Welcome to the Tower Card Boy! (Open to Titans)

"I must be outta my mind! This can't be right and I got a gut feeling this can only end up badly!" Black Jack thought as he chewed on a tooth pick protruding from his mouth. He was sitting on his custom chopper, lening back with his feet up on the handle bars as he stared out from the Jump City Pier to the T-shaped tower on the rocky island in the distance. Dressed in his signature long black trench coat, a black biker vest, with his signature necklace, rings, and earrings on; the teen adjusted a pair of black sun glasses as he took another look out to the island and the tower. His biker boots literally just off the ignition stick, he took a deep breath and thought again.

"But what choice do I have? I got villians after me, no cash, no home, and no food. Plus I always did get along with others and I guess being a part of some pre-teen dream team has some perks. Not sleeping at a rests top or on some rocks being one of them. Alright then, I guess I'll just roll the dice.....right dad" he thought as he he sat up right and his fingerless bikergloves gripped the handles of his bike. Spitting the toothpick out of his mouth, Black Jack hit the throttle and his signature chopper roared to life shooting smoke and flames from the tail pipe. He then took a deep breath and reached out with his hand. As he did, playing cards flew from his coat sleeve and as they did, they suddenly expanded, growing huge and forming a land bridge from the pier to the island. Black Jack smiled and rode his chopper down the "card road", hyming the song "Yellow Brick Road" from the Wizard of Oz movie.

As he reached the island he loosened his grip on the throttle and his bike came to a stop and slowly shut down a she turned it off. Reaching out with his hand, the cards retracted back to his sleeve again normal in size and he smiled as they did. "Never gets old" he thought with a chuckle, as he turned and walked up to the front door of Titans Tower. Sighing as he didn't see a door Black Jack did the only thing he could and banged on the front door with his strong fist. "Hey...is eh..anyone home?"

Jumping back a bit as a blondish/red head opened the door, Black Jack was shocked by the sudden and blunt response. Regaining his footing and clearing his throat, Black Jack removed his sunglasses and pocketed them as he said, "Um...hi. I admit this is akward and all, as I'm sure you guys normally don't have people just walk up here and talk to you. My name is Black Jack and well to put it bluntly I was hoping to be allowed to possible join your team out here."

Scratching his head in a somewhat nervous motion, Black Jack gulped a bit as he looked around to see if anyone else was a round besides the person at the door. In truth he didn't expect trouble, hut he wouldn't have lasted as long as he did if he wasn't properly prepared for it.

Grace was in her room laying sprawled out on her bed. The ceiling was rather bland looking. Perhaps she should decorate it, but with what? Flowers, perhaps?

A noise got Grace's attention. An engine? It sounded a lot like a motorcycle. How did somebody get an abomination like that on this island?

Well, so much for decorating. Grace stood up and walked to the front door. She got there just in time to hear Black Jack introduce himself. He was a biker, and Grace couldn't help but feel she was going to have to deal with another JaK.

"Actually, it happens all the time," Grace said. She realized a bit too late that she was still wearing her blue pajamas. Even though she hadn't been sleeping, she hadn't gotten dressed yet today. There hadn't been a need. "Well, Black Jack, if you want to join this team, there are two things you need: the desire to defend the innocent, and the power to do so. Come on in and tell us about yourself."

Grace walked back into the room and sat on a couch. She extended a hand towards another chair, expecting the guest to sit as well.

Black Jack again was surprised by the appearance of the girl, espically by the fact she was wearing blue pajamas. "Deep Freeze?" he mouthed in confusion as the girl ushered him into the tower and the shirtless boy from earlier followed him in. As the girl motioned to the coach, Black Jack sat down and removed his boots, setting them to the side. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of playing cards which he set down on the table and pushed it to the girl n the pajamas. "Call me old fashion, but now you at least have a sense I'm unarmed. I have never liked bullies or thieves or criminals in general and after hearing my tale you will see that I have a sens eof justice" Black Jack said. "But not completly unarmed! Like I would lay all my cards on the table?" he thought with a slight smirk. Black jack then sat down in a relaxed position and then cracked his neck as he did he was told and began to tell him about himself.

"My name is Black jack and I was born and raised in Atlantic City, NJ. My mother died in child birth and my father was a professional gambler in and out of the casinos. Had a round of bad luck but he was still a good man who took decent care of me and taught me a lot about luck and gambling games. Unfortunately after a round of bad luck and rounding up some unpayable debts, some Costa Nostra cabones paied a visit to our home and took my dad away. Never saw him again and all he left me was his auto shop and a deck of cards. Figured now was as good a time as ever to take a trip cross country and head west as they said in the old days. Built my chopper, Destiny's Chariot, and headed out" he explained.

