Love's In The Air, Under the Hawk's Ever Watchful Glare

JaK was being watched indeed. Ever since he had left the party at Titans central weeks ago, he had gained an extra shadow. Not like his normal shadow, which harmlessly followed at his feet, this specter was far more sinister, hiding out of sight, following just behind him in the shadows of the streets, glaring at him while he slept. The entire time, the only clue as to this shadow's existence was a sound. Barely audible, only someone who knows what to listen for would have noticed. Five tiny clicks followed by an ominous hiss. Click click click click click. Metal fingers closed, clicking against a steely palm. Hiss. The joints let out a small puff of steam as they opened. This shadow had been watching JaK, waiting for it's chance to strike. Nighthawk glared down at the couple as they bumped into each other from his perch on top of a street light, hiding in the shadows beyond the harsh light. He listened to their conversation, his ghostly lip curling up in a sneer of hatred. "What's this I see? Sneaking into Old man McGregor's garden, little bunny? Better run and hide, or Old man McGregor'll put you in a pie!" Nighthawk muttered to himself as JaK helped Mae to her house, following just behind. Nighthawk watched the two through a window, his gaunt and ghostly pale features just barely out of sight as only he seemed to be able to do at all times. As the two left Mae's, Nighthawk grimaced in brooding disgust, stroking the window almost lovingly with a claw in a manner completely contradictory to his expression, the electrified razor edge of his talon acting with the same precision as a glass cutter, and he sliced an image into the glass, one that would only be visible when the light hit the glass just right and reflected off of the cuts. When viewed properly, an observer would see a chess piece, shining in silvery glory as the light bounced off of it. A Bishop, drawn with bizarre angles, none of which were quite right, all intentionally skewed in such a maddening manner that it hurt one's eyes to look at for too long. Nighthawk turned, tracking JaK down with the smooth efficiency of a born hunter, arriving at the cinema just as they walked in together. "Run, run, little rabbit, run. Or you'll make a delicious pie when McGregor's done..." Nighthawk slipped into the projection booth, unnoticed by the hapless teen working the film. "Alas, poor Yorick I never knew you, but your time is up and through." The teen working the booth had just enough time to let out a startled cry before he met his end upon the Hawk's talon. Nighthawk had timed his strike well, as laughter from the audience drowned out the boy's short scream. Only the most observant would have heard. Nighthawk turned his scornful gaze to the audience, spotting his "prey" in one of the rows. "Mr. McGregor is here, little rabbit, now it is your move will you follow your habit? Run while you can while you're still alive, you surely won't be when you become McGregor's pie!" Nighthawk clicked his talon's fingers on the edge of the projector's lens, melting the edge of the plastic surrounding the glass piece and causing blood to drip down, it's shadow slowly dripping down to obscure the movie.

Nighthawk's voice, dripping with a sarcastic, jealous hatred seenem to flow out of the darkness of the, his words twisting in on themselves and bouncing around the room, making it impossible to tell where he was. The lights had literally been torn from their sockets in the ceiling, claw marks plainly visible around the sparking holes where the lights had been. "Oh, little rabbit Mr. McGregor is coming for you, he'll catch you in his garden and you can guess what he'll do. He'll chop you up all nice and put you in a pie, you'd better run little rabbit, while you're alive." A shadow emerged from the darkness, flying at JaK, slamming into him in a vicious tackle. After a brief moment, it became obvious that the thing wasn't moving. It was wet and sticky. Then it became apparent that it was human shaped, but something was missing. There were chunks torn from the torso, and a small bit of smoke wafted from it's wounds, as if something had fried the deep gashes in the bone and flesh. The torn remains of the cinema's required uniform still clung to the boy's corpse.

