Rookies

Jordan opens his eyes and he is no longer fighting alongside Jade against the assassins. He is currently in a medium-lit room on the coast of a beach. He blinks a few times and nothing changes. He tries to get up, but he can't. Well, he doesn't because he sees someone in the shadows. He squints, but still can't figure out who it is.

"Who are you?" asked Jordan.

"How could you not tell, my love? I thought you liked this," said Jade as she steps out of the shadows.

"Jade? Why are you here? How did we get here? Why are you naked?" asked Jordan.

"You have so many questions, but you forget about the most important part. Us," said Jade.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jordan.

"Kiss me," said Jade.

"I can't. I don't know how I even got here," said Jordan.

"Fine. I will do it for you," said Jade.

Jade leans and tightly kisses Jordan. He can't move, so he can't stop this from happening. Even if he could, he wouldn't want it to end. He can't pass up an opportunity like this. After around twenty seconds, Jade leans back and Jordan is stuck in awe.

"Wow," said Jordan.

"Wow is all you have to say? You're still a dumb little nerd," said Jade.

"So, what now?" asked Jordan.

"What do you want?" asked Jade.

"Umm. You," said Jordan.

"Good choice, but I have something more. Come on out ladies," said Jade.

From the shadows, naked versions of Starfire, Raven, Yin, Barbara, Lady Shiva, and Talia walk out. Jordan is still stuck in awe and "gets aroused".

"What is this?" asked Jordan.

"Your gift. You have been working so hard. You just need to relax," said Jade.

"I like this," said Jordan.

"Of course, you will. I always pleasure you," said Jade.

"Then, what are you waiting for. I'm ready," said Jordan.

"Come on ladies. We have a man to please," said Jade.

The naked women walk up to the bed. They did hop onto it and crawl over to Jordan. Jordan can move for some reason and prepares to get his world rocked in one night, but this is not real. Only an illusion created for him. In the real world, he is pinned to the wall by metal cuffs and he is attached to a large machine. He is bloodied and bruised from his fight with the assassins. On the screen plays his illusion and Talia watches.

"How is he?" asked Talia.

"He won't be breaking out soon. He loves this," said an assassin.

"I don't blame him. How are the suggestions going?" said Talia.

"His mind won't reject them. He's the perfect sleeper agent," said another assassin.

"He will be. He will destroy the Titans from the inside and then we move on to the Justice League and then the world. He and my father will not stop me from controlling the world," said Talia.

"Do you want us to execute Cheshire?" asked one more assassin.

"No. Jade will be dealt by me," said Talia.

"What about brainwashing her?" asked an assassin.

"We can't let her get off easy. I will figure out how to deal with her. Just focus on him until his friends come and get him," said Talia.

"That may not be enough time," said an assassin.

"Make it enough time," said Talia.

"Yes, ma'am," said an assassin.

An hour passes. Back in Miami, the young Titans finish up the last cartel hideout in the city. Superboy throws the unconscious body of the last cartel member on the pile of others then wipes his hands. They have completed their mission.

"We're done. Finally," said Connor.

"It didn't take long thanks to your leadership," said Donna.

"Yeah. You surprised me," said Jaime.

"I may not talk a lot, but I take this life seriously. Very seriously," said Connor.

"Well, let's return to base. I need sleep," said Jaime.

"Do you? Can't the scarab just wake you up?" asked Connor.

"Yes, but I would rather sleep. Let's scram," said Jaime.

"I'm going to call the police, but you can go," said Connor.

"Victory is ours!" exclaimed Donna as she walks away.

"Shhh! People are sleeping," said Jaime as he walks away.

"Sorry," said Donna softly.

Connor waits until his teammates have left the building and pulls out his phone. He then opens it up but sees something wrong. The symbol of the phoenix flashes on it.

"Oh no. Guys! We have an issue!" said Connor.

"What's wrong," said Donna as she runs in.

"Something's wrong with Jordan. His warning signal appeared on my phone," said Connor.

"So, what do we do?" asked Jaime as he runs in.

"We have to save him," said Connor.

"Save him? We're just three people. We're not an army," said Jaime.

"We can't just leave him in there. We don't know what they're doing to him," said Connor.

"That's exactly why we can't just bust in. We need a plan," said Jaime.

