What Time is it? It's...Body Switching Time!

[Deleted]

Surprisingly, the troublemaking telepath had been released early from Belle Reve for good behavior. Upon his release the police handed him back his confiscated items and removed the anti-mindreading helmet. But, the time spent in prison shaped the telepath causing him to feel even more distant from the good guys than ever before. He felt strange putting his old clothes back on. He needed new threads and fast. He just didn’t feel like Reflecto anymore. He felt…different, alienated from his former superhero persona.

Once he got finished filling out the needed paperwork the guards escorted him out and the bright sun hit him fast and hard. He had been doing time in Belle Reve for a few months now and while prisoners were allowed out into the yard for at least an hour every day for exercise reasons the bright sun still managed to catch the released convict off guard. So, it was a damned good thing his dark sunglasses were returned to him. In a single quick hand movement he stuck his sunglasses on. Hands firmly placed inside his trenchcoat’s pockets he walked to the edge of the sidewalk and whistled for a taxi.

“Where to bud?” asked the driver pulling up to Reflecto.

A tired sigh escaped the telepath’s throat as he thought about it. He honestly had no idea where he wanted to go much less what his plans were now. He rubbed his forehead.

“I don’t care. Anywhere, but here will do,” he answered.

The taxi driver laughed. “Such a cliché, but I gotcha. I can make it work. Get in,” offered the driver unlocking the back door for the telepath.

Opening the door Reflecto hopped in with his small backpack of personals. “Thanks. I just need to get out of this town.”

The driver started to drive away. “Really? That is too bad. Jump City can be real nice, yes?”

Reflecto just looked dreamily out the window. “Psh, not to me it isn’t,” he huffed.

The driver gave a chuckle. “Perhaps, you are simply looking in the wrong direction. Have you ever considered that the reason you are unhappy is because you are constantly trying to be something you’re not,” the driver philosophically inquired.

Taken aback from the driver’s question Reflecto turned from the window and just stared at the back of the man’s head. “What did you say…? How did you…? Just who are you exactly?”

“Oh time’s up cause we’re already here. So, look around friend, we’re at the pinnacle point for new beginnings. Go out and enjoy and have fun,” replied the driver unlocking the back door for the telepath to climb out of.

Reflecto did what he was told and peered out his window and gasped at what he saw. “But no, this is the criminal underground where Jump City’s worst go to hang out and do evil. We…I should not be here,” protested the telepath, clearly worried and frightened.

The driver laughed. “You know buddy for a criminal you talk funny. Now go and forget the tab. Just driving you out here has been an experience for me,” the driver mused.

The driver’s words caught the telepath’s interest. “Wait, is someone expecting me here?” inquired the telepath, suspicious. Tired of all these mind games Reflecto attempted to read the driver’s mind, but before he could he found himself on the sidewalk, taxiless. Agitated, the telepath groaned. “How did this even happen?” he asked aloud to nobody in particular.

Looking himself over he realized he did kind of stick out with his hero outfit on and should someone recognize him… But new threads cost money which he needed some of. Looking around he wondered how he could make some quick cash. At last his yellow eyes landed upon an underground casino. Problem was only criminals and villains could get in and his hero costume would definitely not be welcomed. He needed a temporary disguise to get in and fast.

Spotting a couple of gang members walking by, Reflecto grabbed one and pulled him to the side building he was hiding behind and knocked him out. The telepath then quickly changed out of his hero uniform and into the gang member’s clothes; which consisted of a black hoodie, black pants, and a black knit hat. He kept his green shirt underneath the hoodie, his sunglasses, and his cape. He didn’t know why. He just really liked capes. However, he kept his lucky scarf off believing it would be a dead giveaway. He figured should someone ask about his neural disruptor he would just say it was an accessory. Hey, it would make sense considering all the weird stuff some of these gang members wore. ‘Seriously, did half of them get dressed in the dark?’ thought the telepath as he snuck back out.

Spotting the rest of the downed criminal’s gang, Reflecto followed them into the casino. His disguise apparently worked since the rather burly guards at the door didn’t even stop him. The telepath’s eyes widened at the sight of the casino. “Whoa, this place is amazing! How is this not legal?” he exclaimed to no one in particular, clearly excited.

His eyes then landed upon a table of guys playing Poker and believing he could win some serious cash due to his telepathy he ran over only to be stopped by the gang he had followed in. Fearing they saw past his disguise Reflecto took a step back, but his initial fears were all for naught when one of the gang spoke.

“Yo Jim, what do you think you are doing? You had us worried sick. We thought the cops got you or worse one of them Titans. Now come on over here, we’re playing Blackjack,” the gang member growled, grabbing the disguised telepath by the arm and pulling him over to their table.

Reflecto let out a sigh of relief when it was only too obvious that his disguise worked as he was sat down at the table. Apparently Jim was the name of the luckless gang member he was impersonating. “Yeah, okay,” he said with a sheepish smile.

One of the gang looked at him funny. “Jim, what happened to your voice? You sound…weird.”

“Uh nothin’… I just…cold,” lied Reflecto, faking a cough.

“Riiight,” said the gang member clearly not believing him nor really caring. “Yeah, and what is up with that cape and thing around your neck?”

“Uh, I um just like capes…” answered Reflecto though it came off sounding like a question.