The shadows were buzzing with a constant sound, echoing around like the voice. Click click click click click. Hiss. Over and over the sound repeated, twisting in upon it's self like smoke in the air. Nighthawk's voice dripped from the shadows once more, and the darkness seemed to stir, almost as if the shadows themselves were alive. "One two, he's coming for you." The voice sounded form his left. "Three four, better lock the door..." Now it was directly above him. "Five six, you they'll never fix..." It was behind him for sure. "Seven eight, you'll be late..." The air around JaK seemed to shimmer slightly and move. It seemed as if Nighthawk was close enough to touch, and it was easy to imagine cold breath passing over his shoulder. Nighthawk allowed himself a small sneer of contempt, the closest he ever came to smiling. "Nine ten, see your end!" The attack came out of nowhere, like a shadow taking solid form. Directly in front of him, JaK could see a faint outline of something, the only features that could be made out being the lower half of a face paler than his, so white it seemed to glow, the mouth twisted in hatred, and a gleaming silvery claw arching with blue sparks flashed towards him. Then the attacker vanished just before impact, like some sort of mirage. Before a clock could count the next second, the attack came from behind, four claws raking across his back. The attack was intentionally weak, like a cat batting about a mouse. Though the blades barely touched JaK, the metal was obviously no match for whatever this talon was made of, and four parallel gashes were carved into it. In addition, the moment the claw touched his protective coating, arcs of electricity lanced into him, amplifiied by the conductive surface coating his body, carrying what would have been a local shock to every surface covered by his metal armor. The shadow vanished into the darkness, and it's voice echoed out from within. "Oh little child, so tender and mild, you are so much like my baby brother, what you thought would protect you has achieved a goal quite another." There was something oddly familiar about the metal that made up the claw, as if JaK had seen it before...

Nighthawk glared at him venomously from across the room. He was thin and tall, and dressed in a black trench coat that hid most of his form. Block combat boots and a black glove covered his extremities, and he wore sunglasses that hid his eyes and most of his face. His hair was long, tied into a ponytail with raven's feathers of the same color woven into it. The tiny portion of Nighthawk's face that wasn't hidden behind the trench coat's popped up collar or the sunglasses was so pale it seemed to glow in the sickly red light. Cruel lips twisted into a sneer of contempt as Nighthawk seemed to vanish, flitting from one side to the room to the other, appearing almost at random. One moment, he was on the ceiling, the next to the left, then right in front of JaK, every time getting closer before vanishing and reappearing somewhere else. His right arm was encased in a gleaming metal claw, the fingers of witch constantly opened and closed creating the clicking and hissing sounds. The trench coat was unbuttoned from just below the neck to just above the stomach, though in the weak light nothing but darkness could be seen of whatever he was wearing beneath. "Naughty naughty little rabbit naughty, Old man McGregor will come and you'll get caughty..." Nighthawk lunged from the front, but vanished, reappearing for another strike from behind. Meanwhile, Zack wandered the streets, bored and depressed. He hadn't slept in a while... The screams were getting louder. Shaking his head, he heard a strange beeping sound. Looking around he saw no one, and briefly wondered what was going on. Then he realized the beeping was coming from him and searched his pockets, finding the Titan communicator Rain had given him when his team had been founded. Someone with another one of these is in trouble nearby... that means a titan! Zack jogged as fast as he could, glancing back and forth between the beacon and what was in front of him. The signal was coming from the cinema, only a block away. He would take a moment getting there, thanks to his weight, but he would get there. He just hoped whoever was in trouble could hold out long enough.

Nighthawk chuckled dryly, even in his attempt at laughter managing to sound jealously hateful. "Poor little rabbit all sad and downtrodden, Oh how very quickly you have fallen. Now, now we must get you ready to put in the pie, but right now you're far too big says I. Too many an extra bit, thankfully flesh is easy to rip. Now now little bunny, we mustn't frown, I'll just get something to hold you down..." Nighthawk vanished, appearing crouched next to the little cart the projector had been on, his baleful gaze never leaving JaK. With a flick of his wrist, he sliced off a two foot section of one of the steel legs, sharpening one end with a finger. Nighthawk vanished again, appearing right in front of JaK, standing over the Titan with a cruel sneer. "Hold still, little rabbit for if you squirm, I may have to skewer you more than once, you little worm."

