo tightened his grip on Sentinel and spun the Kryptonian around, releasing the boy and sending him flying into Accelerate.

"Strike!" He laughed before the door thrown by Microbat struck him from behind. "Hey! No cheap shots kid!" Lobo yelled before clasping his hands over his eyes as blood began to trickle from them as Microbat unleashed his sonic attack. Struggling to reach for his shotgun, Lobo found himself suddenly being coated in mud as he located the source of the attack moments too late to stop the shell of mud from hardening around him.

Meanwhile, Evan watched as each member of Alpha team sprung into action allowing him to block the fire from Hob's gatling gun, that however didn't seem to stop them from making their own remarks.

"Since when is providing cover not doing anything?" He yelled towards the girls before sliding his shield off his forearm and gripping the honed edge in his hand. "You want to see what I can do? Fine! Lets see what I can do." He roared as he began to spin himself like a discus thrower as he released the disc of Celestial bronze. The enchanted shield flew through the air before slicing through one of the mech's legs like a hot knife through butter. Changing course mid air, the shield spun back around to Amazon who caught it just in time to somersault forward and block both Whirlpool and Pistolera from the alien's retaliating shots. As soon as the weapon paused to reload, Evan stood up and spun around, releasing the shield again as it shaved the shoulder cannon from the suit before returning to his arm.

"Ha, how about dem apples!" He called as Thermo made his move, freezing the alien's suit solid.

"Good work Titans." Rose called to the group as Lobo remained incarcerated in the now hardened clay. Having further evacuated the surrounding area with the aid of the T-Wing, Rose had just only returned to the fray in time to see Sandstorm finish off Lobo while she turned her attention to the Krolotean who seemed to also be at the end of his rope. As Thermo delivered the coup de grace, Hob's suit was suit down as the little alien ejected from the exploding piece of hardware. Scrambling away from the Titans, the small green alien disappeared under the counter and before anyone could grab him was gone through a hidden hatch.

"Well damn, that sucks." Evan called having sat down at one of the last few tables standing and was now sampling the surviving buffet. "Food's pretty good here, hope it reopens." He added as he dragged a chicken ball through a puddle of sweet and sour sauce before shoving the entire thing in his mouth.

"Like really good." He managed to spit out between chews. As the team collectively shook their head at Evan, no one failed to notice the cracks rapidly spreading across Lobo's clay restraints and suddenly an energy blast from a shot gun plowed its way through the collective team. Thrown from his chair, Evan hit the ground as his shield slid away from him.

"The Main Man always completes his job, at least he did until you meddling brats got in my way." He yelled, reloading the shot gun and firing another blast. Splinters and shrapnel went everywhere as did the various Titans as the room seemed to explode with each subsequent shot. Rose was the first one to get back on her feet, her powers of precognition anticipating the next shot as he sword's energy blades came to life. Lobo side stepped Rose's strike as he chuckled before giving her a swat to the behind that send her tumbling.

"Missed sweet cheeks!" He called as he pointed the gun towards Rose.

"I never miss." Rose said with a smirk as the gun suddenly exploded in a flash of sparks as the front half of the barrel collapsed to the floor.

"Keezy fem." Lobo spat as he uncurled the chain from around his forearm and began to swing it through the air.

"TITANS TOGETHER!" Rose ordered as she pointed her blades towards Lobo. Retrieving his shield, Evan quickly hurled it across the room, taking the end off the chain as he rushed forward, two powerful steps allowing him to cross the room as he leapt into the air, catching the shield in time to land into front of Lob's downward strike.

"Well Kid Krypto?" Evan grunted as the floor boards exploding beneath him under the force of Lobo's blow. "What are you waiting for?"

Rufus noticed how Lobo grabbed Sentinel by the head and chucked him towards him, always surprised by the durability of kryptonians, Rufus caught Sentinel by spinning around and grabbing him by the arm, using the momentum to place Sentinel safely on his feet. Rufus watched as the Mech suit shut down and opened up, keeping his eyes on Hob. But Lobo was the priority. He started firing shotgun shells at them after breaking out of the mud, which was to no surprise not particularly effective at holding down the bounty hunter. Dodging a few shells their leader, Ravager, disarmed Lobo. Accelerate smirked, Rose was one who always got things done, and he had to respect that.

Rose shouted their battlecry, Rufus watching as Pistolera was a few yards away from him. Tapping Sentinel on the shoulder. "Hit Lobo on my go." He told the Kryptonian, as the speedster dashed towards Pistolera, grabbing two of her grenades he dashed towards Lobo whom was now assaulting Amazon. He leapt into the air over Lobo, dropping the two grenades down right under his feet, the grenades exploding, causing a cloud of dust preventing Lobo from seeing much. Accelerate prayed to the stars that the Kryptonian atleast had his super senses so he could still see Lobo and get in a shot at him in the smoke cloud.

Accelerate himself continued out of the Restaurant. He had a pint sized alien with a lot of firepower to catch.

Magi watched as wonder boy dismantled the mech suit. He was quiet impress by the boy. Although he was fun and games most of the time, when he really put his mind to it he could be a great person. But then as he sat down and ate the chicken, the image just shatters. Magi began to feel moist and then he remembered he was soaked to the bone because of the sprinklers. He hated getting his suites dirty and was a OCD freak about them staying clean."FFo Yrd." The spell dried him off immediate and he felt good and sane again. "I feel bad for the owner, I mean we could have at least ate first." Magi said as he looked around the destroyed restaurant.

Lobo caught us off guard when he attacked Rose and Amazon. Lobo began firing shots at the team and Magi and to think fast. "Dlief Ecrof." He made a circle shape with his wand and it created a force field that shielded him from the bullets. He didn't know who was behind him but he would give them comer anyways. When Lobo was disarmed by Rose and Amazon came in to defend her, he saw Accelerate with Sentinel and then in an instant he dashed off and dropped grenades by Lobo's feet. The dust that came after blocked Lobo's vision and Magi looked over to the Kryptonian.

"Now is your chance to go and get him." @FacePunch

Alien rounds burst all around my head, the noise heavy in the air, restaurant shaking with every blast. Well isn't this a fine fix. I'm just asking myself 'what would dad do in a situation like this', when the decision is taking outta my hands. The rest of Alpha fly into the fight, dismantling the alien's suit in pretty short order. Bullets and grenades might not have scratched it, but hydro-jets, artic cold ice and a shild made out of some kind of God metal got the job done. Just another reminder of how outta my depth I am, a girl with a gun, is amongst a group of teen superheroes.

Thermo finishes the suit off, but before it blows its occupant flees the coop. I consider shooting him, an easy enough prospect, but decide against it. The team probably wouldn't approve my 'take no prisoners' approach. Besides, outta his death-suit the little guy is kinda cute, in a “world's ugliest puppy” kinda fashion. E.T makes good his escape.

The kids start milling around the restaurant, self congratulating. Adonis starts snacking on some left over Chinese. Great. Not only have we wrecked the place, but now we're stealing food. Sterling work Titan's. What's next, foil a grocery store robbery then steal the 'take a penny, leave a penny' dish?

Suddenly the flaws with a plan that doesn't leave all your enemies in bodybags makes themselves apparent. Lobo breaks out of his clay prison (Seriously, who thought dried mud would hold him? The guys tanked hits from freaking Superman!) and near instantly goes on a rampage, firing energy blasts at seeming random. Professionally speaking his aim is atrocious, though I don't stick in one spot. Even a terrible marksman can get lucky, and I doubt my armour will hold under his fire. Really makes me think I need to get a bigger gun, especially before my endgame plan.

Ravager get's in close, those knock-off lightsabers she carries slicing through the main man's gun. I make a note of where it falls, thinking I'll grab it before we go. Maybe I'll be able to reverse engineer something with a bit more kick. Wonderboy follows our leader in, letting Lobo wail away at his shield.

I barely have time to register Accelerate moving before he's grabbed two of my grenades and starts speeding off towards Lobo. Surprise quickly gives way to anger. Arrogant prick, who does he think he is? I have half a mind to shoot him, see if he can outrun a bullet. Needless to say, I don't think I'm Rufus' biggest fan. He's about the only member who takes things seriously, which makes him dangerous. Even more dangerous, now I've seen how fast he is in action. What if he ever decided to try that trick again, but instead of taking the whole grenade just made off with the pins, leaving me with two hot potatoes? I'm gonna need some anti-theft measures on my equipment, and make a contingency plan for whenever I might have to deal with the speedster.

There's dust in the air now, thick and cloying. With a push of a button my visor turns to a more suitable visual spectrum. Pulling out my twin pistols I aim for Lobo's eyes. Only thing is he's going pretty hard at Wonderboy, not giving me the clearest of shots. Sure, I could probably make it, but do I want to take the risk of accidentally missing and hitting Adonis in the back of the head. After all, I might damage his face, and his face is the highlight of this team!

Instead I charge in, leaping onto a table then vaulting high into the air. I pirouette mid lead, clearing Evan with ease and landing upon Lobo'd meaty shoulders. Not the steadiest of platforms, but my balance is pretty spectacular. The bounty hunter manages to grunt a confused "Ugh?" before I've wrapped one leg around his neck, the other of his shoulder. I allow myself to fall off, using the momentum from the tumble and my leg like an anchor point to swing round. Now I'm facing him, his big red eyes staring straight into mine, his hot, fetid breath on my face. Most other heroes would probably come up with a punchy-one liner right now, something to really rub salt in the wound. Me, not so much. I'm just not that witty.

Instead I grin then just shoot him in the eyes. Seems to get the message across.

