Teen Titans: Delta Chronicles

[Delta Titan Sparta]

TEEN TITANS: DELTA CHRONICLES

by Delta Titan Sparta

Prologue, 2 Years Prior

The doors hissed closed behind the candidate as he entered. He was lean and muscular, with short, spiked hair and intense silver eyes. His expression was hard and determined, but had a kind quality to it. He stopped in the middle of the room, ten eyes locked onto him. The tension in the room was tremendous. Nightwing spoke first.

"You call yourself Sparta," he said slowly. The young man nodded. "You never gave us your real name."

Sparta shook his head sadly. "That name was a part of me," he replied, "that died when I became that monster's apprentice."

Cyborg cocked an eyebrow. "Whose apprentice?"

"You know who," Sparta replied. His eyes met each Titan's. "He hurt all of you." His eyes fell on Beast Man, his expression suddenly repentant. "Some more than others."

"So," Raven murmured. "He's back."

"After Trigon's defeat," the youth began, "he decided that, to train an apprentice, he had to start younger, and to have the strongest, fiercest fighter possible. So he 'adopted' thirty children. Our first test: He put all of us in arena and said, 'Pick up your weapons and fight'."

"You mean..." Starfire began.

"Twenty-nine kids died in one hour," confirmed Sparta. "Including my younger brother. I did everything to protect him, but that... that murderer planned in advance; he coated the weapons with some kind of venom. One scratch from one, and you were as good as dead. If the toxin didn't finish you off, an opponent would.

"I only killed one of them, and it was totally by accident," he continued, his expression distant, a tear forming in his eye. "And then, there were the augmentations, to make me faster, stronger, tougher, and more agile. It hurt more than anything I'd ever experienced." He paused. "Except for losing Kai."

"Did he try to control you?" inquired Beast Man. Sparta nodded.

"With a suit that was supposed to bind with my nervous system," the teenager answered. "But there was a side effect from the augmentations: The suit was designed to interface with a normal human nervous system."

"And the chemicals rewrote yours," Cyborg muttered, nodding.

"Rendering the suit useless," finished Nightwing. Sparta nodded.

"That was the one thing he didn't count on," he said. "When I found out that the suit wouldn't work, I fought back, and nearly eliminated him."

The Titans abruptly sat straighter in their seats. "You... attempted to destroy him?" asked Starfire. "But, for what reason?"

"He took everything away from me!" Sparta hissed angrily. "My life, my childhood, and the only family I had!" His eyes seemed to glow as his voice rose. "You've seen both first- and secondhand what that monster can do! Don't you remember what he did to Terra?"

In a blur of black and green, Beast Man leaped across the room, transformed into a Tyrannosaurus, and pinned Sparta with a clawed foot. He bared eight-inch long fangs at the candidate.

"Beast Man!" Raven cautioned, her eyes glowing white. With a growl, Beast Man returned to human form.

"Never," he warned icily, "speak of her again." He stalked back to his seat.Sparta stood up, appearing calm. "See?" he pointed out. "It's been ten years, and he still haunts you five." His eyes narrowed. "I want to join the Titans to help people. I think that'd be spitting in the old man's eye.""What will you do," Nightwing asked slowly, "if you encounter him again?"Sparta's fists clenched until his fingernails drew blood."After I find Slade, I'm going to kill him, and end his reign of terror for all and eternity."

Edited July 27, 2012 by Delta Titan Sparta

[Delta Titan Sparta]

Chapter 1

Present Day

Sparta woke slowly, his room coming into focus. From his open window, he could see the Arrowhead City skyline. He swung his legs out of bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Just another day in paradise," he murmured. He dressed quickly in his uniform: a black body glove with light armor plates, painted gold, on his upper and lower legs, kneecaps, chest, upper and lower arms, and the back of his hands. It was completed with a pair of steel toe boots. As he spiked his hair, there was a knock at the door. "It's open!"The door hissed open, and Sparta was pinned beneath the 500-pound predator. Sparta laughed as he was turned over and nuzzled lovingly. "Tex!" he exclaimed. "I was only asleep for eight hours!"Tex let Sparta up, purring like a large jungle cat. She was a fully-grown, genetically-enhanced Utahraptor. She stood a foot taller than Sparta, and had black scales with gold stripes on her snout, neck, back, tail, and legs. Her head and arms sprouted golden feathers. Her eyes were orange, and looked almost human."I know who let you in," he said, patting Tex on the snout. "You can come in, Halo!"Halo was a year older than Sparta, and a half-head taller. She had long, straight, blue-streaked blond hair and deep blue eyes. She smiled kindly."I noticed that you react better when Tex wakes you up," she explained. She wore blue and white boots, blue shorts, and a gold and white shirt. A pair of dragonesque wings sprouted from her back."I appreciate the thought," Sparta said. "I was already up. Did you go out for your morning flight?"Halo nodded. "Yes. It was exhilarating!" She paused, and gave a humorous grin. "By the way, it's your turn to make breakfast. Just don't burn the bacon this time!" She laughed.

