Titan on Trial (Open to All Titans)

Zack cackled wildly, running a hand over his chest, feeling the portion of now exposed armor through the scraps of bloody flesh, surprised to find shallow gouges in the metal. "I thought you knew me, monster! You know my file, you should know my fear." A cruel light burned in Zack's eyes as his grin twitched, widening and becoming maniacal. "And you know I will not rest until he and all of the others are dead and gone! Until all of the pieces are back in the box and the box has been burnt to ash and buried! Until this can never happen again!" Zack laughed as he charged forwards, ready to meet whatever Kaiser could throw at him head on.

As Evan's body was fully destroyed, he simply ghosted out of it. There wasn't anything else he could do to help right now. He went outside looking for a new body.

Captain Cab rushed inside the room. Fake was nowhere to be seen. What was Liev's plan?

Meanwhile, Evan ghosted into an odd little building that was owned by the government. A squad of 4 combat robots stood ready for him to take. What were these doing here? Entering one of them, Evan started running back to the courthouse.

Zack charged at Angst as it took form. He had expected to see the face of his hated predecessor, Nighthawk, the one who had killed his family, who had killed him, who hunted him every day. But Nighthawk wasn't Zack's worst fear. Zack had faced Nighthawk in battle time and time again, and knew Nighthawk better than most. People don't fear what they know, what they understand. It is said that the imagination is what generates fear. And there are two possibilities that Zack spent his time imagining. Every waking second he imagines, and he fears. He hides his fear behind Nighthawk, because if Nighthawk were the thing he was scared of the most he would likely be able to sleep at night. But what Zack truly fears is far worse than simply dealing with some shadowy assassin. As Zack's true fears manifested before him, he did something he had never done before - he took a step back from his enemy - he faltered in combat. Zack feared two things more than all else: Either that he would be captured by the military program that had killed his family and turned him into a monster, he would be dragged to the room at the end of the hall and he would either die or become a mindless puppet like the others, or that he would lose the daily battle with the madness that constantly loomed in the back of his mind, threatening to overwhelm him and drive him to acts of depravity and slaughter the likes of which had never been seen on the planet Earth. Angst took form, and Zack found himself facing a twisted parody of himself. The other Zack wore a black, skin tight shirt that was tucked into a pair of military combat pants, a dark jungle camo in color. The combat boots were the same, and the other Zack did not wear the jacket that Zack was never seen without. The worst part was the other Zack's face. It had once been the same as Zack's but now half of it was missing flesh, and the skull like armor beneath was pitted with corruption and stained reddish brown from ages of dried blood. Both of the other Zack's eyes burned with a hysteric hatred that put even Nighthawk's cold glare to shame, and his grin was so wide that his mouth hung open, his teeth filed down to daggerlike points and his breath reeking of blood. Like Zack, the other Zack wielded a combat knife, however unlike Zack, he only wielded the combat knife. Even the knife looked corrupted and insane, it's handle and blade stained and pitted like the fleshless half of the other Zack's face. "Ah... Now this is a twist..." The other Zack's voice was even more hysterical than Zack's if such a thing was possible, and he cracked his neck ad he eyed his counterpart hungrily.

Fake grinned from the shadows, taking in every single strand of fear being woven into Zack Wylder’s mind. There was nothing that pleased him more than to see those whom he despised become vulnerable and turned into so low a state God himself would lower his head in shame. This sadistic pleasure was only known to exist in the most vile and heinous souls, ones that would plunge to the deepest pit of Hell to face their sins tenfold––and Kaiser knew this; he had been baptized with that realization when he had faced Death full-on, at a quaint little library in the heart of Jump City. Fake had been denied submission from a powerful child, attempted to gain “retribution,” and destroyed everything around him save the girl and a few other metahumans. That was also when he first heard the sound of bells. Soft at first, but quick to advance in pitch and loudness, their wicked potential of horrendous shrieking enough to drive the most stable man into sheer insanity. A reaper, Necati, had come to finally collect the red-eyed madman’s soul... but was cheated by none other than Kaiser’s twin brother, Liev Aleksandr.

“Yes...” he droned. “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is nigh...” the song slipped off his tongue in unseemly elegance. “Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.”

•••

Honest drew in a deep, heavy breath. Now was the time to act. “I loved you, Kaiser,” a voice softly echoed to Fake’s ears. “I tried... I had tried to help you. I never lied to you. I loved you.”

•••

Kaiser’s heart nearly stopped as he heard Anna’s voice. Immediately, every shadow in the courtroom dispersed, leaving Angst as the only source of darkness. He reappeared on the smooth tile floor, his eyes full of despair and complete anguish. “Anna?” he whispered, the name choking his heart with disbelief. Kaiser cast his eyes about frantically as he held his blood stained hands in front of him and began to sob. For a few moments he displayed dismal, grief, and distressed emotions, but were soon dashed away with hatred. “This is what you did to me! THIS IS WHAT YOU MADE ME BECOME!”