Meanwhile:
Zack reached the cinema doors, lowering his shoulder and barreling through them, ignoring the startled employee at the ticket booth. The beacon said he was close, and he studied the screen as he rounded the corner, looking up just in time to see Mae before he collided with her, though he caught himself with his arms just before he would have landed on her, which would have been hazardous to her health to say the least. "Sorry girly," His grin widened a fraction. "I'm in a hurry, people may die tonight. You should leave, or you may too. Unless that's what he wants. If it's a he... Then you'll wanna stay or you'll die. Meh, I've gotta go, flip a coin. Be sure to look me up if ya live, girly, I'll have ta apologize properly." With that, Zack's grin widened and his eyes closed for a moment before he propelled himself forwards, over her. Staggering to his feet, he shouldered his way through a door as the beacon started freaking out. His eyes widened as he saw his predecessor standing over JaK. His grin straining with rage, Zack leapt into a tackle, his knife flying to his hand. Nighthawk turned just in time and swung a vicious backhand that sent Zack sprawling, a trio of red gashes opening up across his face. Nighthawk was left standing off balance, one foot on either side of JaK, the pole in his left hand, sharp end pointed at it's intended target. "Well well, we have another, and if it isn't dear old baby brother." Nighthawk's words seemed even more spiteful, if such a thing was possible, and he attempted to regain his balance, ignoring JaK for the moment. Interestingly, Zack was still convulsing on the floor, long after the electricity should have left him.

Nighthawk grunted as he took a fist straight to the jaw, the metal casing over JaK's hand cracking Nighthawk's jawbone as his sleight frame was unable to withstand the impact. Staggering back, Nighthawk gripped his jaw with his left hand, and he glared hatefully at his attacker, turning away from Zack, who was only now beginning to recover from his electrocution, and the smell of cooked meat began to waft from his smoking frame. Zack growled, and rose as Nighthawk staggered near him, landing a punishing blow to the thinner man's kidney, dropping Nighthawk to one knee. "You've gotten stronger baby brother, I cannot say the same for this other..." Nighthawk remained kneeling, staring at the floor, his left hand twitching slightly as if in anticipation.

Nighthawk chuckled sarcastically at JaK's comment. He was about to reply when Mae appeared in the doorway. "Oh how sweet, isn't this a treat? Run rabbit run, as fast as you can, you'll never keep up with me, I'm the-" Nighthawk stopped in mid sentence. Zack had recovered while JaK was speaking, and realized what would happen when Nighthawk saw Mae. Acting fast, he dragged her to him by anything metallic he could pull: Belt buckle, cell phone in pocket, spare change, even earrings.(if she's wearing any) It would likely hurt like hell, but a lot less than being impaled like Zack had once been. At the same time, Zack threw his combat knife, forcing Nighthawk to block instead of being free to keep Zack from saving Mae. Furious at being denied a kill, Nighthawk resorted to that which he hated. Ranged combat. He refused to be denied this, regardless as to who or what stood in his way. As he deflected the knife with his talon, Nighthawk's left hand entered the open portion of his trench coat, drawing an ornate pistol covered in intricate and archaic carvings. Like his talon, it glittered like silver, and he fired with an impressive amount of speed and precision, drawing it almost faster than the eye could track. Zack had just enough time to shove Mae roughly away before he took the shell(for the projectile fired was far too massive to be called a bullet) straight in the chest. Instead of ricochetting, the shell exploded in a miniature fireball, launching Zack off of his feet and into the wall. Zack gasped in pain, clutching at his chest where his shirt and flesh had been burned away, revealing his armor beneath. However instead of the silvery color it normally shined with, it was glowing red hot. One major downside to Zack's armor was it's incredible conductibility to heat, cold, and electricity, and the room quickly filled with the smell of cooking meat and the sound of sizzling flesh as the heat spread like some kind of cancer, already burning away at the flesh of his stomach, shoulders, and lower neck. Zack howled, his grin wild, panic and anger in his eyes. Distracted by what he considered a pleasant turn of events, Nighthawk turned his back to JaK, casually strolling up to Zack, a sneer spreading across his face. "Ah now now baby brother, your feel the pain you felt when I killed your dear mother. Perhaps now you will join her, you will die like your mother and father."