"That was one time!" Sparta countered. "And my hair was on fire, too!""You know it's embarrassing when a Titan Team needs to call the city fire department, right?The other three Delta Titans had gathered in the living room. Hawkeye, the oldest member of the team, gazed out the window at Arrowhead City. He stood a full head taller than Sparta, and his eyes were hazel; his sandy hair was cropped short. He wore his usual green and yellow duds, and his ever-present quiver was empty, save for his collapsible bow.Shade sat on the couch, flipping through the cable channels. He was the same age and height as Sparta but considerably thinner. He had shaggy, raven-colored hair and bright green eyes. He wore black and red skateboarding shoes and cargo pants, a red shirt, and a black trench coat; he was the most normal-looking Delta Titan.

Pyra sat on the far side of the couch, reading one of her many books on fire magic. She was the youngest member of the team, but what she lacked in age, she made up in experience and training. She had fiery, dark red hair and yellow eyes. She wore black boots, red leggings, and an orange, red, and yellow top with a matching hooded cloak. She glanced up at Sparta, and shot him a venomous look.Since day one, he thought, she's hated me. I understand why, but... jeez. "What's everyone want?" he inquired."Anything but bacon!" the team unanimously answered."One time!" Sparta shot back, rolling his eyes. "I'm going out on a limb here..." He paused. "Hawkeye, you want a breakfast wrap; Shade, you want a breakfast pizza; Halo, you want a steak, medium-rare; and, Pyra, you want a breakfast burrito, extra spicy."Tex snorted, and clicked her jaws. "Oh, sorry, Tex. Another steak, uncooked." The Utahraptor nodded in approval, leaped over the couch, and settled into her nest-- a secluded corner of the living room lined with now-shredded cushions, and Tex's most prized possession on a nearby shelf: Riptide's old goggles. He had been the first leader of the Delta Titans, three years ago, and Tex had loved him like he was her father.Sparta opened the fridge. Empty. "Gonna need to make a grocery run," he announced. "Could you guys settle with dropping by the convenience store downtown?"Shade smiled wryly. "Did Tex raid the fridge again?""The last thing we had in there was half a pineapple." Sparta shut the fridge. "That eliminates Tex and Halo; Pyra doesn't like pineapple, and I slept through the entire night."All of the others knew that wasn't true, and he knew they knew. When will the lies stop? he asked himself."As soon as you face him head-on," he heard it whisper, in the back of his mind. Sparta had always wondered what-- or who-- the voice was. Ever since the augmentations, it had had little trouble making itself known. It was always there, and Sparta disliked it."All right," Hawkeye put his hands up in mock surrender. "I confess. I ate it.""Now, could we--" Shade was cut off by the alarm. Halo was at the computer in a heartbeat, typing so quickly, it sounded like machine gun fire."Break-in at the jewelry store on Glen and Murakami," she reported."Quick!" ordered Shade. "To the T-Mobile!"Halo sighed, "I thought we had agreed to call it the T-Jeep?""Meh. Whatever."

Edited August 3, 2012 by Delta Titan Sparta

[Delta Titan Sparta]

Chapter 2

The masked assailants were silent as they smashed display cases, and stuffed the jewelry into burlap sacks. Each was the exact same height and build, and wore black and silver armor; their masks had a goldish orange circle in the center of their faces. A pair of disc grenades exploded in their midst, the Delta Titans standing in the doorway."Wow," Sparta commented, shaking his head. "You're master's sunk to a whole new low." He drew a telescopic spear and strapped a collapsible shield to his left forearm. The shield pieces clanked together to form a circular piece of metal. "Titans, go!"Tex surged forward, and sank her teeth and claws into one thief's armor. Pyra's eyes glowed as she hurled fireballs, while shadows enveloped another criminal. Hawkeye fired arrows as fast as he could, hitting his mark every time, while Halo engaged several in hand-to-hand combat."I'm not sensing any thoughts from them," she reported, and snapped a kick at one's chest."That's because," Sparta grunted, "they're drones. I've fought them before." To emphasize his point, he hurled his spear through another's chest. Pinned to the wall, it sparked and leaked hydraulic fluid. Sparta retreived his weapon, drew several disc grenades, and hurled them at another drone. "Deadly force authorized."