Evan ran in the courtroom in his new combat body and almost ran into Captain Cab. Suddenly, Kaiser appeared. For a while, it looked to Cab like the plan was a success, but then Fake's eyes turned to hatred.

The two attacked in unison. Cab transformed into a car and sped towards Kaiser while Evan's wrist-mounted gun fired at the same man. Both of them had only one thought: protect Liev.

ooc:// I've been waiting to reply once Silent Night does, but I'll post if he doesn't in a day or so.

OOC: Cool with me.

ooc: Righto, back... Sorry about my absence.

ic: Zack looked at his counterpart, at what he would become if his so far indomitable will were broken or if he was captured, fear plain across his face, his eternal grin strained to the point of causing physical pain as his emotion fought to remove it. "Now we have an opportunity, for this never usually happens. Now I can show you your weakness, for I have purged mine and I am you." The other Zack lunged forward, laughing maniacally as his vertical slash was barely blocked, sending the original Zack staggering back. Using his momentum, the other Zack continued to move forwards, spinning around to deliver a punishing attack on Zack's back, causing him to stagger forwards, gasping in pain. Wrapping an arm around Zack's neck, the other Zack grunted as he brought his magnetic power to bear and lifted Zack, who desperately clutched at his counterpart's arm, over his head, slamming him face first into the ground, shaking the entire room and shattering the floor beneath Zack. "You're weak, me." The other Zack said in a singsong voice. "And do you know why? You are weak because you are afraid. You are afraid because you imagine. Give in and you won't be able to imagine, you won't be able to fear, and you will be invincible." Zack grimaced, trying to stand. He was on all fours when his counterpart's knee slammed into his chin with enough force to flip him onto his back, resulting in more shattered flooring. Memories flashed into Zack's mind with each blow. His old family, his old life, his vigilante street life, his random induction into the Titans, his promotion to second in command, his promotion to leader, all of the faces of those he was in charge of, those he looked after, those who looked up to him swam before him. As the other Zack landed a punch just beneath his ribcage, magnetically gripped the metal, then flipped him over his head to slam him headfirst into the floor, he realized: true he had lost his family, but he had gained a new one. The other Zack had found strength in madness, which there was plenty, but madness can only get one so far. To have a family, people willing to stick with you through hell and back, was the source of true power. And while a little madness never hurt, madness was not a crutch to lean wholly on, but a tool to fuel the fire within. As Zack hit the ground, his leg spun out, catching the other Zack off guard and tossing him to the ground. Standing up, Zack dropped into a defensive stance. "You are wrong. Fear does not induce weakness, fear purges weakness. When I fought Nighthawk for the first time I was terrified, and I was defeated. But my fear drove me to train and learn until I no longer feared, and I am stronger for it. Without fear, there is no courage. No bravery." "Bravery? Idiot! Bravery cannot save you!" The other Zack's words seemed more frantic, and as he attacked, Zack was easily able to counter. Without imagination, the other Zack did not fear, and therefore did not understand the concept of bravery. With no concept of bravery, the madness tried to understand that which it could not. Therefore, it began to fear. Quickly, the struggle turned, and the two were evenly matched for a fleeting moment. At this point the battle could go either way...

“He… is just a boy,” Liev’s logic told himself. “Not a man, nor a beast, nor a demon… just a boy.”

The scene of Kaiser breaking down and sobbing, succumbing to such mortal grief as all the darkness vanished into light and the blood-red color seemed to drain from his once sin sister eyes was all too unreal for Liev. This wasn’t his twin—it couldn’t be! No one could ever make Fake falter; not even Death himself coupled rip out any human emotion from the shadow-manipulating villain. For the few moments Kaiser Adal Ehrlichmann came undone, Live Aleksandr Ehlichmann forgot he was wearing the mask of Anna Brown; no matter how powerful the girl was said to be, she couldn’t possibly harness this monster’s strings. She was just a child—not a hero, nor an angel, nor a savior… just a child.

But reason knew them to be otherwise. For when Fake roared at Anna in bloody accusation, everything was set back in place. He was back, indeed. The beast had returned.

Liev immediately bolted at his brother and mentally targeted the two pressure points he could most easily hit. And with Evan and Captain Cab at his side, the odds were in his favor… for now.

Fake had barely began to conjure his pretty chainsaw—named so ironically for the girl who was standing in front of him—when his heart flipped and realized that Anna had charged in an attack. Anna never played offense; she had vowed to fight with words only, and never even touched another’s skin because of her ungodly curse. She had the power to control anyone by just making skin contact. Actions, thoughts, emotions—everything! But along with this awesome ability came the burden of not having any control. A pathetic fault, in Fake’s eyes. One that lead to her betrayal, death, and his insatiable lust. No, this was not Anna Brown. It was a liar, a fake. It was Honest.

