Pinnochio

Two days have passed since Jordai was kidnapped by the secret criminal organization known as H.I.V.E. Since that kidnapping happened, the Titans have been on guard and are ready to strike. In a compound on a mountain a few hours outside of Jump City, the H.I.V.E has set up shop. On the inside, regular goons and goons in mechs place boxes and containers in trucks. They are watched by their superiors standing in a booth.

"They are taking longer than usual," said the female superior.

"I don't think so. They're moving at a good pace," said the male superior.

"The master wants this done quickly. They have to move faster," said the female superior.

"Tell them that then," said the male superior.

"Amateur," said the female superior under her breath.

"They're on their way," said Slade.

"What?" answered the female superior.

"The Titans will be there in less than a minute," said Slade.

"Are you sure? I see nothing," said the female superior.

"I can smell them from a mile away," said Slade.

"You're just being paranoid," said the female superior.

"Believe me or not. I don't care. I'm getting paid a hundred mil nonetheless," said Slade.

Slade was right. The Titans are already there and are ready to make a move. One H.I.V.E guard takes a walk around the corner. He expects to see nothing, but he receives a giant black slap and then gets pounced on by an Amazonian, getting knocked out before he blinks.

"He's down," said Donna.

"Everyone pop out. We're entering," said Raven.

The rest of the Titans pop out of the trees and from behind rocks and end up in front of the mountain. Superboy walks up to the mountain and punches it hard enough to create a big enough entrance for them to walk through. The Titans enter and Raven uses her magic to manipulate a rock and use it as an elevator.

"Our mission is very simple. We take down this H.I.V.E compound and we learn as much about them as possible. They came back before and we can't allow them to come back again. They have a new leader and this one is way more evil and way more of an extremist. They are heavily religious and will sacrifice each other without a second thought. They may not have powers, but they are a threat that we have to deal with," said Raven.

"So, they're a cult with alien tech?" asked Jaime.

"That's a barebones way of looking at this," said Raven.

"This should be easy enough," said Connor.

"If everyone doesn't act like a fool, then we will complete this in less than five minutes," said Raven.

"I'm surprised no one is looking at me. Fool is my middle name," said Beast Boy.

"You're not funny," said Connor.

"Oh come on. I'm a comedian. That's what they say on Twitter," said Beast Boy.

"Twitter? You get validation from Twitter? That's sad, bro," said Jaime.

"Hey! Someone has to take care of our social media image. Especially after the Teen Tyrants incident," said Beast Boy.

"That was last year. It won't happen again," said Starfire.

"It better not. My systems haven't felt the same in months," said Cyborg.

"Quiet. We're here," said Raven.

"I'll do the blasting," said Cyborg.

Cyborg blasts the floor with his sonic cannon and creates a giant hole. The Titans quickly rise and enter the base, surprising the H.I.V.E guards.

"Titans, go," said Raven.

The Titans leap into action. Beast Boy transforms into a rhino and charges at a few guards. He speeds up once he gets close and slams them into a wall. Raven uses her magic to pick up a column full of boxes and smashes them on many guards. Starfire defeats a few with some Starbolts while Jaime defeats some with giant blades. Cyborg blasts some with his sonic cannon and Donna and Connor swoop in and use their super strength to defeat a large pile of H.I.V.E guards. Most of the H.I.V.E goons have been defeated.

"That was too easy. They must have more," said Connor.

"There are more on that side. Let's go," said Raven.

The Titans move to the north of the base and immediately counter more goons. These goons are in mechs and fire upon the Titans they dive and take cover as Donna blocks some of the bolts with her braces.

"They have more firepower than I thought," said Raven.

"We can just rush them. They are still a non-threat," said Connor.

"No. We don't know what are in those laser bolts," said Raven.

"So, do we just stay here and wait for them to stop firing. I don't know if I can do this all day," said Donna.

"Let me think," said Raven.

Raven doesn't need to think because they are saved by two heroes. A few Explosive Claws and Explosive Sladarangs are thrown at the mechs and nearly destroy them with one giant blast. Jordan and a girl hop onto the nearly destroyed mechs and take out the operators inside before disabling the mechs. They run into an open door and take a left on the way to the control room.

"Was that Jordan?" asked Beast Boy.

"Who was that girl?" asked Cyborg.

"I don't know, but they saved us. She must be a new ally," said Donna.

"Well, I hope she is. We need more allies these days," said Raven.

In the control room, Jordan and the girl combat the guards in the room. They hit them with some sophisticated kicks and hard punches. They clear the room in less than thirty seconds and Jordan runs up to a panel. He pulls out a gadget and places it on the panel to hack it.

"This is too easy. Couldn't you have done it yourself?" groaned the girl.

"Yeah, but you wanna be my sidekick or what?" asked Jordan.