"Then, let's make one. We need to save our superior and bring him home," said Donna.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Jaime.

"He's in a compound in Cuba. That's all we know so far. If I use my common sense, I can deduce that he is probably guarded by hundreds, maybe thousands of guards. We can bust in, but we can also sneak in," said Connor.

"Sneaking in sounds better," said Jaime.

"Or I can play the distraction and you two go and find Jordan," said Donna.

"I should be the distraction. I'm the strongest," said Connor.

"You're the leader. Lead the team and I will do my part," said Donna.

"Fine. Donna's the decoy and Jaime, you will roll with me. Comprende?" said Connor.

"Did you just speak Spanish because I'm Hispanic? Based," said Jaime.

"Focus. We move now. We take the skies because we have no ship," said Connor.

"Sweet. I love flying," said Jaime.

"Operation Rising Phoenix is a go," said Connor.

Thirty minutes pass. Connor, Donna, and Jaime reach the small country and hover over it. They look at each other, nod, and Donna zooms towards an area. She then smashes the ground and starts to create havoc. Immediately, assassins pop out of the woodworks and engage in combat with her.

"Come and get me, cowards!" exclaimed Donna as she charges at the assassins.

Connor and Jaime hover down quietly and land on the ground. They then quickly run over to the compound through the forest and reach it in only a few minutes. Connor runs up to the large gate and lifts it with his super strength. Jaime rolls under it while Connor enters after silently dropping the gate. The two Titans then start to scrawl through the compound. They look in many rooms and areas but find nothing. They continue to find nothing until they hear a large moan. They stop and turn to look behind them.

"What was that?" asked Jaime.

"Maybe it was him?" asked Connor.

"Doesn't he usually have a deeper accent?" asked Jaime.

"Maybe he is getting tortured," said Connor.

"We have to find out, so let's check. You first," said Jaime.

"Fine, scaredy-cat," said Connor as he walks past Jaime.

"I am not scared. Just concerned," said Jaime.

"Whatever you call it, chum," said Connor.

Connor reaches the door and looks inside. It's dark and he can't see anything, so he decides to open the door by kicking it down and grabbing it before it hits the ground. He sneakily steps in with Jaime close behind. He reaches the person and uses his x-ray vision to look at it, but it is not Jordan. Just Jade.

"It's not him," said Connor.

"Who would've known? It's not like he's a dude," said Jaime sarcastically.

"It's the girl he was talking to on Infinity Island. She's called Jade," said Connor.

"Nice name and she's cute too. What a catch," said Jaime.

"We need to save her. We can't allow her to be killed. Plus, she could be useful to us," said Connor.

"You're just doing it because she's hot," said Jaime.

"No," said Connor.

"Yes," said Jaime.

"Shut up," said Connor.

"Don't fight, boys. I only have my eyes out for one superhero," said Jade.

The two Titans jump back as Jade wakes up. She yawns and looks at her two potential saviors.

"Are you guys surprised that I'm alive? Aren't you supposed to save me?" asked Jade.

"Yes. We have come to save you," said Connor.

"Then, come free me. I'm too weak to do it myself," said Jade.

Connor doesn't get close and uses his heat vision to melt her cuffs. She hits the ground and groans, but she gets up in less than thirty seconds. She rubs her head and slicks back her long, thick hair.

"Are you ok?" asked Jaime.

"I've been through worse. Where's Jordan?" said Jade.

"How do you know he's here?" asked Connor.

"We were fighting together to take down the League, but we got beaten by guards and captured. If I'm here then he must be here," said Jade.

"Where is he?" asked Connor.

"Probably in the north part of this compound. It's where the most dangerous prisoners are kept," said Jade.

"Then, we go there. Lead the way," said Connor.

"My pleasure," said Jade.

Jade walks out of the cell and the two heroes follow. They walk in the north direction of the compound for three minutes until they reach a giant room. Jade kicks it down and the three rescuers enter the room. No one is inside except for Jordan, still pinned to the wall.

"It's him," said Connor.

"Obviously," said Jaime.

"Let's get him out of here," said Connor.

"You do the wishes," said Jaime.

Connor uses his heat vision once again and melts the cuffs. Jordan falls to the ground but is grabbed by Jade before he hits the ground. He is still unconscious and enjoying his illusion.