I don't need to ask if it hurts, because he instantly starts screaming, roaring, spitting, bucking around like a bull that just got branded. I might be able to hang on, but I decide not to risk it. Letting my legs relax I push off from his chest, turning a somersault in the air to land gracefully back on my feet. I hear him call me a fragging bitch.

Makes me feel all warm inside.

There was a moment of confusion when Lobo wrapped his meaty fingers around Sentinel's face. He'd hit him with almost all of his strength, and yet he's not only still standing but he quips? QUIPS?! He'd dare make a joke when he's an arms length away from a Kryptonian? Sentinel slammed his fists into Lobo's forearm in a useless attempt to make him loosen his grip. Perhaps his heat vision would have been more effective; however, at this distance, he'd risk the beams back-lashing into his eyes. The last time that happened, Sentinel was blind for two days. Luckily help was on the way. The faint sound of feet hitting the ground at mach 1 from half a mile away met Isaac's ears. He smiled, continuing to struggle to keep Lobo's attention locked on him. If Isaac calculated correctly, Accelerate would be making contact in nearly a second. The sound of Accelerate's continuous boom carpet announced his arrival as he slammed into Lobo with a powerful kick. Ha! That ought'ta show the giant lug. He'll be going down any moment now!

...

What?

Sentinel felt his body whip around at incredible speeds and nearly connected with Accelerate. Luckily, Rufus was as fast as Lobo and managed to expertly maneuver the Kryptonian around and land Sentinel on his feet. "Thanks." He barely got out before he noticed a shift in the air. A glance to the left, and Isaac saw the air bending and whirling violently. Microbat had unleashed a sonic scream after he'd thrown a metal door at the bounty hunter. Sentinel slammed a foot into the floor and jumped out of the way at a thousand miles per hour. The sonic scream rushed past the Kryptonian and temporarily deafened Lobo. Isaac's emotions flared as blood seeped from Lobo's eyes. Wait, the bat managed to bleed Lobo, and yet Sentinel's fists made him laugh? WHAT? Does Microbat really hit harder than a freakin' Superman?

Maybe Lobo has a weakness to sonic attacks.

That's gotta be it. Right? I mean, weaknesses are common for powerhouses like a Czarian. Isaac shook it off as Sandstorm encased Lobo in hardened mud. The odd part was how Lobo didn't immediately break free and attack all of them. Since when could clay hold down somebody that can go toe to toe with the Justice League's best and brightest? Maybe Microbat hits harder than Sentinel thought.

The team began to celebrate. Alpha team managed to take down the mech, but it seemed they'd let the tiny defenseless alien escape. Good work there, guys. Really astounding job. Sentinel felt his heart heave within his chest. The fight was over. They'd won. For a second there, he thought that Lobo would have 'em all six feet und-

"AAAAAAAAHHH!"

An energy blast smacked directly into Isaac's back. Searing pain shot throughout Isaac's body was he was thrown through the buffet as well as the wall behind it, before smashing into a car parked nearby. Disorientated, Sentinel didn't notice the quickly expanding pressure within the car's engine.

BOOM!

Sentinel felt himself being thrown back into the restaurant by the explosion. Now, that was didn't hurt nearly as much as the alien shotgun blast he took to the back. He still felt it, though. Sentinel shook his head as darkness threatened to envelope his vision. No! Stay awake! The Titans need you. They can't take Lobo alone. He'll kill them all! Get up, Isaac! ON YOUR FEET.

Isaac forced himself to stand, one foot in front of the other. The shotgun ceased firing as Rose let loose their battlecry for a second time. Sentinel set his jaw and turned towards Lobo. Accelerate ran over to his side and said...something. He must have a plan. Isaac watched as the speedster retrieved two grenades from a pissed off Pistolera and proceeded to blind Lobo. Sentinel switched over to X-ray vision to get a clear view of Lobo. The bounty hunter was knocked off balance and distracted. Simone pulled off some fancy gymnastics and seemed to piss off the big guy even more.

Evan, Zane, and Rufus all seemed to have the same idea:

Sentinel should hit 'im now.

Isaac shot forward, and the sound barrier exploded. The Kryptonian cut through the air like a fighter jet as he accelerated to mach 2 in less than a blink of an eye. He hit full speed as his feet left the floor and he jumped towards the intergalactic bounty hunter. Isaac and the Czarian locked eyes."Round two, asshole!" Sentinel screamed as he put all of his momentum into a single punch. Fist connected with jaw as Lobo launched backwards and through the wall. Sentinel slowed down, but continued to give chase.

"I'm not through with you!"

Isaac caught up with Lobo after a second or two. He started to slam his fists into the freak's face as they continued to rush across San Francisco. Sentinel kept Lobo's momentum going by pounding him with his full-power punches. The pair of combatants crashed through an evacuated apartment building (Sentinel made sure there weren't any civilians inside. Isn't X-ray vision handy?) and kept going. Almost there...

Sentinel slammed his feet through the ground as he and Lobo crashed through a fence. They had arrived at a condemned hotel. He'd seen the building on the news a few days ago. Apparently there'd been an electrical fire and the fire department had arrived too late. Now it was scheduled for deconstruction. Perfect, because it wasn't the only thing in need of deconstruction.

"Finally alone." Sentinel breathed as Lobo stood to his feet. "Ya know, Superman once said something that I feel is pretty appropriate right about now. I feel like this world's made of cardboard. Guys like me and Supes? We have to hold back so we can make sure we don't break anything. Or anyone. But you can take it, can't you? I don't have to hold back without my team around; and you have no idea how good this is gonna make me feel."

Sentinel accelerated to mach 2 once again. He unleashed his heat vision, full bore, as he charged towards Lobo. Fists collided as Lobo and Sentinel tangled. The two went flying into the hotel, smashing through floors and roofs. Things were thrown. Explosions were caused. Sentinel made sure to make use of all of his powers: Speed, strength, heat vision and freeze breathe all working in tandem to take the big guy down. It wasn't going to be easy. Lobo would make Isaac bleed. He might even break a few bones. But Sentinel would be damned if he let that monster hurt anyone else.

"Fraggin' bastiche!" Lobo roared as Pistolera's rounds blinded his eyes and seared his sockets. It it wasn't for the sonic boom created by the Kryptonian launching at him, Lobo would of not had any warning further attack was coming. His vision was impaired, his hearing stilted and his nostrils overwhelmed with the smell of oily earth food. Laughing at each connecting attack from the Kryptonian, Lobo was taken for a ride as Sentinel seemingly carried him half way across Chinatown.

"I'm just here to complete a job boy!" Lobo snarled as he regained him composure, shaking dust, mortar and shrapnel from his shaggy mane as he tore the remainder of his clothes from his chest before going blow for blow with Sentinel.

"Give me the Krolo and I'll be on my way, I only care about the money, nothing else." He growled but it was apparent that Sentinel wasn't the bargaining type. Managing to put some distance between Sentinel and himself, Lobo wiped blood from his mouth as he laughed again before taunting Sentinel.

"Y'know, I'm the last of my kind." He began reaching into his boot to produce a jagged knife. "Yeah, that's right, Lobo the Main Man, the last Czarnian." Tossing the knife back and forth between his hands, Lobo took a step forward as the two power houses circled one another. "I blew the rest of them up for a science project." He continued with a hearty laugh. "Gave myself an 'A'." He finished as he lunged, slashing widely with the knife.

"Picked this little beauty up in the Rao system, carved it myself from a piece of debris I found there. Was hoping to use it on Big Blue himself but I suppose we'll see if it works on your first." He growled, hacking at Sentinel with one hand while using the other to ward off the Kryptonians own attacks. Suddenly a blast of heat vision sent Lobo flying as a green sphere appeared around his head. As Sentinel raised a hand to strike Lobo, he found it restrained by another as a familiar voice spoke to him.

"That's enough son." The mid west accent was as clear as the smell of freshly baked apple pie as the Man of Steel released Sentinel's hand and landed beside him. With his throat squeezed by the green sphere, Lobo soon passed out as Green Lantern levitated the unconscious body as the Justice League had finally arrived on the scene.

"We'll take it from here Titans." Came the gravely voice of the Batman as he exited the streamlined aircraft, elsewhere a streak of red and yellow was already cleaning up the city as Wonder Woman herself descended from the sky with the small green alien tucked under her arm, cursing every step of the way.

"You heard the League Titans, return to the T-Wing." Rose ordered, turning to see the Batman motioning towards her.

"A word Ravager." He ordered, the Dark Knight's tone made even Rose falter.

"If given the chance, Sentinel would have killed today. I realize the Titans don't adhere to the strict rules that the League follows but I do expect some standards to be non-negotiable. If you can't keep your team in check, then perhaps it's time to consider asking for help or releasing the position to someone else." He paused before turning away. "That said, two known criminals were captured here today in a situation that was well out of the qualifications of the team. Good work."

---

Evander found the ride home to be rather long. Perhaps it was the lack of talking, perhaps it was the ringing in his ears from being caught in a sonic boom, or perhaps it was the fake that they were bailed out by the Justice League before Kid Krypto bloodied his hands. The fact that he hated being in the belly of the mechanical monster so casually referred to as the T-Wing.

"Bellerophon bucks less than this heap of moving metal." He muttered beneath his breath to no one in particular as the T-Wing tucked down inside the hanger of the tower. With his feet on solid ground again, Evan hurriedly exited the aircraft, stripping his top off as soon as he entered the hanger. With his stomach growling, he made a beeline towards the elevator before changing his mind last minute and running up the stairs. Normally he would have taken the much faster and more direct elevator, however having had his fill of mechanical flight, Evan instead used his strength to quickly climb the numerous flights of stairs from the hanger to the main portion of the tower.