"Whatever," said the girl.

Jordan finishes hacking the panel and puts the hacking device back into his utility belt. He then walks away and the girl follows. They casually walk down the hallway until a few more guards appear on both sides. Jordan pulls out a Claw and the girl pulls out a Sladarang and easily defeats them with the two projectiles.

"These guys are jokes," said the girl.

"Maybe in small numbers, but in groups, they can be menaces," said Jordan.

"Not to me," said the girl.

"You may have been trained by Slade, but you are still young. You will understand why I'm taking you with me on easy missions like these in the future," said Jordan.

"No I will not," said the girl.

"You remind me of myself when I was your age. I'm glad I've grown up," said Jordan.

Ok, old man," said the girl.

"Have you seen your father?" asked Jordan.

"Who is her father?" asked Raven.

Jordan and the girl stop walking once they hear Raven's depressing voice. Jordan puts his hand behind his neck and rubs it.

"Hi, Raven. I'm surprised to see you here," said Jordan.

"Who is she?" asked Raven.

"I'm taking care of her. She needed some place to stay and I'm just doing what's right," said Jordan.

"So, you turned her into your Robin," said Raven.

"She already had the skills, so more or less," said Jordan.

"What's her name?" asked Raven.

"Rose Wilson. Hero name: Ravager," said Rose.

"Wilson? Grey hair? Missing eye? That's Slade's daughter," said Raven.

"Duh," said Rose.

"Why are you hanging out with Slade's sperm?" asked Raven.

"She needed to get away from him. She needs to experience life and have a good family. That's why she's with me," said Jordan.

"So, are you coming back to the tower?" asked Raven.

"Yeah, but you don't have to relinquish leadership. You did good," said Jordan.

"Being a leader is hard. You can have your job back. I resign," said Raven as she walks away.

"Is that your girl? She seems like a bitch," said Rose.

"Don't insult her, but yes. She can be a bitch sometimes," said Jordan.

Eleven hours pass. We now cut to the bedroom of the hooded sorceress. She wakes up and lets out a big yawn. She opens her eyes and sees Jordan leaning on the wall, waiting for her to wake up.

"Morning," said Jordan.

"Why are you in here?" asked Raven.

"As your boyfriend, I'm supposed to sleep with you. This shouldn't be shocking," said Jordan.

"But, you didn't," said Raven.

"I wanted to, but I couldn't. The message you gave me a couple days ago was disturbing," said Jordan.

"Disturbing? It was pretty straightforward," said Raven.

"After our first kiss, we went to a room and loved each other in many ways. We were young and in love. We wanted to get married the same night, but it would be dumb to do that after one night together. I want that again," said Jordan.

"Me too, but I know when to end things before it goes too long," said Raven.

"Don't think like that. We're just beginning," said Jordan as he walks over to her bed.

"The beginning started and ended. Now, we are in the postseason. You're choking and I'm not having it," said Raven.

"So, it's over?" asked Jordan.

"Not yet. Just don't mess up. You're doing good, but I don't think that you can keep it up," said Raven.

"I can. No, I will. I need you," said Jordan.

"But, you have Jade. You just want me so you can have me," said Raven.

"You're being crazy," said Jordan.

"No. You are being selfish," said Raven.

"No. I'm trying to change," said Jordan.

"You should have already done that. Now, leave," said Raven.

"Fine. I'll talk to you later," said Jordan.

"Whatever," said Raven.

Jordan slowly walks out and exits the room without taking one more look. Raven lays back down and turns her head. She may be cold, but she doesn't mean it. The one tear that rolls down her grey cheek is enough proof. On the other side of the tower, Rose enters the training room. She walks over to the panel and presses a few buttons. Holographic enemies appear in the center of the room and Rose walks into it. She pulls out her blades and the holographic enemies, mirrored images of Slade, rush her. The first Slade rolls up and tries to slash her, but she uses her enhanced strength to knock him away. Another one slides up and gets kicked away. The first one tries to attack again but gets sliced in half. She is then doubled teamed by two Slades, but easily blocks their attacks and slices them to pieces. One is left and she pulls out one of her pistols and rapidly fires at it, easily taking it out. She then takes a deep breath before placing her pistol back in its holster.

"Jesus, nina. Are you trying to kill us or what?" said Jaime as he enters the training room.

"Sorry. Didn't see you there," said Rose.

"They are holograms. You use blunt force weapons, not guns," said Jaime.

"I just got carried away," said Rose.

"Those were holograms of Slade. He's your father, right?" said Jaime.

"Yes, but I'm nothing like him. I swear," said Rose.

"Chill. I wasn't pressuring you," said Jaime.

"My bad. I don't have many friends," said Rose.

"I know. Slade just used you to become his weapon," said Jaime.