“LIAR!” Kaiser screamed, then ran top face Liev head-on. Cab, Evan, and anyone else save his twin weren’t worthy of his hatred and need for blood. No… oh, no. Only Liev’s beating, throbbing heart could satiate the beast. Only his own flesh and blood.


Fake was screaming, roaring, tearing through stagnant air, bleeding raw agony from his jaws. “YOU’LL DIE TODAY, LIEV! No mercy, no games––not this time! NOT THIS TIME!”

Then, the rapid scene progressed. There was a white blur, the sleight of hand, black fumes, then an eruption of shadows. Silence. Surprise. Fear. Question, disbelief, then the spark of electricity. The dissolved microchip in Fake’s brain started to solidify, until, at last, it had been fully reconstructed as a neat, powerful disc in the center of his head; L.A.W. was prepared with backup. Nausea, bloody vomit, then the roar of a cursed chainsaw. And now, Zack Wydler. Their target, his prey. Let the games begin.

ooc:// In case there's confusion, Fake has been controlled yet again by LAW, and is now trying to kill Zack; LAW had sent him for that purpose from the very beginning.

Evan was not about to let Liev hurt anyone else. Cab had the same thoughts. As Evan fired his wrist-mounted gun at the villain, Cab drove right at Fake.

ooc: Again, I will reply if Silent Night doesn't in a few days.

ooc: Oi, sorry about my absence, my comp is now officially dead and I am now permanantly (at least for the forseeable future) confined to my iPhone...

Ic: The other Zack's corruption turned out to be his downfall. Just as the fighting became fiercest, a wet thud echoed throughout the room as Zack's combat knife pierced the corrupted and pitted metal encasing the other Zack's gut, burrowing deep enough to scrape the metal encasing his back. The other Zack grunted, holding himself up by leaning into Zack. From a distance it looked like the two were embracing each other, though as Zack ripped the knife away and took a step back, the other Zack began to fade. "Bravery... I don't..." The other Zack still struggled to comprehend the meaning of the word. "Before I die, tell me... What is bravery?" Zack scoffed, then nodded slowly. "It is a source of strength that resides in all of us." the other Zack paused, then nodded in understanding. "Oh, so it's just like madness." and with that, the being known as Angst vanished. Whether it was truly dead or if it had even been harmed perhaps only it and Kaiser knew. Zack's victory was short lived however, as he turned just in time to parry an attack from Kaiser with the edge of his knife, bringing his other hand up in a brutal open palmed strike aimed at Kaiser's gut, hoping to take the breath out of the madman and maybe even stun him.

ooc:: As well as for mine; school has kept me SO BUSY! ;~;

Instinctively Kaiser braced himself for the attack, for he knew it couldn’t be avoided with Zack’s precise drive. However, seeing Angst being defeated without the slightest trace of laughter cause his mind to jumble and filled the shadow manipulator’s veins with a strange emptiness. He longed for Anna. He wanted her back in his arms, her breath calming his hatred and pain. Where had she gone? Why did I kill her? Why?

But the blow interrupted his thoughts, although it could only do so much; L.A.W. was ready for that. They knew Zack Wydler. They made Zack Wydler. His moves were so predictable they almost wanted to completely freeze Fake to see what damage Silent Night was capable of... he had come a long way. No one had gotten out before Zack... at least no one that could be broken again. Then came along Liev, though, who escaped through baffling odds, but he wouldn’t last much longer. He was like a stranded fish trying to fend off hungry vultures: pointless, pathetic, and meaningless.

“Eh, the younger Ehrlichmann kid is too tedious a child to invest in,” the head statistics director commented as he stared at the TV monitor, following each metahuman with his dull yet knowledgable eyes as the events unfolded. “Just have Fake knock his out and let Wydler take the main offense––get him a bit irritated. Then––” the director cut himself off when an amazingly brilliant, devious, and painfully heart-tearing plan formed in his head. “Wait!” two of L.A.W.’s control men paused, a bit taken aback; seldom did this man change his mind or correct himself, but they nodded in agreement after hearing what was about to proceed. “Pull Fake from the battle for now and let that Honest kid take the blow; hopefully Zack will be able to kill the kid. Then, proceed by keeping that robot and Cab man busy. Pull both their files, too. Send backup as well––Jump’s police are bound to show up any minute now. Let’s show our ‘highly missed’ project,” L.A.W.’s director smirked, “What an animal he’s become.”

The moment before Zack would have made impact upon Fake, the hound dispersed in a cloud of blackness.

Liev was so close to hitting his brother now, but the blood pouring from Kaiser’s mouth obstructed any clear view of where to strike. It was almost time. He was so close! Just a few millimeters. Yes, this was it. The final blow!

But suddenly, Fake was gone. Now there were only shadows. “No!” Honest screamed. “NO!” But his agonized cries were short-lived––the final blow... was his best friend’s now. Feeling Zack’s palm strike his abdomen, Liev’s eyes flew open in pain and shock. There was no logic available, no reason... yes, what an animal he’d become.