Opening the fridge, Evan pulled open the crisper and plucked out a pair of golden apples before reaching into the back and grabbing a glass bottle. Crunching down on the apple, Evan poured himself a glass of the sweet wine from the bottle as the elevator dinged indicator the arrival of some of his fellow Titans.

"Nothing like a cold glass of Visanto Gavala after a job well done, wouldn't you say Rose?" Evan said with a smile holding it out towards her. Reaching to her belt, Rose grabbed the hilt of one of her blades, a shot erupting from the knuckles as the glass shattering and Evan pulled his hand back, shaking the juice from it before sucking on the new burn on his thumb.

"What in the name of Hades, Rose?" Evan snapped as Rose returned the weapon to her belt.

"You call this a job well done?" Rose yelled. "Do all of you call this a job well done? We're lucky to have gotten the civilians out alive, we're lucky the League came by when they did otherwise we'd all be taking him down." She spat pointing towards Sentinel. "I know what it's like to have blood lust, to have a chip in your shoulder. Believe I've been there, I've tried to kill before. But you've got to get it under control, you weren't given those powers to become a murderer." Rose shook her head. "Look, when we're out there I need to be able to trust that we all have each other's backs and while you guys pulled off some great team work, we lost one alien and turned out backs on another who nearly got the better of us." She took a seat, pulling her mask off as she stared into the single eye socket. "There will come a time, I won't be your leader and someone else will have to fill that role, but for the time being everything you do, every punch you throw, every shot you take is on me. I need to know with absolutely certainty that you're not a team of loose cannons because we can't be leaving every mission in the state we left that restaurant." Rose paused before looking up at the whole team. "I want you all to hit the showers, take the night off. No training, no heroics, just hang out in the tower and be teens." Standing up she walked through the team as she entered the central elevator. "I'll be in my War Room if there's an emergency." She turned to push the button, watching as the doors began to close. "Oh and Evan, put a shirt on and get rid of that wine."

As the elevator departed, Evan turned to the cupboard and pulled out another glass, filling it with the wine as he dismissed Rose's words.

"So did anyone else hear 'throw a party' because I have an uncle who really knows how to get a joint rockin'."

---

The waters of the San Francisco Bay were cold and dark as Matvei Rodor's body sunk further and further until light was nothing but a distant memory and the life had all but left his body. The other inmates had tied rocks to his shoes to drag his body down so that would be forever forgotten, he himself had always preferred casting cement but given the circumstances and limited resources he respected their choices. Honestly it was strange that he found himself still thinking despite his throat being slit and he should have drowned some time ago. Perhaps this was purgatory, a dark nothingness he was doomed to dwell within until judgement came.

No judgement here, we will have this vessel now.

Another voice inside his head, Matvei looked around but yet nothing but black appeared before him.

Who are you? He thought to himself, still not entirely sure what was going on.

Your savior. We are life. The voice replied as Matvei moved a hand to his neck, the wound had been sealed, coated by a tar like substance.

Swim Matvei, swim Zuggernaut. The voice urged as Matvei reached down, releasing his feet and shooting upwards. His body felt stronger than it had ever, he felt younger but yet an insatiable hunger had begun in his belly and he could feel it slowly gnawing away at him, threatening to wholly consume him if he didn't eat soon. Emerging from beneath the murky depths, Matvei crawled onto the shore as he rolled onto his back and looked at himself in the pale light of the moon. A black substance was spreading itself over his body, coating him in an almost reptillian skin as he felt the hunger grow stronger.

"You there!" A voice called as Matvei turned to see a fisherman running towards him. "You okay son?" He called before pausing at the sight of the Matvei's orange jumpsuit. "N-no!" The fisherman stuttered turning to run as Matvei managed to stand.

Feed us. The voice cried as Matvei took a hesitantly step forward.

Feed us. The voice cried again, growing more insistant as Matvei began to walk.

FEED US! The voice screamed and Matvei moved into a run, the black skin taking over his body, he face pulled taunt as his body became gaunt, nothing but a husk of the man, Matvei once was. Tackling the fisherman to the ground, Matvei felt his strength increase as he pinned the struggling man. A pain exploded from his spine as a prehensile tail emerged from behind him and wrapped itself around the fisherman's neck and began to strangle the life out of him. Inhaling deeply, Matvei sighed in relief as the man's life force began to leave his body and enter into the convicted killer's.

Yes Zuggernaut, yes! The voice urged as Matvei's jaw extended, the fisherman letting out one last scream and then it was over. Wiping his jaw, Matvei's tail receeding back inside him as he stood, his chest heavy as his stomach growled.

More, we need more! The voice came again as Matvei turned his attention towards the San Francisco. Behind him, the fisherman's body struggled to stand, shambling forward as Matvei turned to look at the husk of what was once a man.

"Hungry." It managed to creak as Matvei turned to look back at the glowing city.

"Then we hunt." He hissed back as the two creatures began to limp forward.

It was altogether an embarrassing display of heroics from the Titans. Never in a million years did Ari expect that she would feel like such an insignificant dwarf. The Justice League made quick work of their foe and were obviously less than thrilled with the team's work. She was so disgusted with her teammates — and to a far lesser extent disgusted with her own performance, but mostly her teammates. She swore that Wonder Woman was shaking her head at her. "I got the 'disappointed elder' treatment from fucking Wonder Woman!" she said to herself through gritted teeth on the T-Wing ride back to base. She legitimately loathed the Amazon. There wasn't really anything personal in between them, Ariel believed the Leaguer carried herself with a particular arrogance that aggravated Whirlpool more than anything. Ari would love to test just how powerful the woman was.

The closer to home base the T-Wing got, the more Ariel got worked up about it. She had a personal hunch as to who the catalyst of their failure was. Sure, the Teen Titans as a whole showcased immaturity today, that was certain. But what they also showcased was a self-centered, out of control, selfish, psychopath Kryptonian who had no qualms with leaving collateral damage in the wake of his rampaging. The next time he made the team look like fools again there would be a problem, she didn't care how unevenly matched she might be with him. The T-Wing docked in the hangar and Ariel stormed to the front, making sure to be the first to exit. She walked towards the elevator with clenched fists, trying to calm herself down before a shirtless Evan dashed past her towards the stairs. He might've plowed her over in his effort had she not sidestepped. The sight of Evan calmed her down enough to put an end to her raging.

Shortly after the team was together in the main portion of the tower. Rose snapped when Wonder Boy tried toasting to their work. "We're lucky to have gotten the civilians out alive, we're lucky the League came by when they did otherwise we'd all be taking him down." Rose spat with a finger point at Sentinel. Ariel would've enjoyed that, at least if she was in a comfortable range of the Bay, than containing Kid Krypto would be no problem. Ravager was always good at inducing guilt, though, and Ari found herself pretending to be interested in her shoes for the majority of Rose's lecture. She wanted to interrupt and blame the others for their failure but she decided it wasn't a good time, and she couldn't look Rose in the eye.

Rose finished with telling them to pretty much chill and bond, which was a good call because that was exactly what they needed. Ariel was zoning out as Ravager departed in the elevator. Evan filled another wine glass and started talking about throwing a party. Finally calmed, she decided it was best to keep it that way if she was going to effectively follow Rose's orders. Ari speedwalked past Evan, swiping the glass away from him in a quick movement. She examined it before raising it to her lips and drinking half of the glass. "Thanks for the drink," she winked over her shoulder before walking away in a flirtatious matter.

Lobo kept talking as Sentinel slammed and smashed him across kingdom come. He thought that Sentinel would accept any kind of deal? With the likes of Lobo? What a joke. No, if Isaac had his way Lobo wouldn't be walking away from this fight. The two powerhouses brawled. Fists collided with flesh and bone as the environment collapsed around them. The combined blows from the pair of enemies could be heard by all who were anywhere nearby. Despite the continuous barrage of attacks delivered by the young Kryptonian the Czarian refused to fall. The two came to a halt in the yard after smashing through a wall and falling five stories onto the dirt below. Lobo moved away from Isaac, who took the respite graciously and caught his breathe as the villain monologued. He mentioned being the last of his kind. How he'd killed everyone he'd ever known when he was only a child. This only proved to Sentinel that this monster deserved what was coming to him.

He shouldn't have killed all those people.

It's not Lobo's choice who gets to live or die. That kind of thing can't be decided by any individual or any agenda. Life was-

-Life was precious.

...

But not Lobo's. He deserved this. Didn't he?

The Czarian produced a knife that gave off an all too familiar glow. Sentinel began to feel panic rise up in his chest as Lobo blitzed forward and slashed him across the chest. The Kryptonite sliced through Sentinel's Kryptonian battle armor like butter. Feeling the knife slice across his chest was the worst pain Isaac had felt since he became a Kryptonian. Blood dripped from the wound as Isaac's skin struggled to heal due to the crippling radiation. Sentinel let loose a howl of pained rage as he tried to strike back. Lobo pared the blow with ease and took a stab at trying to cut Isaac again. The blade sliced deeper this time, leaving trace radiation within the wound itself. Isaac felt his knees grow weak underneath him. His attacks became more and more futile as Lobo continued his offense. Was this the end? Was Lobo stronger than Sentinel had anticipated? Darkness threatened to overcome Sentinel once more, as it had in the restaurant. The end seemed nigh as Sentinel fell to his knees and awaited the final strike.

Yet none came. Two beams of familiar energy slammed into the bounty hunter and sent him flying into an equally as familiar green construct. Sentinel leaped to his feet, raising an arm to join in the fight against Lobo despite his crippling weakness having struck him multiple times in the chest. Yet Isaac felt himself stopped by his mentor. That S, the second most recognizable symbol on planet earth was what greeted the weary warrior. "Kal, I-" Sentinel began. But Superman would have none of it. "That's enough, son." He said before Sentinel collapsed in his friend's arms. "I tried. He...He was stronger than me." But not strong enough, Isaac thought. "You did just fine Sentinel, but you still have much to learn." Green Lantern gave Superman a certain look. Sentinel understood it well. 'Fine?' Green Lantern implied. 'He tried to kill lobo. He wrecked an apartment building for crying out loud!'