Sitting back, he looked up at the ceiling as he seemed to recall something and took a breath as he he said, "Had a little run in at some Navajo Tribal lands in Arizona that kind of changed my life forever. Guess you could say that is one of the reasons why I am here now."

Grace was a little annoyed by Scope's comment, but she decided to let it slide. She knew that he meant nothing by it.

Black Jack put a deck of cards on the table and said that he was now disarmed. His cards were his weapons? That seemed strange to Grace. Still, he had gotten a motorcycle to the island, so he had some sort of power.

The guest went into a story about his past. It was interesting enough, Grace thought, but what did all of this have to do with him joining the Titans?

"The Navajo sent you here? You still haven't explained why you hate crime." Grace tried not to sound rude, but she wasn't sure if she succeeded.

Black Jack sighed as he leaned back a bit and seemed to look up at the ceiling for a moment. "The Navajo didn't send me here per say, rather they are the reason why I have the abilities to be here now" he explained. Looking back up at the two heroes, Black Jack removed his coat showing he was wearing a red muscle shirt underneath that did expose his very toned and muscled body. At the same time, it also displayed a few tattoos the young hero had. On his left arm was a Celtic cross, a common and deeply religous symbol used by those of Welsh, Scottish, and Irish descent. At the same time on his left tricep was a pair of dice rolling "Snake Eyes" covered in flames. On his right arm was an image of the Virigin Mary, and underneath it going down his arm was the "Hail Mary" prayer written in Latin.

"Growing up I always hated bullies and I couldn't stand seeing them prey on others. I grew up in a rough neighborhood and was sort of a protector of the younger kids. As I got older, so did the bullies and I had to get tougher. However I couldn't do anything to stop those mobsters from taking my father away and seeing that I never saw him again. As such I can't stand those who prey on others just becasue they feel like they can or because they have the power too. It's unacceptible to me and something I can never tolerate" Black Jack explained as he set his coat down. Black Jack then grabbed his shirt and lowered the top of it exposing his chest. Over his right pectoril muscle was another tattoo, this one of four cards lined up with one of the four card suites on the cards.

Pointing to the left over his chest was a scar as if he had been stabbed with a blade about the size of a knife, but smaller then a dagger. "While driving through New Mexico on my way to Pheonix, I traveled through Navajo territory and came across a small family being harassed by some drunks. I stepped in and took care of them easily, don't worry I don't kill, but they won't forget me for awhile I promise you that. However one them pulled a knife and stabbed me, luckily my dad's card set took the brunt of it and all he managed to do was cut my skin. Didn't even need stiches, but the family wanted to thank me and brought me into thier home while the father said he wanted to give me a gift" Black Jack said as he motioned to the card son the table.

"He did something to my cards, some kind of Native magic as he called it. Since then, me and those cards and others have a "special connection," if you get the hidden meaning" he said with a smirk.

Grace continued to listen to the story. She found it odd that he insisted on showing them all of his tattoos. Grace frowned. She didn't like tattoos, and she didn't get what they had to do with the story.

Now the cards has a magical connection with Black Jack? Grace didn't pick up on any sort of hidden meaning. "Sorry, you'll have to be more specific. As wonderful as this story is, I think we should get to the point."

Perhaps that was a bit harsh. Oh well. Truth be told, the story had revealed a lot about Black Jack's character. He seemed to be a good person, willing to risk his life in order to protect the innocent.

Nodding his head in understanding and smirking a bit, Black Jack stood up and cracked his neck as he said, "Alright if you want a demonstration, I'll give you one. I don't know the specifics of the magic myself, only that it had to do with the Navajo spirits and the cards stained with my blood." Black Jack then suddenly made a quick reaching motion and as he did, the deck of cards on the table flew from the table and into his hand. He then split the cards into two decks and as he did he smiled as the cards flew out of his hands and started to flutter around him at every single angle imaginable forming a field around Black Jack.

Black Jack just stood with his hands at his hips as his cards flew around his body as if controlled by some unforseen force. He then raised his right hand and three cards suddenly flew into his hand and he threw them right at the table. However before hitting the table the cards stopped in mid air and then all three of them grew to a giant size blocking Black jack from view. "I can now control the cards in my postion by my will alone. Size, shape, density, material; all these things I can control about my cards with just my will and thoughts. With a snap of my fingers my cards can go from being razor sharp and swift as throwing knives to growing to the size of shields and repelling even the hottest fires. That was how I got to this island. I formed a bridge with my cards and simply rode over it to the other side" he said as the cards returned to normal size and Black jack made a snapping noise with his fingers casuing the cards to form back into a deck that he caught and then pocketed in his black pants.