-------

The battle was brief, but furious. Tex had sustained several minor injuries, while everybody else was cut and bruised. Shade rubbed a sore muscle."You said you've fought these things before," Pyra growled, her tone icy. "Explain."Sparta nodded. "I fought them," he answered, "for training. He kneeled next to the drone he skewered and removed its mask, revealing a small screen, microphone, and a set of tiny speakers. "You're slipping, old man."The screen winked to life, showing a man with one eye, chuckling darkly."No hello?" he asked with false surprise. "My, my, Sparta, you haven't changed a bit.""As soon as I find out where you are--"Hawkeye asked, "Sparta, is that--?""Slade." Sparta's eyes narrowed."Make no mistake," Slade warned, and Sparta could practically see him grinning behind his mask. "I did not slip up. I have sent you a message, my traitorous former apprentice: All traitors to my cause must be punished; I am here for vengeance.""I didn't betray you," growled Sparta. "I was going to take your life, since you took Kai's. You taught me the Law of Equivalent Exchange; an eye for an eye." He grinned darkly."Laugh while you can, Sparta," Slade said dismissively. "But I will destroy you, and your precious Delta Titans." Tex could sense Sparta's anger, and she snarled at the screen. "Interesting choice of pet-- an overgrown lizard."Tex knew the English language, and knew what he meant. With a shriek of rage, she stabbed the little screen with one of her "killing" claws, and rent the drone's head from its body.Halo stroked Tex's feather mane, just behind the Utahraptor's head.He called me a lizard, Tex grumbled. Halo sighed."We all know," she replied, "that you're more closely related to birds." She smiled kindly. Tex snorted.Ha-ha, she thought. That may be true, but Round-Ears-One-Eye Slade will pay for that insult. She rested her head on Halo's lap, and Halo extended a wing across the raptor's torso."Just be glad he didn't call you a six-foot turkey," Halo teased.Six-point-five, Tex corrected, and promptly fell asleep.

-------

"This is the Priority-One channel, Sparta," Nightwing said. "This had better be important."Sparta cut directly to the chase. "Slade's back. I recorded his transmission with my communicator." He played the audio file."There's more to this," said Nightwing. "He hates every Titan, particularly me, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Man. He won't stop after he conquers Arrowhead City. He'll use it as a base to destroy every Titan team worldwide. You've got to stop him there.""We'll stop him dead," Sparta assured. "And I do mean dead."

-------

Shade entered the living room, Gamestation Mobile in hand. The PlayBox was off... out of the ordinary: Sparta usually played Covenant in the afternoons.He's not kickin' alien butt! he thought. I guess that transmission from Slade upset him more than I thought. Pyra and Hawkeye sat at the table playing chess. "You know where Sparta's at?" Shade asked. Hawkeye made his move."He hasn't left the development lab since he spoke with Nightwing," he replied. "Halo managed to glean one thing, though: he's working on something important.""What I don't get," Pyra muttered, "is how he can block Halo out of his mind so effeciently. Even I have trouble keeping her out for more than five minutes." She moved her queen piece. "Checkmate.""We know he's wired differently," Hawkeye said as he began resetting the board. "The augmentations affected most of his brain."Shade yawned. "Spare me the details. I'm gonna snoop."Pyra scowled. "Just because Raven taught you how to ghost doesn't mean you need to do it to snoop." Shade ignored her, and vanished into a wall.