"Can I go home, Superman?"

"Yeah. It's time to go home, Sentinel. I'll take you back to the T-Wing. You'll be at the tower in no time."

No, Sentinel thought. Not the tower. Home. To the Fortress, where he belonged. But alas. Martian Manhunter was not here to know Sentinel's true thoughts. Soon, Sentinel found himself side by side with the rest of the Teen Titans aboard the T-Wing. Isaac caught a glimpse of Batman as the plane took flight and they were surrounded by a deafening silence. The mission had been a failure. Two enemies nearly escaped and Sentinel had almost done the unthinkable. Or, perhaps, he'd nearly died. The team probably didn't know that. Heck, Batman probably didn't know. Only two of the Leaguers had been there to see the fight; and neither Clark or Jordan were known for talking about stuff like that.

At least the view was good. Nothing like flight to calm the nerves, eh? Sentinel took a deep breath as he stepped off the T-Wing's ramp and onto the cold floor. He walked with the rest of the team toward the elevator and rode up with them in silence. Evan seemed excited to be back and out of his shirt; no surprise there. Sentinel stepped into the kitchen and glanced at Ariel. The girl had a look of hatred in her eyes as the two made eye contact. Of course she did. Sentinel had ruined the mission in her mind. I mean, it isn't like he dragged Lobo as far from the team as possible to keep them safe or anything. And it isn't like he took on the bounty hunter one on one, nearly winning until the cheat pulled out Kryptonite. Oh no, it was ALL Isaac's fault to that arrogant, selfish little piece of-

Calm down. Don't hurt her. She's just scared, that's all. They were all scared.

Sentinel decided it was for his best interest to avoid eye contact. Rose entered the room, and Isaac steeled himself for the worst of it. No doubt, she had some choice words for her titans. He'd probably take the brunt of it, too. Sentinel rubbed his scarred chest and shifted his suit around to make himself more comfortable. He'd need to fix it before he used it for anything else. Which sucked, considering he only owned a single pair of jeans and a Superboy shirt to replace it.

Ravager indeed seemed to have plenty to say. She assaulted a defenseless glass of wine with her lightsaber before addressing the rest of the group. Yeah, Isaac did consider it a job well done. Especially when you consider that everyone but Sentinel was street level at best, yeah; they did pretty damn well. Better than any other team like them could have done. That wasn't what riled Sentinel though. No, it was her next set of comments that made this teapot shriek.

"-we're lucky the League came by when they did otherwise we'd all be taking him down." She spat pointing towards Sentinel. "I know what it's like to have blood lust, to have a chip in your shoulder. Believe I've been there, I've tried to kill before. But you've got to get it under control, you weren't given those powers to become a murderer."

"WHA-" Isaac felt his his cheeks catch fire. He started to figuratively choke on his own words as he held back an explosion of emotion. How DARE she presume they were anything alike. Her father was a world renowned assassin. She was trained from birth to be a murder and a thug. The kind of person Sentinel is looking to off. Yet she thinks she's better than Isaac. Even if she is, it wasn't her place to call him out in front of everyone. Like they needed the extra reason to hate him. And she wanted them to bond? They'd probably want to play 'hang the Sentinel' when Rose left! How's that for a party?! Make the Kryptonian failure a pinata! Beat him until he gushes candy! Yay! It isn't like Isaac has feeling anyway. It isn't like he cares what his teammates thinks. Or, by Rao, that he might just have wanted to keep the closest thing he has to friends safe.

Rose 'I'm better than you' Wilson left them all with the orders to relax. "I'll be in my room." He said quietly. "Gotta let these cuts heal." Sentinel turned away from the rest of his team and slowly made his way towards the stairs and up to his room. He ignored the antics of his teammates as he disappeared from sight. Moments later he found himself changing out of his ruined costume and into what was the entirety of his wardrobe of clothes. He stopped, taking a seat on the side of his (totally useless) bed and looking in the mirror.

"You're suppose to be Superman." He told himself. "Superman is a symbol of hope. Power. He fights for truth and justice. Everyone on the face of the planet looks up to him. He's all their favorite hero. The world loves him." Sentinel sighed, staring at that accursed S on his shirt. "And what are you? A symbol of anger and hate. Weakness. You fight to kill and murder. Your teammates are afraid of you. Threaten you. The world? The world ignores you. Like a bad joke." Sentinel looked down at his chest and grabbed a handful of his shirt, ripping the S off. "You don't deserve this." He mumbled, before opening his door and throwing the S down the stairs. He turned and looked out of the window at the sun as it disappeared behind San Francisco.

Not strong enough. Never strong enough.

It had all been a blur as the fight ensued with utmost ferocity. For the most part, Rhea had ducked underneath some rubble as Lobo sprayed and prayed throughout the restaurant, assuring them that chinese take-out was not in their to-do list. Furthermore, as the battle was taken to another location, Rhea had only a brief second to get out of her hiding place before the League showed up. Oh, how they always like to appear when things became bleak. As a support, Rhea withheld any comment as to how they all flunked. Pretty much, the only reason they weren't that much of failure was, at least, they helped in catching two criminals in one day. Still, they destroyed a restaurant, demolished a hotel and gave some people in chinatown a traumatic experience-- not really the best way to strengthen teamwork. Thus, the ride home was tense. Stares and glares were similar to swords and knives, each probably wanting to put the blame on someone. Well, it wasn't a mystery as to who everyone was blaming. It was Teapot-- Kid Krypto. As they arrived at the tower, Rhea couldn't help but close her eyes as Rose began to do her heartfelt lecture and while any normal person would say that Rhea was not responsible for anything since she barely even destroyed a single pebble, the healer felt as guilty as everyone else. If only she had been more proactive, things might not have gotten out of hand. If only she was useful, she could have helped stop the criminals before anything happened. If only she was actually a hero, maybe she could have made her team proud. In that brief battle, Rhea saw how much everyone dwarfed her. Everyone was useful in that battle, except her. These thoughts raced in Rhea's mind, prompting the healer to make a fist, crumpling her bloodstained robe.

As Rose continued her lecture, Rhea couldn't help but notice that she was aiming everything down at Teapot. The lad already had a hard time communicating with others and, yet, she just couldn't show a hint of appreciation? At least, Teapot had been useful in that clash. Still, Rhea kept her peace and preferred to just close her eyes and let the storm (Rose) pass. Once Rose vanished, Rhea sighed. "I dun know whether she done dat 'cus she be worried 'bout the damage we caused to da town or da damage we caused to her reputation." As Teapot left the room and Mini-Package and Whirlie began flirting, Rhea took her leave as she abruptly stood up. "Fer what it be worth, you've all done wonderful out der-- as a team and I think dat is da most important aspect of da Titans."

Rhea reached the kitchen, her hands trembling furiously as she remembered the sight of blood that had gushed out from the child's leg. Her breathing became erratic, pained and laboured-- she was venturing into another panic attack. Rhea took off her hood before turning on the facet at full force, splashing her face profusely with cool water until she felt that she could, at least, function normally. The memories of those dark nights began to jab at her psyche, threatening to torment her once more. Flashes of vivid horrors took drafted between her eyes as she slammed her fist upon the sink... not really doing anything other than getting her own hand bruised. Finally, she pulled herself together as the cold chill that ran through her spine vanished altogether. "Curse be da day I grew ovaries." she mumbled before turning to the drawers and pulling out multiple tea packets. She got the teapot and threw multiple bags inside before pouring hot water. While the others might prefer wine, Rhea knew that tea eased the soul. Her eyes went over to the sights of the balcony, the city's glorious night façade was something worth mentioning. As the tea 'brewed', Rhea began to wander aimlessly up and down the tower, her mind drifting over to how much the team had been considered a failure so far. As she ascended the steps, she heard some rumbling and, voilà, a torn piece of a shirt came soaring towards her as the speed left her little time to dodge. The cloth collided with her with the force of a light punch which could knock a normal person off their feet. Apparently, cloths had the potential to be teen titans nowadays. It was the 'S' that Teapot loved to flaunt so much. "Shit, indeed."

Rhea's face softened as she examined the torn piece of clothing. "Sentinel." she sighed, looking at the door which had just recently closed... well, that door wasn't the only thing that closed this night... probably, so was Teapot's heart to the team. Rhea shook her head as she tucked the cloth inside her robe before making her way back to the kitchen. With the tea done, Rhea placed the pot on a tray alongside two small, porcelain cups. Rhea began her tense journey towards the room of the man who the team bared their fangs upon, the man who could kill her if he wanted to. Still, instead of fear, Rhea felt... hope. Not everyone who stumbles is lost. She could never understand what Teapot is going through, they were worlds apart. She would never understand his pain but if there's something that both of them had in common... well, she would find out in the long run. Besides, most people would only care when it was too late; Rhea did not want to be part of that 'most'.

She finally reached the door of his room. Most probably, he already knew she was there. It was now or never. If he would say no, then Rhea would have a tea party by herself... at least, she tried. "Sentinel." Rhea began, her voice neutral. "Sentinel," she tried again. "May I come in?" That 'English for Dummies' book helped her a lot. "I know you dun need me 'der but would ye allow me to keep ye company over a cup of tea?" Rhea finished her spiel, hoping for the best. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step and, this, was Rhea's first step. She could only hope that Teapot would also take his first steps or this tense atmosphere would last for a good duration in their team. Besides, tea was always a good conversation starter.