"Why isn't he waking up?" asked Connor.

"He's stuck in an illusion. I wonder what he's dreaming about," said Jade.

"We need to wake him up. Jade, hit him," said Jaime.

"When were you made my boss?" asked Jade.

"Sorry. I just-," said Jaime.

"I'm just messing with you," interrupted Jade.

Jade slaps Jordan once and he still sleeps. Jade then punches Jordan and he still sleeps. She tries to do it again, but her fist is grabbed and she is caught by an annoyed glare from Jordan.

"You ruined a good dream," said Jordan.

"I'm good at that," said Jade.

"What's going on?" asked Jordan.

"We have come to save you," said Connor.

"We lost?" asked Jordan.

"Not too badly," said Jade.

"Well, at least we put up a good fight," said Jordan.

"I did the most, but you did fine," said Jade.

"Umm. What is going on?" said Jaime.

"A talk between two old friends?" asked Connor.

"More like exes," said Jaime.

"Raven won't be too happy with this," said Connor.

"Definitely not," said Jaime.

The rescue mission is complete. Jordan has been saved from the League, but this won't be the last that they have encountered the Titans. Jade has disappeared into the night, but she will return if needed. Heroes always do. We now cut to three days in the future. Jordan and Raven sit on the couch while enjoying a mediocre film. Raven places a huge load of popcorn in her mouth while Jordan just stares at the screen. Raven notices this and becomes concerned.

"What's wrong?" asked Raven.

"Nothing. The film is surprisingly good," said Jordan.

"I thought that you hated this film," said Raven.

"When did I say that?" asked Jordan.

"Two hours ago, said Raven.

"My opinion has been changed. That's all," said Jordan.

"Really? You're too stubborn to change," said Raven.

"Who am I? Bruce?" asked Jordan.

"What about we turn off this boring movie and entertain each other?" asked Raven.

"Right here?" asked Jordan.

"No one's up," said Raven.

"Ok," said Jordan.

Raven leans in closer, but Jordan sees something. He somehow sees Talia, starts to rapidly sweat, and leaps off the couch. This seriously concerns Raven.

"Seriously. What's wrong?" said Raven.

"I just saw something. I'll go throw some water on my face," said Jordan.

Jordan quickly walks out of the living room and Raven just watches, suspicious of her lover's behavior. Joran reaches the bathroom and turns on the sink. Water starts to pour out and he splashes it on his face. He does this over and over, but it doesn't help. Especially when he sees Talia in the mirror. He nearly falls back in shock but catches himself.

"Talia?" asked Jordan.

"You know what you have to do, so do it. I will be there shortly," said Talia.

"I don't work for you, so don't order me around," said Jordan.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about me talking to you through a mirror?" asked Talia.

"That's normal stuff around here. What have you done to me?" said Jordan.

"Nothing that should be new to you. It was my beloved's destiny to take over the League. As his student, it is now ours. Destroy the Titans and then come claim your throne," said Talia.

"Never," said Jordan.

"You don't have a choice. I'm already in control," said Talia.

"You're not. I won't let you," said Jordan as he grabs his head.

"Everyone tries to resist, but they can't. You won't be able to either," said Talia.

"Get out of my head!" exclaimed Jordan.

"Never," said Talia.

Jordan blinks one more time and things start to change. The room starts to grow and shrink in size. He starts to see weird colors and flashing lights. He sees memories tainted by black and blood. Then, the room starts to spin just like he does. This goes on for nearly a minute until he hears an alarm and a bang on the door.

"Who is it!" exclaimed Jordan sickly.

"Just me. There's an alarm. The League is back at it again. They are at the museum, trashing it. We don't know why, but they must be looking for something," said Connor.

"Go on without me. I'm feeling a little sick. I don't want to be a liability in the field," said Jordan.

"Ok," said Connor as he runs from the bathroom door.

Jordan takes one more look at the bathroom and it has returned to normal. He sighs in relief and makes his way to the kitchen. He pulls out some milk and cream from the fridge and places them on the counter. He then bends down and pulls out some sugar and coffee beans. He turns around, expecting to only see his ingredients, but sees Talia sitting at the counter.

"You're just an image in my head. There's nothing to be worried about," said Jordan.