[Delta Titan Sparta]

Chapter 3

Sparta slid the polzarized goggles over his eyes as the welder sparked to life. He was shaping a metal plate that would eventually be a chest component of--He clicked the welder off. "Shade," he said without looking up. "I know you're in here. The temperature drops about five degrees when you ghost."Shade materialized from the shadows. "You okay?" he inquired. He seemed worried."I'm fine," Sparta replied. "Could you leave? I'm working on vital equipment."No," Shade shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, I know that talk with Slade really rattled your cage-- that was his point." He paused. "How's about we play some co-op on Covenant?"Sparta sighed. He could see he couldn't beat Shade in this argument. "Fine. One level, on Epic difficulty."That "one level" ended up being the entire game. Ten hours later, Shade had went to bed, and Sparta sat on the couch, controller in hand, staring at the blank screen. Tex and Halo came into the living room with concerned expressions on their faces."Locking yourself in your lab," Halo chided, "and then binge gaming is not good for your psychological health." Tex grunted in agreement and lay down on the couch, resting her head on Sparta's lap. He smiled and affectionately scratched her beneath the jaw. Halo sat on his other side."I thought you were asleep?" Sparta murmured. Halo shrugged."I-- Tex was concerned," she stammered. Sparta gave a tiny smile."I appreciate Tex's concern," he replied. "But she doesn't know what Slade is capable of doing... and what he has done."I've read the files, Tex thought. We all have. Halo quickly spoke for the Utahraptor."Not firsthand," Sparta said quietly."If I could see what he's done through your eyes--""No," Sparta replied firmly. "They tried doing it at the Academy. I won't allow anybody mess with my mind, unless absolutely necessary."Halo smiled sadly. "I understand." She unfurled a wing and wrapped it around Sparta's shoulders. "Initiate the nightly lock down and go to bed."She stood and left. "Want to sleep in my room tonight?" Sparta asked Tex. She nodded, and Sparta initiated the lock down from his communicator.

-------

"Mom?" Hawkeye asked tentatively. "Dad?" It was a dark, moonless, starless night. He approached his parents' room, feeling a rising sense of dread. He opened up the door and saw--Hawkeye sat up straight in bed, panting, his skin slick with sweat. Just a dream, he told himself. Just a dream.He swung his legs out of bed and went to the window. Arrowhead City was like a miniature Big Apple: always busy, even long into the night. It was times like this that he missed the mountains, looming in the distance like watchful guardians, and the expansive, rolling pine forests. He had spent most of his early life learning, hunting, training, and living in those woodlands, it felt like home... even when he'd fight a grizzly bear or a pack of wolves. He felt out of place in the city.That's why he'd decorated his room with trees-- hewed trunks that reached from floor to ceiling, smaller, potted plants, and wooden bookshelves, with bark super glued to the surface. The walls had been painted to resemble a forest at night, while a holographic projector cast a picture of the night sky.It's not home, he thought. But it'll do. His communicator beeped. "Hawkeye.""I need you down in the development lab," Sparta simply said. He sounded exhausted."What for?" Hawkeye asked."I need measurements, for my-- ah-- project.""This had better be important."Sparta cracked a lopsided smirk. "Trust me, when it's finished, it'll blow you away."Everyone else was, at the very least, irritated to be woken up at 3:00 AM. Pyra, however, was furious. Her eyes glowed yellow, and sparks shot from her fingertips."Three o'clock, Sparta?" she hissed angrily. "Couldn't this have waited until morning?"Halo stepped into the lab, barefoot, her wings wrapped tightly around her body to keep her warm. "I told you to go to sleep!""Tried, couldn't," replied Sparta."How important is this?" Shade yawned, rubbing his eyes. Sparta ignored the question."You've heard," he began, "of the semi-powered stealth armor being tested by the military, correct?""Yeah," Hawkeye said. "It uses a small power cell to enhance the user's speed, as well as camouflage the wearer to the point of near-invisibility.""Right. I've taken that concept and pushed it even farther. I've designed armor that boosts the wearer's strength, speed, stamina, and reaction time, and can use interchangeable components. That's why I need measurements: each suit of armor will be customized for each of you. They will play off of your individual strengths and skill, and promote them to new levels."Now, the catch," he continued, "Is that you won't be able to use your powers.""Quite a trade-off," Shade noted. The concept angered Pyra even further."What use are we," she asked angrily. Her fists burst into flame, like when she was preparing to engage in hand-to-hand combat, "if we can't use our powers? Sure, it's fine for you and Hawkeye, but Halo, Shade, and I rely on our powers!" She stood toe-to-toe with Sparta. "I won't allow this."" 'A Titan'," Halo quoth, " 'is not a Titan because of their powers, but because of who they are'.""She's right," Shade agreed. "If I lose my powers, or Halo, or you lose your powers, we're still Titans." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She sighed, extinguishing the fire on her hands."Fine," she growled. "Just get it over with."Review Topic

Edited August 17, 2012 by Delta Titan Sparta