Sentinel stood in solemn silence as he listened. He could hear her movements more clearly than he could see the stars in the night sky. Rhea. Isaac thought with a sigh. When he heard her walking up the stairs before, he hadn't made her much mind. He thought she would just keep walking; even when she found the S. That thought didn't last long. His superhuman hearing made sure he understood her very well when she spoke. It was like a whisper. The kind of sound a person makes when they don't want to be heard, but can't help but speak. Sentinel sat back down on his bed once more, his eyes locked on the door. Isaac could hear her footsteps. She was coming up the stairs right about now. What was she going to say? She didn't sound angry when she spoke to the shirt. But then, why else would she want to come talk to the walking hand grenade other than to yell at him? Her footsteps stopped. Now Cell was close enough that Sentinel could hear her very heartbeat. When she first spoke his name, Sentinel didn't move. If she wanted in, if she wanted to talk to Isaac, she'd need to do better than that. The Kryptonian wasn't exactly jumping at the opportunity to talk to someone right now. He was having a moment of weakness. Those seemed to be getting more and more regular, which was a frightening prospect. Isaac despised his own weakness more than the failings of any other person.

Rhea called again. Sentinel didn't move.

She asked if she could come in. To Cell's credit, that was the most polite anyone had been when asking Sentinel for something in a long time. Isaac stood, moving as silently as a phantom toward the door. She spoke of tea. Rhea wanted to talk about something...over tea. She was definitely European.

Sentinel's hand engulfed the door knob. He didn't move, debating whether he should open the door. This could be the worst choice he'd ever make, or the best. Whether or not to open the door. To release the lock, and open the proverbial flood gate to his heart and soul. If Isaac opened himself up to Rhea...

...What's the worst that could happen? She turns out to be here to twist the knife a bit further? Sentinel could squash her like an ant beneath his boot. Maybe his teammates start to talk. Start to whisper. Sentinel has a weakness. Whatever. If things kept going the way they are, 'Sentinel' wouldn't be around much longer. Isaac Grant wouldn't need to worry about what the Titans thought of their biggest liability.

Isaac turned the door knob.

He forced a polite smile onto his face as he looked down at Rhea. At first, Isaac was worried his appearance might frighten her. After all, he had a giant hole in his shirt and a couple of nasty looking cuts on his chest. Sentinel's worries seemed unfounded as he noticed that Rhea's robe was covered in blood; at least he wasn't the only one who needed a new costume.

"Uhm," He began. "Please. Come in." Sentinel opened the door and allowed Rhea into his humble abode. The room was pretty bare. The closest was open and empty. His bed looked like it hadn't been used since the day Sentinel arrived. Sentinel's uniform was strewn out over the floor next to the large window on the opposite side of the room. Yes, rather bare bones indeed. 'Course Isaac never used it so the accessories didn't matter. Grant took a seat on his bed and patted the spot next to him. "Sooo..." Isaac began before pausing. What was he supposed to say? 'Hey, I noticed that you were just as much of an emotional wreck as I am. Want to share depressing origin stories and cry for a little while?' Yeaaahhhh. No.

"What kind of tea is it?" At least tea was a good conversation starter.

Evan could feel the weight of Sentinel's words as he excused himself to his bunk, descending down to the quarters in the floor below. Part of him wanted to go and talk to the big guy, heck maybe even learn his name so he didn't have to keep making up ones for him. It was well beyond Evan's understanding why Sentinel felt the need to keep his identity such a secret, it's not like Batman had trained the guy. Perhaps he had an embarrassing childhood, though an alien living out of New Krypton surely had bigger things to worry about than the Titans digging up photos of him dressed in his sister's outfit. That was if he had a sister, or if he even grew up in New Krypton. Perhaps he grew up on a farm in Kansas?

Ha, that'd be rich. A powerhouse like that growing up in the cream corn capital. Evan thought to himself becoming distracted at the amusing train of thought only for his glass of wine to be precisely extracted from his fingers by the team's resident spunky brunette. Turning his violet blue eyes on Ariel, Evander bit his bottom lip as the girl threw a wink back at him and made her way away from him.

"Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave." He muttered beneath his breath as he reached around to the cupboard for a third glass and began to pour himself yet another drink. "Plenty more if you want another Ari." He called after Whirlpool before turning to the rest of the group, his nose wrinkling in disgust as Rhea prepared tea for herself and Sentinel before departing.

"Simone?" Evan asked looking towards his favourite sharp shooter. "How about a drink to take the edge off?" He reached into the fridge, producing another bottle. "Oh I also have this, gift from a Scandinavian friend, long blonde hair, big hammer..." He trailed off before turning to Luke quickly. "I think you'd like him." He added pulling out a mug. "Either way it's mead." He paused looking at the rest of the Titans gathered before him. "Don't tell Rose." He said mischievously. Putting the bottle of mead down, Evan held his flute of wine up to the group and proposed a toast.

"To the first of many missions and screw ups!" He yelled walking over to a panel on the wall. Tapping a few buttons, music suddenly began to blare from the speakers around the room as the shirtless demigod began to dance. "Now then, I believe it has been declared that you all need to get down with your badselves!"

As the door opened in front of her, Rhea looked up at the rather tall man in front of her. "Thank you." Rhea smiled, her eyes partially hidden by the hood that almost always covered the majority of her face. Okay, what did that book say again? Oh, yeah! "It's good to be seein' ya tonight." she mumbled her awkward greeting before proceeding to the spot where Sentinel had gestured for her to sit. Once she had made herself comfortable, Rhea removed her hood, now surveying the room. It was simple, homey and clean-- well, aside from the uniform that was left upon the cold floor. "I pray that ye wud excuse my appearance-- 'im not really dressed for tea." she chuckled, pouring the contents of the pot into the two cups. Suddenly, her attention snapped back to Sentinel, realizing that he had asked her a question. "Oh, dis be earl grey. 'Tis me favourite." A pregnant pause emanated between the two, the tense atmosphere dancing stark naked in joy as Rhea lost anything she could say.

Then, Rhea blatantly chuckled softly as her eyes trailed down on the boy beside her. Suddenly, the awkward look on Rhea's face increased as she tried to stifle her giggles. "I apologize. My guidebook don't say nothin' after da tea conversation. You're da first one I tried it on... and I'm happy dat you accepted me efforts. I'm happy that even tho' dis be da first time we talked, you're kind to lil'o me." Rhea smiled widely before her eyes went back to observing the room. Their rooms looked, more or less, the same. Of course, Sentinel's room didn't have a poster of a cat hanging from a branch saying 'Mewow! Keep Hanging!'. Then, there's the chalkboard in front of her small bed. "I be likin' yer room. It looks similar to mine. Simple, clean and homey."

Rhea lifted the cup to her lips, blowing on it before taking a sip, a relaxed sigh escaping her. Then, she looked up at Sentinel with a grin. If there was something that differed between the two of their rooms, it was the moonlight that seeped so generously into the bare quarters. That same light shone softly on Sentinel, causing his red hair to shine ever so gracefully, revealing elegance that the others might have failed to see. To add to that, his skin looked almost like porcelain, his strong-looking jaw augmenting his already formidable appearance. Somehow... he reminded her of him.

Now... now was the time to put those English lessons to use. "I came here not as a fellow titan." Rhea began, her eyes focusing on the scars that were visible on his chest. They were slowly healing, though. "I came here as a fellow sentient being." She was careful not to say 'human', knowing that it would probably be an insult to Sentinel for Rhea to compare her race to his. "I believe that Rose went overboard wid 'er comment and dat some of our team-mates forgot to take der chill pill. Out of everyone in the team, ye probably did most of the damage on Lobo. In fact, I think you had something in mind when you dragged that criminal away from us. I'd like to believe dat ye were looking out for the team but... I could be wrong."

The teapot's contents were emptied once more as Rhea took another a sip. "Sure, we made a breach of protocol but ain't dat part of learning-- making mistakes? I know I can't compare my experiences to ye but... when I first tried my power of manipulatin' cells, my friend got cancer." Rhea looked at Sentinel, trying to see whether his eyes were bored or not. "Okay, you got me... Four other people got cancer after that. It was terrible for me, y'know? People trusted me to save their lives but all I did is make dem suffer. Just because ye stumbled don't mean dat you're lost. It simply means that ye have to try harder." By this time, Rhea's eyes were not on the teen but on the spectacular view of the city lights outside. "An arrow has to be pulled back before it is launched into greater heights."

Rhea exhaled deeply, letting her fingers comb through her chestnut hair. "The point is... I think that our colleagues just don't understand you; heck, even I dun understand ye. Dey might not be interested in hearing your side of the story but... I am, if only to understand the strong and terrific sentient being in front of me. So, if you'd like to talk or anything, I'm all ears." Rhea revealed her talent, moving her ears with a smile. "Yer not alone, y'know? Ye dun need to go through dis alone." A slight chuckle escaped her lips before her eyes focused on the wound on his chest.

"If it's a'right with ye, I'll heal the cuts on your chest, Sentinel." Rhea offered, taking off her gloves, signifying that there would be some physical contact involved. She wanted to be useful for once since she was as useful as a matchstick in a rain during their bout with Lobo. "Dun worry, cancer ain't part of de package. I promise. I trained a lot, like... a lot. Like, you wouldn't believe my efforts. Well, probably, cancer ain't existin' with yer race." Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind. If this conversation didn't go the way she planned, then, there was no use of them suffering the whims of social convention of prolonging small talk. If Sentinel won't talk, then, she'd just heal him up and leave. However, if he did spill his vulnerability, then, Rhea would never leave him hanging.