"I'm not in your head. I'm in the flesh," said Talia.

"I call bs," said Jordan.

"You're making coffee? It would be rude to not offer me a cup," said Talia.

"Nice try, but you're just a figment of my imagination. You have to try-," said Jordan.

"I sent my loyal servants to distract your friends while we arm the bomb and teleport away. We will blow this city to smithereens. This will be a showing that the League rules the world and we will do anything to anyone that rebels," said Talia.

"Great. You're here and now I can deal with you," said Jordan.

Jordan tries to leap over the counter, but Talia won't allow herself to be captured or beaten.

"Carla," said Talia.

Jordan nearly freezes in place. A few seconds pass before he regains his footing on the ground. His face then becomes blank and he stands in a saluting manner.

"What do you need, leader?" asked Jordan.

"Good. Now, go suit up. We have a city to destroy," said Talia.

"Yes, ma'am," said Jordan.

Ten minutes pass. Knowing that could possibly happen, Jade maneuvers her medium-sized body through the vents. She tries to make as little noise as possible, but a vent has to vent. Hopefully, this won't alert Talia of her position.

"Where could he be? I've been in these vents for like an hour," thought Jade.

Jade reaches a floor and quietly removes the vent entrance. She then tries to sneakily move out of the vent, but she is grabbed by the brainwashed Jordan, slammed on the wall, and thrown to his right.

"It's good to see you too," said Jade weakly.

"Look at what came out of the gutter. Vietnamese trash," said Talia.

"Look in the mirror sometimes," said Jade.

"Well, a mirror won't exist in this city when we blow this entire town straight to where my father is. You and all of these peasants should be honored to be killed by me: the new queen of the world," said Talia.

"As if? You don't have the manpower to do that," said Jade.

"This tower may only occupy this small island, but it has enough power to take the whole city down with it. With all that money, we were able to create bombs strong enough to level cities with ease. I love being wealthy," said Talia.

"You can't blow up the city if you can't detonate the bomb," said Jade.

"Are you going to stop me?" asked Talia.

"Yes," said Jade.

"If you want to take me down, you will have to go through my muscle first," said Talia.

"Hiding behind your servant like a coward. I'm not surprised," said Jade.

"Talk all you want, you won't get past him. Jordan, deal with her," said Talia.

"Yes, my queen," said Jordan.

Jordan puts on his cowl and menacingly stares at Jade. She gets in a fighting position and Jordan does the same.

"You don't have to do this. We can talk," said Jade.

Jordan responds by charging right at Jade.

"Well, you can't tell me that I didn't try," said Jade.

Jordan reaches Jade and tries to kick her, but she barely dodges. Jae tries to punch him, but he blocks her with a chop to her fist and then a punch to the face. Jade stumbles back and gives Jordan plenty of time to land a few powerful strikes before big booting her back. Jade tries to get back up but is stepped on by Jordan's big foot.

"Is that all you got? That's pretty sad," said Talia.

"I'm sorry about this," said Jade.

Jade kicks Jordan in his lowered crotch and stuns him for a few seconds. This is enough time for her to escape from under his foot and try to punch him. Jordan catches it with ease and headbutts her a few feet back. She pulls out her katana and Jordan does the same. They charge at each other and their blades clash. The metals clash over and over, but Jordan's superior strength easily outclasses Jade with each strike. With a few more, her katana breaks, and she is slashed on the chest a few times. She is then punched in the gut and hit with a high knee, knocking her down to the ground.

"Good job, Jordan. Now finish off your little girlfriend," said Talia.

Jordan just nods and lifts up his blade above Jade's face. Jade looks in fear, trying to nonverbally persuade him to not do it, but he doesn't care. He forces the blade down but stops himself.

"What are you doing? End her," said Talia.

"I can't," said Jordan hesitatingly.

"What?" asked Talia.

"I won't," said Jordan.

"You will. You are owned by the League of Assassins," said Talia.

"Never!" exclaimed Jordan.

Jordan turns the blade to himself and aims it at his neck. He presses his blade to the body part and backs up.

"You mustn't. You have to fight it," said Jade.

"Can't. Too hard," said Jordan.