"You're right on the money. That's why I escaped and ran to Jordan. I don't want to be his daughter," said Rose.

"I have similar feelings for my pops, but he's more bearable than yours," said Jaime.

"How do you deal with him?" asked Rose.

"Easy. I don't. He will change if he wants to. He's old enough to do that," said Jaime.

"What if he doesn't?" asked Rose.

"Drop him. He isn't worth your time," said Jaime.

"I'll do that. Thanks for the advice," said Rose.

"De nada, amiga," said Jaime.

A minute passes. Jordan enters the living room and walks up to the supercomputer. He tenters his password and then searches for Brother Blood in the database. It shows him a picture of two Brother Bloods. One that they encountered before and the new one. One is missing while another is active. He presses the profile of the younger-looking one and then taps on a "60 Minutes" interview.

"Many people believe that your church is a barbaric cult. Is that true?" said the reporter.

"Those are just lies, Michael. My church is made on the foundations of love, hope, faith, and justice," said Blood.

"Are you sure? It seems like a cult to me," said Michael.

"I believe in an America where everyone is accepted and their beliefs are not judged. It's a shame that you wouldn't share the same belief," said Blood.

"I do, but I can see through facades and your facade isn't that thick," said Michael.

"You dare disrespect me and my followers. Your mother should have taught you better manners," said Blood.

"Don't bring my mother into this," said Michael.

"This interview is over. Have a good day," said Blood as he drops the mic and exits the room.

"Well, that's all that we will get from Brother Blood. We learned some new things, but not enough. Hopefully, he will come back and we can continue this another time," said Michael.

Jordan presses the red x and moves to another video. This one is more recent and more depressing.

"The last time that we have seen Michael Davis was his interview with the infamous Brother Blood. That was three weeks ago. We here at ABC Studios are scared for our friend's safety. We have tried to get word from Brother Blood, but he refuses to talk. I can not make any claims, but there's no doubt in my mind that Brother Blood and his cult have something to do with his disappearance. We won't stop searching until we bring him home. I promise you that," said the female reporter.

Jordan presses the x button again and then moves deeper into the file. He finds a missing person's poster for both Michael and the female reporter. Blood is making moves and this doesn't sit well on Jordan's consciousness.

"Blood has been taking reporters and most likely killing them. That freak is probably bathing in their blood. We need to take him down and fast. I don't like what he is doing," said Jordan.

Six hours pass. Jaime and Rose walk down the sidewalk of a busy street. Jaime has to get to his job and Rose has decided to tag along.

"So, why did you decide to come with me? This place is pretty boring," said Jaime.

"I just wanted to catch some air. Plus, I like helping people," said Rose.

"We're just giving food to the homeless. There's nothing special to it," said Jaime.

"But if it helps, then I will do it," said Rose.

"The place is just up here. Remember, don't stare into the people's eyes. This will anger some of them," said Jaime.

"Ok," said Rose.

Rose and Jaime take a few more steps until they reach the homeless shelter. They enter it and walk toward a female worker. She looks up and smiles when she sees her coworker.

"Jaime, you came," said the female coworker.

"I work here," said Jaime.

"Yeah. I am aware. Who's that?" said the female coworker.

"A friend. She needed a job," said Jaime.

"Actually, I wanted to help, but I can take this as a job. It looks nice in here," said Rose.

"It does, but the smell can kill a pack of wolves," said the female coworker.

"I've smelled worse," said Rose.

"Well, I can give you a tour of the facility. You need to know where things are to be a good worker," said the female coworker.

"I can find out myself," said Rose.

"I should show her around. I work less than you," said Jaime.

"But," said the female coworker.

"I'll do it. She won't kill me," said Jaime.

"No promises," said Rose jokingly.

"Perfect," said the female coworker sternly.

"Well, this is the dining area. Homeless or impoverished people usually stay here and eat the food that we create for them. Now, let's move to the kitchen," said Jaime.

Jaime walks towards the kitchen and Rose follows until she sees someone. A person that looks like her father looks at her and she starts to sweat. She starts to breathe very hard and Jaime notices this. He turns around and walks over to her.

"Are you ok?" asked Jaime.

"Just give me some space," said Rose.

"Huh?" asked Jaime.

Rose backs up and then runs out of the shelter. Jaime tries to stop her, but she is too fast. She darts down the street and continues to run until she reaches an alley. She stops running and starts to pant and cough. She looks up and sees that everything has changed. Everything is black and white and she is now back in Slade's facility near K2.

"No. Not here," said Rose.

"Why wouldn't you want to be here? This is your home and I am your father," said Slade as he magically appears in front of her.

"No you're not," said Rose.

"Don't do this, honey. I just want to talk," said Slade.