She would do everything she can to make sure that this misunderstood persona would find his place in his team-- no, their team.

As soon as Rose gave the order Zane hurried back to the T-Wing. Something was off, he could only describe the shared feeling as failure. Zane felt that, maybe if he did more or tired something else it could have changed the outcome. But in reality he knew that what happened happened and now they had to deal with the consequences. Now they flew home in a tense silence. No one said anything, but a conversation was still going on, this one was more silent and it conveyed the anger and disappointment we had in each other.

As they came into the hanger, everyone got ff in silence, Ariel walked towards the elevator, she looked upset. Evan was next, he shot up the stairs shirtless without any word. Zane was not to far behind her as they all got into the elevator. While they went up Zane tried to wrap his mind around what went wrong. They had good team work, they had been living together for a while, trained, sweat and bled together, but something was missing. Getting out of the elevator, Evan sat there making a toast to their "victory". This made Rose snap, she entered into her monologue with one in message in mind, today was not a win, and we had a lot of work to do. Zane wondered why she pit the failure on Sentinel, He had a part to play in their down fall but he is not the primary reason. The real reason, in Zane's opinion, that they failed was that they lacked one key component every great team had: a bond. They had been together but could they even call them selves friends, no just team mates. What his team needed was a night to have fun and get to know each other and develop some kind of friendship. If they could not make some kind of bond then the team itself was going no where and Zane knew this.

After she left, Sentinel left too. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He needed a friend but Zane was not in the mood to possibly get hurt so he left him be. Then Rhea made some tea and left with it. Soon after, Zane looked over and Evan was playing music and "getting down". Zane chuckled and took out his wand. "Lausac Sehtolc." The spell changed his outfit to a red shirt with a black Z on the front, black basket ball shorts, and black ankle socks. He went into the kitchen and saw the glass on the floor. "Riaper." He said with a whisper and the glass re-formed itself in his hand with the drink still in it. Zane poured it out into sink in the kitchen and put the glass in there too. He then took a seat with milk, his Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a spoon and bowl. He made himself a bowl of cereal and looked at his team mates.

"Well guys lets be "teens" for the night. Come on lets eat and talk, and try to be friends."

JC wondered why the others were so relaxed in the Chinese Restaurant. They couldn't possibly think that the Main Man would be stopped by mud clay, did they? What surprised him the most was the fact that even Rose thought this was all over with. She came back and instantly started with the congratulations. What good was field experience if she didn't even use it? He kept his eyes on the new Lobo statue and noticed the cracks appearing. He knew that this fight wasn't over yet. Soon the action continued as Lobo tried to shoot everyone with his energy shotgun. JC tried to get out of the way while trying to find a good shot, but soon the others got in the way.

The battle soon got out of most of their hands as Sentinel decided to play a little game of "Mine" with the enemy by taking the fight elsewhere. He wanted to go after the two, but he realized that he wouldn't be able to catch up without using his ice to glide. He sighed and looked at the rest of the team in the restaurant wondering what they were going to do. Then the Cavalry arrived to answer that question. They weren't going to do anything except for head home. It was about time that they showed up. They should have been there much sooner. Given the speed of Superman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and the Green Lantern coming here and stopping Lobo would have been done before the Titans would have arrived. Especially considering how quickly they finished things just now.

He followed the others to the T-Wing, but stopped at the entrance ramp while looking back at Batman and Rose. He sighed and finally headed inside to get a seat. The ride over was in silence. Everyone seemed to be upset or disappointed in some way. JC? He had his feelings about the situation, but he didn't think about them. Not here at least. He sat in his seat with his eyes closed. When they arrived back at the hangar the others were pretty much in a rush to get off.

When they all met what could be considered a debrief he immediately took notice of the cycle of disappointment. Batman was disappointed in Rose. Rose was disappointed in the team as a whole, but part of that disappointment was focused on the Krypto-Psycho. Part of the team's disappointment was aimed at Sentinel and Sentinel was disappointed in himself. It went well with the whole angst thing he had going on. After Rose finished chewing them out she left to go to the War Room leaving them to be normal teenagers. He hated the fact that she said that they couldn't train.

Everyone was doing their own little thing now. Sentinel and Rhea left. Sentinel was going to his room to "heal", but it was clearly a cover up for him brooding. Rhea took some tea and left, presumably to her room. The others went to drink and get down with their bad selves. If this was what teens did in their free time he really didn't want to be one any longer. A heavy sigh escaped JC's lips before he stood up and walked out of the room. He didn't bother saying where he was going or what he was doing. They were likely preoccupied with their small party to even notice he was gone.

Rose told them to hit the showers and that was exactly what he was going to do. He made his way to the showers and walked right up to the mirror and looked at his reflection. He didn't see himself when he looked in the mirror. He saw the dark path that was placed before him. The path that his shit stain of a father put him on. He saw a spitting image of his father. He lifted his hand to his scarred face and pressed gently against it. A permanent scar for a permanent failure. Like father, like son. "Look at you. You wallow in self-pity. Now you're talking to yourself. How pitiful and weak can you get? You let a small alien get away. You destroyed a mech suit. Big whoop. You're lucky Wonder Woman fixed your mistake. All it would have taken was one simple blast of ice and you would have froze that thing solid."

Jeremiah dropped his arm and stepped back from the mirror. The reflection changed now. He saw himself as appeared. Part of the reason as to why he didn't get much sleep was also because whenever he did he had nightmares. His nightmares were filled with him being what his father wanted him to be. A monster to fit his monstrous appearance. It didn't change. He never once had a peaceful dream.

He left the room and made his way to the War Room. He knew that Rose only wanted to be interrupted for emergencies, but he needed to talk to her. If he was going to do this he had to make sure that it was all done right. When he reached the entrance to the room he didn't attempt to knock. He just went inside. "We need to talk."

He stepped further inside not caring what she thought of his intrusion. "The team and its members weren't the only ones who failed today. You did as well. As our leader with the most field experience you have to realize the mistakes that you made here as well instead of putting all of the pressure and fault on the team. You may not have been there during the fight, but you came at the most important part. When the team had this ill-conceived notion of victory. We faced a guy who fought against the League and you didn't suspect that there'd be a round two." He forgot what his main point was half-way through this. This was the longest he's talked to anyone here and it didn't make him feel good. He could feel his own personal temperature in a constant flux. It didn't know whether or not JC wanted to be hot, cold, chilled, or warm. He wanted her to say something now so that he didn't have to continue with this speech.

Luke hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d done his part. Lobo had been subdued, and Luke had specifically told his team that it was up to them to take him down. But they’d ignored him, choosing to celebrate their “victory” instead. And then the Czarnian broke out from the mud (Come on, don’t tell me that the team actually thought it would hold him) and tried to shoot the Titans down, almost succeeding if not for Sentinel, seemingly blinded by rage… though Luke sensed an ulterior motive, a hidden one… maybe one even Sentinel didn’t know about. But he’d taken Lobo away from the team, and away from civilians. He protected them. Luke had to give him credit for that.

So when the Justice League arrived, Luke stayed quiet. During the flight back to base, he stayed quiet. And when Rose berated the team, he stayed quiet. Because Luke hadn’t done anything wrong.

You’re wrong. I’m as equally at fault as the rest of the Titans are. There’s no blame game to play. I can’t feel sorry for myself.

Following the events of the day, Luke felt that the natural way to deal with it was to drink up. That isn’t to say that he was an alcoholic. No. Contrary to the popular belief that beer was an Australian’s lifeline, Luke did not normally drink. But he was feeling quite crappy at this point in time, and what better way to forget about it than a good ol’ fashioned hangover?

Evan, ever the flirter, had retrieved a bottle of mead, making a comment to Simone that screamed ‘Take that edge off for my advances.’ Luke may have read it wrong, but that’s what he got, and he was, quite frankly, confused. Pistolera was easily the scariest of the three girls in the team; why anyone would make a pass at her at the threat of having their genitals shot off was beyond Luke. Oh well, it was a free country, and he supposed that Evan could always just shapeshift them back to their original state. It would be a shame if such a handsome guy let his package go to waste. Wait, what?

Following Amazon’s toast, Luke poured himself some mead, taking a sip of the sweet beverage. What was almost ‘Cheers, handsome,’ came out as “Cheers,” confusing Luke even further. Just one taste of alcohol and he was already tipsy. Why was Evan so attractive? Wait, WHAT?

Shaking his head profusely, Luke tried to clear it. When that didn’t work, he drank from his cup. What was one sip turned into multiple gulps, and a few moments later he’d finished his glass and was pouring a second, looking at Evan once more. He was so majestic, so godly. How could someone like him exist?

"WAIT, WHAT?"

What happened after he left the resturant was a blur to him, he assumed that Sentinel would have decked Lobo and that would've been it, he instead was racing around the area, into the parking garage that was big enough to house a spaceship. He saw the alien lock into his ship, too far away to stop Hob from taking off he instead turned to pelting chunks of asphalt at the ship, each piece being infused with kinetic energy making them blow up like small grenades. It did little to the ship except scratch the paint. Watching as the ship took off into flight made him furious, thinking of ways to catch up. What if he ran vertically up the closest really tall building, he'd have to move almost half a mile, but he probably could do it.

However, before he could react he saw a disturbance in the airwaves close to the alien ship, switching to infrared he could directly make it out who it was that caused it. Wonder Woman. The League was here.
The Amazonian imobolized Hob's ship and dove into it, getting the little alien out and putting him in cuffs. While he was happy that Hob was caught, he felt a chill down his spine as the red streak passed him and he instantly felt the incredible amount of energy that Barry Allen, The Flash, possessed. Barry was the one he liked the least of all the other speedsters. Guy always thought too highly of himself, like he was the one who could go toe to toe with Superman.

