"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." 

[hr]
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'."

[hr]
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. 

[I]No judgement here, we will have this vessel now.[/i]

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

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

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

[I]Swim Matvei, swim Zuggernaut.[/I] 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.

[i]Feed us.[/I] The voice cried as Matvei took a hesitantly step forward.

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

[I]FEED US![/I] 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. 

[I]Yes Zuggernaut, yes![/I] 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.

[I]More, we need more![/I] 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.