"I don't want to talk to you. Leave me alone," said Rose.

"You say that, but you still talk to me. You still work for me. You're lying to yourself because you want to seem like you're a good person. You're not and you will never be. You are my daughter and my weapon," said Slade.

"I'm not," said Rose.

"You are!" said Slade.

"Never!" exclaimed Rose.

"Rose! What the hell was that?" said Jaime.

"I'm sorry. I just got worked up," said Rose.

"Wanna talk-," said Jaime.

"No!" exclaimed Rose.

"Relax. I just wanna help," said Jaime.

"I don't need help. Just take me back to the center," said Rose as she walks towards the center.

Five hours pass. After a weird and stressful first day at the homeless shelter, Rose walks through the mysteriously empty tower. She reaches the living room and the room is only darkness. She can't see anything and walks forward until the light turns on and her allies appear in front of her, holding party supplies. She pulls out a knife in fear but quickly puts it away once she comes to her senses.

"What is this?" asked Rose.

"It seemed that you had a lot on your mind, so I thought that having a party would make you feel better. Sorry for scaring you," said Jaime.

"Don't be. I'm just overreacting," said Rose.

"Come have some fun. This cake won't eat itself. Gar, hit it," said Jordan.

"On it, boss," said Beast Boy.

Beast Boy "hits it" and music starts to play. Rose starts to smile and joins the party. They dance. They eat. They chat. They play games. Most importantly, they have fun. They don't get to do this all the time, but when they do, they go all out. Two hours pass. After partying, Rose takes a seat on a large rock on the beach. She smiles as she looks over the water and wipes a tear from her eye.

"So, you liked the party?" asked Jaime as he walks up to the rock.

"I loved it. No one had ever done something like that for me. At least not in the past few years," said Rose.

"Slade never celebrated your birthday?" asked Jaime.

"Of course not. He doesn't understand love and compassion," said Rose.

"We do. That's why we set this up so quickly," said Jaime.

"I can see that. I'm gonna love it here," said Rose.

"You are. When I first got here nearly a year ago, I instantly loved this place and I never want to leave. You feel the same, so you will never leave right?" said Jaime.

"Never," said Rose as she looks away.

"We got your back, so if you have issues, just tell us. We will help you," said Jaime.

"I don't open up to people. Don't pester me," said Rose.

"I won't. I just wanna know," said Jaime.

"I will open up when I'm ready. I've been through too much to just talk about it," said Rose.

"I completely understand. Just don't stay too enclosed for long. We're your friends," said Jaime.

"I know," said Rose.

"Have a good night. I'm going to hit the hay," said Jaime.

"Good night," said Rose softly as she continues to look at the moon.

Ten minutes pass. Rose enters her empty room and takes a seat on her cold bed. She has barely slept in it. She lays down a few seconds later, places her blanket over her body, and closes her eyes. She turns over to her right and tries to fall asleep.

"I love it here," said Rose.

"You do, baby girl? That hurts my heart," said Slade.

Rose instantly opens her eyes once she hears her father's voice and sees him standing next to her bed. She tries to get up and punch him, but her fist is caught and twisted.

"You're attacking me? I should discipline you, but I won't be here for long," said Slade.

"What do you want?" asked Rose.

"I just wanna see my girl. How have you been?" asked Slade.

"Fine. Better here than I ever was with you," said Rose.

"That doesn't hurt. Try harder," said Slade.

"I quit. I won't help you," said Rose.

"You won't? Then, let's go home," said Slade.

"Never," said Rose.

"What?" asked Slade.

"I refuse to go back with you, you psychopath. I will stay here and you can't make me leave," said Rose.

"How dare you!" exclaimed Slade as he grabs her neck and lifts her into the air.

Rose tries to kick Slade, but it doesn't affect him. She then tries to knee him, but he tanks it. He tightens his grip and Rose starts to gasp for air.

"I created you and I gave you the responsibility to do this! I am your father and you shall not disrespect me! I tell you what to do and you listen no matter what! You are a soldier and you have a mission to complete! Do it and stop living in this fantasy! You will never be anything but my weapon, so do your job and shut up!" exclaimed Slade.

After the screaming from her father, Rose's face is basically purple as she is nearly suffocating. Slade sees this and drops her on her bed. She coughs and grabs her neck.

"Try that again and you won't be seeing anything. Especially your 'friends'. Have a good night," said Slade as he exits so fast that he seemingly disappears.

Large footsteps are heard from outside the room as someone is running toward her room. The person is Jordan and he quickly runs into her room. He runs up to her with a concerned expression on his face.

"The systems were tripped and I heard some screaming. What happened?" said Jordan.

Rose responds by getting up and breaking down in tears. Jordan stops talking and just gives her a very tight hug. This girl needs one and many, many more.