Even if he would be correct.. Rufus thought with a sigh. He knew that if he would regroup with his team, he would end up having to talk with Flash, and there were few things he liked less than that. Instead, he made his way directly to the tower, where he got changed and had a quick workout. He gathered that they had been unsuccesful in beating Lobo, which running their odds in his head, he figured they wouldn't have had any of to begin with.

2,000 push ups in, he heard the team arriving, he had only been in the tower for maybe ten minutes, hitting the shower he got changed into his civilian clothes that were compused of some ripped jeans, a Nevada T-shirt, converse shoes and his $40 wristwatch. He got into the meeting hall, sitting down to get the full scoop on the mission. He didn't quite realize how bad it had been. His analysis of Sentinel's powers were off, he overestimated the Kryptonian. Rufus thought he was a lot stronger, but far more in control than he was, kind of like the other second generation Kryptonian that worked in Superman's image.

He took Rose's orders seriously. She wanted them to forget being titans for the night, and instead just be teens. He took them a little too serious. He wasn't a regular teen, he was more responsible when it came to being a hero than anyone else with his powers. Without saying a word to the others, he sped off into the city. He needed to blow off some speed. He wasn't the Flash who basked in the glory of people thanking him for his heroics. He didn't care if people knew who he was, what he could do or what he had done. He only cared about getting results.

With each step he took he felt himself going faster, the lights vanishing as he passed them by, the cars moving slow enough to practically be standing still. He was running as fast as he could for a good 10 minutes, with each step he got more and more pissed. And the madder he got the more he pushed himself, generating more energy to move even quicker. But soon he felt his legs give in, his muscles were sore, stopping he skidded to a halt, falling and hitting the sand, bouncing in the sand twice before he stopped, catching himself on his hands and feet he sled a few more inches before coming to a complete stop in the white sand.

Wait, sand?

Turning around he could see the bright lights in the distance. He had crossed the state, he was in Vegas. The bright lights surprised him. He had never gone that fast before. Looking at his feet he found his shoes being all but burnt to a crisp, a scoff escaped his lips. Regular people get runners high, but when you move thousands of times as quick as a car, that concept becomes irrelevant. Yet, he sat in the sand and couldn't help but feel pleased with himself.

He thought about Vegas, and how he had last been here. His dad used to take him here back when he was a kid every summer. It was in Vegas he discovered his powers for the first time, stealing some money from a drunk who had won lots at the casino by counting cards. What idiot couldn't count cards?. He had used the money to buy pizza for himself.

Pizza would be nice.

In another 20 minutes he would arrive at the Titans Tower, barefeet and carrying ten boxes of large pizzas fresh from Nevada.
If there was one things he knew for sure about his fellow teens, was that no teen didn't like pizza. Getting through the door he would use his phone to hack into the speakers in the tower, making sure all of the titans could hear him.

Titans Together! Kitchen Asap. He was sure Rose wasn't gonna be too happy with him both stealing her phrase, and seemingly doing heroics. But to be frank, she could put a slice in it. As each member of the team would arrive in the kitchen the pizza would be on the table, each carton opened and each pizza sliced.

"Figured you guys would be hungry. Anyone care to see if they can beat me in Guitar Hero?" Rufus asked casually, a slice of pepperoni, mushroom and olive pizza in his hand.

Isaac took the small, delicate cup into his hands. Careful not to shatter the porcelain container, Sentinel took a sip of this 'earl grey tea.' He wasn't the world's foremost expert on all things tea; Earl Grey sounded like the name of a famous actor and not a drink derived from...Some kind of citrus? "Well." Sentinel stated before taking another sip of the strangely delicious beverage. "I can see why it's your favorite. Thank you. For..All this." Isaac cracked a small smile when Rhea mentioned her raggedy appearance. He chuckled with her, motioning to his own state of disrepair. "I'm in no place to complain." It's not like he'd complain about Rhea's looks in a million years. Just seeing those auburn eyes was enough to calm the restless Boy of Steel.

Not that he'd tell her that. Not in a million years.

She's not the first girl to smile at me. I think. Have any other girls ever smiled at me? Does Supergirl count as a real girl? Because she's smiled at my awful puns once or twice. Wait a second. Oops. There's actually someone in the room other than just Isaac and the dust mites. Oh man, how long have they been sitting there in total silence? Was he being awkward? This is the longest conversation Isaac's had with anyone who's name doesn't start with the word 'Super.' Sentinel gave Rhea the least awkward look he could as she began to laugh. Her heartbeat was faster than normal. She must be agitated or excited. The real ice breaker soon followed when Rhea broke the silence with a hilarious confession.

"Oh, thank Rao!" Sentinel laughed. He let loose all of his pent up emotion in one long chucklefest. "I thought I was supposed to say something next. I was kind'a worried there was some kind of unspoken rules to talking during tea." Isaac lowered his back, setting both palms down on the bed as he let himself really relax. It seemed the pair's combined awkwardness had managed to overwhelm the 'social standards meter' and caused it to overload, breaking the proverbial ice unintentionally. What an odd analogy Isaac just thought up. Whatever.

"Thanks." Sentinel said in regard to the room comment. "Although, if I'm being totally honest, I'm never in here. I live up on the roof." Isaac pointed at the ceiling and shrugged. "I don't really sleep; All I need is a little sun to get my blood flowing." Sentinel took another drink of the tea, using his ice breath to subtly cool it down. Huh, Isaac told himself, I've never been able to control my powers that well. After a moment of consideration Sentinel understood what was happening. He rarely used his abilities in a state like this. A state of...Happiness? Calm? Bliss? All of the above, even? Maybe that was going to far. Maybe he'd just grown accustomed to boiling rage and dark hatred, and forgotten what simple content felt like.

Maybe he should try this social thing more often.

Isaac noticed the change in Rhea's tone almost the moment she started to speak. Her accent lessened, and she seemed to become more serious than before. Isaac made a side note of Rhea's sentient being comment. He wasn't any good at the whole 'being polite' thing, but he was sure that was deliberate. Why would she choose such a vague trait to try connecting with Sentinel on a personal level? Was 'person' too good for a Kryptonian rage monster? All he was in her mind was 'sentient?!' One celled organisms are 'sentient' too! What is this?

Cell offered a brief respite in her little speech. She took Isaac's side on the Lobo issue, which calmed Sentinel down a little. Jeez, did one little adjective really set him off like that? Isaac needed to get control of himself before someone actually insulted him and Sentinel turned into a murderer.

"You're not." Sentinel whispered. Why did Rhea need to add that last part? 'I could be wrong.' And the way she said it. The inflections she made with her voice. The little, unconscious things people do when they're being too careful. So that was it, then? Was Rhea just trying to keep the Teapot from shrieking? Was that what this was all about? Isaac's anger issues? She wasn't here for Isaac. To be his friend. To get to know a fellow person who needed some interaction. She was here to cover her own skin! So when he went off he'd be especially careful not to hurt her!

Wait, Grant. Stop. Stop it you annoying, bipolar little brat. Stop listening for the undertones. Don't focus on the heartbeat and the breathing or what she's doing with her voice. Shut up and listen to her. Listen to what she's saying! Rhea's your friend; and you better be damn sure not to hurt her the next time you blow your top. Not to hurt anyone.

"Cancer?" The storm of emotions that clouded Sentinel's eyes stopped abruptly as Rhea brought up her past experiences. He only felt pity now. He could definitely understand her. All Cell wanted to do was help people. She just wanted to use her powers to protect them. Sure, she wasn't the best at controlling them and sometimes she might make dumb choices. But that wasn't the point! Rhea wanted to keep them all safe. To save them. Why couldn't the Titans see that Sentinel only wanted to keep them all safe. That's all he ever wanted. No matter how dumb, convoluted or violent; everything Isaac did and said was for the good of other people.

Rhea started to sound like a self-help book when she spouted a couple of admittedly very quotable lines.

Just because you stumble doesn't mean that you're lost.

Don't understand me. That's an understatement. Isaac rarely understands himself. All these emotions...So powerful. So strong. Yet all they seem to make Sentinel is weak. Huh. Could Rhea be the one? Was she really strong enough?

Isaac smiled and ignored the thoughts biting at the back of his mind. "That's very impressive." Sentinel joked as Rhea moved her ears. Isaac reached a tentative hand over to Rhea, taking the tiny, delicate things into his own palms. He ever so carefully wrapped his fingers around hers. He was determined not to hurt her. "Thank you." Those two words were filled with more emotion than the entire Spanish soap opera channel. Channel 39, El Loco, to be more specific. (Don't judge.)

"I'd appreciate it, actually. The Kryptonite traces left in the scar tissue are killing me." Sentinel instinctively removed his shirt (or what was left of it) to allow better access to the newly formed wounds. With the shirt off, Isaac exposed a plethora of other injures that had healed incorrectly and left massive scars. "This wasn't my first bad spill, incidentally." Wearing the 'S' on your chest attracted a lot of attention. Not all of it was from adoring fan girls. "No need to worry about cancer. I can't exactly get sick. Unless it's Kryptonite related, I guess, but I doubt you have any of that on you."

Now came the hard part. Whether or not, and just how much, Isaac should reveal to his new found friend. She seemed to sincere. But they all did, didn't they? Terra seemed pretty sincere when she was around too. But we all remember how that turned out.

But an arrow has to be pulled back before it is launched into greater heights, as they say.

Alright. Maybe Isaac would share a little bit. But not too much. No need to tell her ever little thing about him.