"Nothing's too hard for you. You even being where you are should be considered too hard. Your mother was taken from you when you were just a child. You trained and worked intensely to make sure that you could not just avenge her, but create a utopia in this dark world. During that impossible journey, you have made friends, allies, and much more. Don't do this for me or your friends or even yourself, but please do this for Jordai," said Jade.

Jordan struggles some more but makes his choice. He takes the blade away from his throat and immediately sticks it in the ground. He then kneels in sickness. Jade runs up to him to make sure that he is ok.

"Jordan, you disappoint me, but not too much. The bomb is still armed and the city can still go boom," said Talia.

"Did you think that I wouldn't be prepared for this? Tower, voice activation code 7194. Disable the tower's self-destruct system," said Jordan.

"Yes, sir," said the tower.

"Impossible," said Talia.

"I thought that you did your research, Talia. I have failsafes for everything," said Jordan.

"You're just like your father," said Talia.

Talia hops over the metal fence and lands on a boat. She then turns on the key in the ignition and blasts off on the water. Jade picks up Jordan and they just watch her from the platform.

"Do you wanna chase her?" asked Jade.

"No. We will get on a future date. I'm still sick," said Jordan.

"You'll get over it. You always do," said Jade.

"Jordai's our?" asked Jordan.

"Daughter? Yes, she is," said Jade.

"Ummmm. Cool," said Jordan.

"Yeah. Being a mother is pretty cool," said Jade.

"So, what does she look like?" asked Jordan.

"A mix of us. She has your eyes and is growing pretty tall," said Jade.

"So, she will grow up to be an angel," said Jordan.

"Not with my blood. My family isn't known to be good people," said Jade.

"But, you're changing. You quit the League and you seem to be nicer," said Jordan.

"This is just a good day," said Jade.

"Every day can be a good day when you become a good person," said Jordan.

"Eh. Whatever," said Jade.

"Can I see her?" asked Jordan.

"Of course. She is your biggest fan. I've told her about you. She's your biggest fan. She always says 'daddy is awesome' and 'he's the greatest superhero ever'. She would die if she saw you," said Jade.

"Well, it's never too early to die. Never too early," said Jordan.

"Maybe we can set something up," said Jade.

"Yeah, but first, I need some coffee and some mental reprogramming. Being a sleeper agent is boring," said Jordan.

Now, we cut two days into the future. A black car parks in front of a small house. Jade exits the car and walks up to the front door. She puts her keys into the lock while looking both ways until the door opens. She quickly closes the door once she enters the house.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Jordai.

A brown-skinned girl runs out of the living room and into the outstretched hands of her mother. She is grabbed and lifted into the air and spun around like a top. She laughs happily before being placed back on the ground a few seconds later.

"How was work?" asked Jordai.

"Very good as usual. I got you something," said Jade.

"What is it?" asked Jordai.

"This," said Jade as she pulls out an autographed Claw from her pocket.

"Is that?" asked Jordai.

"An autographed Claw by your father? Yes it is," said Jade.

"You're the best mommy ever!" exclaimed Jordai happily as she grabs the Claw.

"So, you took one of my Claws, signed it, and gave it to our daughter. You're a good mom," said Jordan.

Jade turns her head to her right and looks at Jordan eating one of her fresh apples.

"These are some good apples," said Jordan.

"Why are you here?" asked Jade.

"Talia was killed in an explosion with her boat. I checked it out and it seems that it was just a regular engine malfunction. Nothing malicious," said Jordan.

"Is that all? I left the League already," said Jade.

"I also wanted to see her in person. Being fatherless is not a good thing," said Jordan.

"You're not punking me right?" asked Jade.

"Look. I may be with another girl, but that doesn't mean that I can't take care of blood," said Jordan.

"Are you actually going to stay? Like no jokes," said Jade.

"Why would I joke about this? I want to make this work. For Jordai," said Jordan.

"Yeah. Just for her," said Jade.

"Now, where is she? She needs to meet her idol," said Jordan.

"Ok, mister ego. Let's go meet her," said Jade jokingly.

Jade and Jordan enter the living room while someone watches them from atop a black motorcycle. He smiles and puts down his binoculars.

"Jordan. Jordan. Jordan. Messing with another woman is wrong. After dealing with Talia, it's time to deal with you and claim this universe as mine. No one will stop me anymore" said the mysterious man.