Looking up again, he scratched his nose and then said, "I can also graft the cards to my body and others to use as armor of sorts or as restraints. At the same time as the cards are apart of me and are fused with my blood, I can also do this now." Black Jack then literally vanished into a flutter of cards as his body dematerilized and the cards flew all over the room before converging behind Grace. As they converged, his body rematerilized and he placed his hands on the cushions. "As I said, I am not Navajo and can't begin to understand the magic behind it. However the shaman told me and I qoute, "You and the cards are one and shall share the same body just as you know share the same blood," unqoute. It took some time but I have mastered these abilities and have in the past used them to thwart a few petty crimes to learn more about them" he said as he looked down at Grace with a freindly smile.

Grace found herself giggling. "Card tricks!" She said with delight. She wasn't really impressed very often anymore by powers. Being married to the Grim Reaper did that to you. Still, at least Black Jack's power was entertaining.

But would it hold up in the heat of combat? That was the next question Grace wanted answered.

She stood up and started walking to the Training Room. "I want to see your powers in action. You'll be sparring with Scope here. Remember boys, no killing or mortally wounding each other. I just want to see what Black Jack here is capable of." She reached the Training Room and ushered the two inside. She then made her way to the control room.

The array of buttons made her feel dizzy. "Um, Aeon?" A hologram of the mechanical ghost showed up. Grace didn't trust her yet. She couldn't feel a soul within the AI. "Could you make an interesting battlefield for me?"

Aeon rolled her holographic eyes. "It's not that hard, Sleepy Head." A moment later, the large blue room transformed into a large farm. A large barn took up the center of the room, and cows, chickens, and even a few pigs walked around feeding. It looked so real, even though it was just all a construct made from goo.

Grace glared at Aeon. She couldn't think of a good retort right now, so she decided not to try. "All right, Scope. Take it easy on the new guy."

Black Jack followed after Grace as she walked and listened as she talked and mentioned a spar. Shrugging his shoulders and nodding his head, he wlaked into the room as Grace wlaked off to set up the sim. "Hmmm? Pretty fancy, I guess if you know what you want and where to get it, you buy something real high end on the VR market" he said as he looked at the traning room. He then watched as the room created a version of a farm and as he looked aorund he turned towards Scope and said, "Really? A farm? Whose we gonna go after.....Old Mcdonald? Alright though I can dig it, just alittle differnet from what I expected."

Black Jack then smiled as he took a stance from across Scope and as he did motioned to his stomach. "Tell you what Eagle-eye, since I'm a nice guy I'll give you one free shot. That's all you get so it better be a good one" he said as he patted his lower stomach. "Come on, right in the bread basket. I won't even move, but as I said you better make it a good one. You get to play this hand twice in a row I promise you that" Black Jack said smiling a bit.

"Just a minute," Aeon said over the loudspeakers in the training room. "I never get to do any of this fighting."

"Probably because you're not a real person." Grace said.

Aeon grabbed her holographic chest. "You wound me to my core, Grace. Still, Mr. Jack here isn't going to be fighting Scope in the field, is he?"

One of the pigs nearby Black Jack would suddenly undergo a transformation, becoming a 10 foot tall human-pig hybrid monster. It snorted angrily and set its beady eyes on Black Jack. Letting out a roar, the pigman charged at the new recruit. The ground was crushed beneath the two massive hooves the abomination was still using as feet, and it raised the other two up in the air to smash the Black Jack into the dirt.

"What are you doing?" Grace said, a bit worried.

"I won't kill him Grace. I just want to remind everyone who's boss around here." Aeon winked at Grace with a sarcastic smile.

Black Jakc snorted in amusment as the behemont lurched towards him and snarled a bit. "Wow, I don't know if I'm more afraid of your looks or your smell. BRING IT ON PORKY!" he shouted as the pig creature slammed it's fist into Black Jack with both fists resulting in a massive smash. However the moment the pig's fists touched Balck jack, his body dematerilized into a bunch of playing cards that flew up into the air around the pig. The creature swatted at and snorted angrily at the cards as they reconverged behind him into Black Jack with his fist raised.

As he rose his fist though several of his cards suddenly formed aorund the fist and made a much larger and bigger fist. Controlling the density of his cards and swinging his fist forward, Black Jack aimed a punch with the force of a sledge hammer at the pig's chin as it turned.

(OOC: Sorry for my lameness! I'm back now!)