"Well...I..I'd like you to know how much I'm trusting you right now. The only other person on the team who knows any of this is Rose." With that disclaimer out of the way, Isaac began his tale. "For starters, I'm not a real Kryptonian. I used to be as human as you or anyone else. I got my powers from wishing on a falling star. When I was eight my mom died in a car accident. She was driving home from work when it started to rain. She...She lost control of the car and went plummeting off a bridge. She drowned in a lake because she couldn't get out of the car.

That's when my dad started to lose it. He started drinking more and more, and left me with my uncle almost every day after I'd get out of school. I hated the few days when Uncle Nelson wasn't available, because my dad used to beat me when he got really wasted." Sentinel paused for a moment. He looked at Rhea, biting his lip. "If this is too much for you, I can stop."

Adorable. Rhea couldn't suppress the thought as the fellow awkward teen filled the gaps between her fingers. Oh, well, it was a start-- a good start and, while the act was seemingly much too intimate for newly formed friendships, Rhea couldn't negate much less retort when it secretly felt so good to have somebody else's warmth beside her. "You're welcome." The healer replied with a gentle voice, holding up their linked hands, as if emphasizing a point. "Whenever ye feel alone, just know dat if ye extend yer hands, someone will always hold it-- in brightest day, in darkest night. Just like this." Rhea squeezed his hand tighter, assuring the confused lad that she was there for him.

Thus, with his permission, Rhea set to work on healing his most recent wounds and, while her mouth quivered upon seeing such a renaissance masterpiece of a body, Rhea found it in her to stifle these thoughts and begin the tedious work of regenerating cells. Rhea moved the tray aside as she shuffled closer to Sentinel, using her free hand to first caress the lad's cheek, smiling in the process. "Ye trust lil'o me, aight?" As with any normal case, Rhea always began by looking into their eyes, checking for any sight of discomfort. Then, she brought her lips to Sentinel's forehead, lightly pecking on it before pulling back. "Here we go." With an exhale, Rhea moved her hand to each of the cuts, inserting fresh and strong cells that began their work of repairing torn tissue, ejecting harmful elements and replenishing lost energy. "Me ability be quite simple. When I be makin' physical contact, I can give my own cells to the person. In turn, dis cells cater to da person's body type and whatnot. No risk of rejection whatsoever. My cells begin to repair da wounds and whatever ailment there may be. However, dat be not da most important part of't all." Rhea panted briefly, knowing that her own cells were beginning to get depleted. Still, producing new ones were not hard with her ability. "Da most important part is da fact that a part of me lives on inside whoever I heal. I become a part of dem and, in dis case, I became a part of you. My wittle cells swimming around yer system... as disgusting as it may sound to some. But, I hope ye understand dat... literally, yer not alone wherever ye go. Lil'o Rhea is always inside ye... of course, until those cells die." Rhea suddenly clammed her mouth shut, realizing that her information was bordering on repugnance. "I'm sorry if I grossed ye out. I guess I now understand why nobody really wants me to heal dem."

As she got to work on replacing his damaged cells, Sentinel began telling her his story. He was a human like her; well, he was once a human. So, that counts. Furthermore, he had a rough childhood, alongside a father who made his life all the more difficult. She could now see where he was coming from-- not being able to find the love he needed at home. Still, they had some differences when it came to childhood. Rhea had lived a young life which was on the opposite spectrum of Sentinel. She had a loving family who accepted her for who she was, who she is and who she would be. Rainbows, sunshine and unicorns filled every day of Rhea's childhood... which made the succeeding events almost too much to bear. Some say that life is like a wheel, sometimes you're up, sometime's you're down. Well, Rhea's wheel must have hit a sharp bump because her life went down faster than the apple that fell on Newton's head. However, in the same vein... it brought her enlightenment to the realities of the world-- the crimes that she had been blinded to.

Suddenly, Sentinel stopped narrating, apparently asking her whether she would want to continue. "If ye still be willin' to continue, then I'll never let your hand go. Promise." Rhea replied as she sent another soft squeeze to his hand. "Yer scars ar' beautiful, by da way." Rhea remarked as her hand glided softly across the tantalizing contours of his chest, perhaps, lingering there for far too long than what was normal. A small tint of pink crept up her face before the healer chuckled, focusing on the largest cut on his torso. "Dis scars show all da trials ye went through and, most importantly, won over. It shows how strong y'are, Sentinel. Yer a strong person, y'know? Oh, and ye damn well know dat I ain't talkin' about no physical strength." She laughed heartily, looking up to his eyes that reflected cosmos and quasars under this starry, starry night. "I also have me own scars and I guess ye be seein' them soon. Not all scars ar' on da flesh, y'know?"

The girl realized that she was already talking too much about stuff that she had little experience with and decided that she came here not to tell her own tale but to hear the story of someone more important than she was. "But, I wud just like to say dat... I'm really happy fer yer trust in me. I know it ain't easy to tell yer story to a woman in bloodstained robes who had carried a tray of earl grey and, to add to that, invaded your privacy. But, know that I am grateful... for everything." Rhea grinned, exhaling a large amount of air. "Yer a good person, Sentinel. Dun let anyone be tellin' ya otherwise."

The invitation to the kitchen was welcomed and appreciated. While she saw pizza as extremely overrated there was no way she could turn it down, because pizza is pizza and delicious at the end of the day. She walked into the kitchen, lazily discarding her wine glass on a counter. Being the ferocious eater she was, she dashed to the boxes to quickly secure several sausage slices for her own. Is that a tongue twister? There was like five 'S''s. She didn't need to be so aggressive either. It was ten boxes worth of pizza. That should be able to withstand a group of hungry teenage heroes for at least a little while. Right?

It looked like good pizza, but how could she know? Ariel had never been to this pizza place in Nevada. It was Nevada, for crying out loud. "Is there any cheesy crust? Is this - is this cheesy crust?" she raised her pizza slice and waited one unbearably long starving second for an answer. She wasn't provided one so she just sunk her teeth into the crust of one of the sausage slices to find out. There wasn't any, at least not on that particular slice. Maybe it was just that box... Hopefully. Cheesy crust is delicious. Rufus then threw out an open challenge to Guitar Hero. Ariel's extreme competitiveness started biting at her, but she was so pitifully bad at the game she was almost walking in to a landslide defeat.

"I would play but, I'm not anything special at it. I'm good at like, every other game though. Ever."

Things go to hell pretty damn quick after my bit of acrobatics, Superboy tackling Lobo outta the restaurant and down the street. Great work Kid Krypton, divide and conquer! Just, that's not quite how it works genius. I can just make the two heavyweights out, crashing through buildings in an orgy of violence. Can't tell from this distance if there's anyone in those buildings, though even if there aren't I hope they've got house insurance. All I know is I ain't paying for that.

Before any of us can chase them down the real cavalry arrive, the Justice League in all their mighty splendor. They make pretty short work of Lobo before sending us home, pretty unceremoniously. I'd be tempted to call them glory hogs, though the truth is we haven't really covered ourselves in glory here. One foe got away, the other one was allowed to cause extreme levels of property damage, damage that we contributed too, and then the grown ups had to come and clean up our mess? Great work team.

We start trudging back into the T-Wing, though after I've grabbed the remains of Lobo's shotgun. Not sure if I was allowed to have it, so I covered myself by just not asking. Better to ask forgiveness than beg permission, I always said. As I'm walking up the ramp into the plane I turn to glance back at the battleground, and as I'm scanning I meet the Batman's gaze. We stand there, wordless, just watching each other. But just for a second, before we break the connection. Break it quick, before anyone see's. Before anyone figures out my secret.

The atmosphere in the T-Wing is quiet on the way back, each of my teammates silently obsessing on what had happened, where things had gone wrong, what they could have done differently. I sit pretty quiet too, but were the others are looking pretty damn glum, I can't help a smile forming. Pretty soon they'd all start playing the blame game, fingers getting pointed and accusations getting thrown around. It was inevitable really, especially when teens were involved. Nothing is ever their fault, especially not when it is.

Today wasn't my fault either, but that's beside the point.

I pare off from the rest of the group when the plane touches down. I got things to do, and I have a feeling that Rose is just about to give us a bollocking anyway. Not like I need to be there for that. Nah, it'll probably be Superboy she gets pissy with. Fair enough, in my books. He thinks he's the strongest teen in the universe, he should be capable of shouldering his portion of blame. Maybe she can tell off Rufus for being a presumptuous prick afterwards.

I walk to my dead drop location, three-quarters of a mile away from the Tower. It's a pretty non- descript place, just a small clearing in a copse of stunted trees, nothing to recommend it but a tangle of thorn bushes and a couple big rocks. I was careful to make sure I wasn't followed, though I get the feeling I didn't need to be. Everyone's so concerned with how badly the mission went that they just don't have enough concentration left to wonder where I've gone. That and they're teenagers. Teenagers are so self absorbed that it makes performing clandestine black-ops around them pretty damn easy.

I stash my pilfered shotgun in the dead drop, under an old rock. My 'benefactor' will find it there on his next collection. I'll request that he uses it to develop me a gun with a bit more *oomph*, see if I can't level the playing field a little. He's not a fan of guns, my contact, though I think he'll understand. He know what it's like to be a human standing amongst Gods.

That done, I amble back towards the Tower. I get back just in time to find them all cracking open the booze. This is more like it, Teenage alcoholism! Adonis offers up the booze, before cranking up the stereo. I turn him down, though it does take some doing.

"Sorry handsome, not big on eating or drinking from a shared fridge. You just never know where some people's hand's have been." Not that I'd mind getting a bit better acquainted with some pairs, I think, as the Godling starts to sway to the music. Nah, I've got some harder liquor of my own, smuggled into my room. I'll grab some of that later. For now I'm happy to light up another smoke and watch the others.

Watch and learn.