“Really? Since when?”

“Since like five minutes ago.”

“Uh huh. Well, whatever dude, just take it off before someone thinks you’re a weirdo.”

“Oh come on you two! I thought we were playing Blackjack not chatting it up all day about fashion,” another gang member complained.

The telepath let out another sigh of relief once the subject changed.

“So like which one of you guys want to go first?” asked the dealer.

“I would,” offered Reflecto.

“You sure you’re up for this Jim after last time?” asked one of the gang.

“Psh, piece of cake guys! Trust me, it’s in the bag,” assured the disguised telepath.

“Well, alright then,” said the dealer, handing out the cards to Reflecto while keeping some for himself.

Reflecto just smiled knowingly to himself as he looked his cards over. ‘Let the games begin,’ he thought. Looking into the dealer’s eyes he began to read the weak minded man’s mind. The gang just gasped as Reflecto started winning. It took a few rounds, however, before the dealer began to get suspicious.

“I don’t know how you are doing this man, but there is no way you are winning on your own! You gotta be cheating or something…” growled the dealer.

Reflecto opened his mouth to speak. His heart racing as he feared the jig was up. But, something to the left of the dealer caught his attention. It was a beautiful sapphire and Reflecto felt certain it was worth quite a bit. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt entranced by it. “What…what is that?”

The dealer noticed what Reflecto was looking at and smirked. “Oh, well this here little gem is a sapphire and well that’s not even the best part. The best part is what it does. But, I am certain you would not be interested in learning more.”

Reflecto’s eyes widened and he lowered his sunglasses revealing his yellow feline eyes. “Are you kidding? I’d love to learn more of this…gem of yours,” he said, reading the dealer’s mind yet again. But, oddly enough he couldn’t find anything about the gem; which left the telepath grumbling in frustration. So, he telepathically spoke to the dealer demanding to know more of the gem.

This was a bad move because it drove the dealer mad. The dealer fell to his knees with both hands clamped over his ears. “Get out of my head!” he screamed.

By then the gang stared in shock. They were beginning to see past Reflecto’s disguise.

But, Reflecto ignored all of this and pressed the dealer. ‘But, where did you get the gem? And what does it do?’ he telepathically demanded. He now stood over the pathetic cowering man, yellow eyes now glowing.

Unable to take much more of Reflecto being in his head the dealer squealed, “The…the gem is dangerous man especially in the wrong hands. It has the power for the user to switch bodies with someone else. I don’t know where it came from just that I bought it from a buyer. Figured it would be a good thing to use as collateral here.”

The gang now began whispering excitedly amongst themselves about how Reflecto wasn’t really Jim. They then gasped upon hearing what the gem was used for and that went for everyone nearby that overheard the dealer’s admission.

And Reflecto knew the jig was up. His yellow eyes twitched at the dealer’s words. “That’s dangerous and very foolish! You can’t just have something this powerful here within this casino with all of these criminals roaming about. That’s just stupid. Just imagine the chaos it could cause if some crazed villain did ever win it,” the telepath hissed. Feeling he had all the information he needed he left the man’s head.

Now free the dealer let out a loud groan and looked weakly up at Reflecto. “You…you’re a…a telepath and not only that but…but a hero? You call me stupid and yet here you are parading about all by yourself,” the dealer pointed out.

Reflecto had to recognize that the dealer made a fair point. Still, he wasn’t out. Not by a long shot. “Who said I was here alone?” Reflecto challenged.

The dealer eyed him and pressed an alarm under his table alerting everyone in the casino that an unauthorized super was loose on the premises.

Hearing the ear splitting alarm the telepath knew it was now or never. Eying the gem Reflecto made his move. He sent a powerful psionic blast the dealer’s way causing the dealer to double over in pain. The telepath flipped over to the dealer’s side of the table and snatched up the gem.

While some of the criminals fled in a panic such as the gang who Reflecto had fooled previously, others challenged the telepath by blocking his exit. Reflecto firmly stood his ground sending mental attacks whenever a criminal got too close.

Unfortunately, there were just too many of them and one of the criminals managed to grab the telepath and held him in a headlock. The telepath gave a grunt as he struggled. As he got close to breaking free even more criminals closed in to help keep him still.

“Hey, I recognize this guy from the paper. He caused the police some trouble a little while ago at the park. Could be worth something,” mused one of Reflecto’s captors.

Reflecto glared at the big mouthed criminal and spat at him.

Unamused the criminal gave Reflecto a quick punch in the gut. “Now then where did he hide that gem?” he mused as he began to search Reflecto.

‘Let…me go!’ growled Reflecto telepathically, yellow eyes glowing like before.

“Ahhhh! He’s doing that weird eye thing again man! Let’s get out of here before…before he manipulates us,” screamed one of Reflecto’s captors before taking off. His friends, however, remained firmly rooted.

Apparently, the one that punched him wasn’t the least bit afraid. Instead he just laughed and said, “nice try! But you and this body switching gem must be worth something, so you’re not going anywhere.”



ooc: Figured now would be a good time for Derek to come barging in.

And here is the plotter for my thread in case you missed out on what this is about and want to read up on it: teen-titans-go-guild.proboards.com/thread/1257/zaap-body-switching-time?page=1&scrollTo=6388

[Emma]

BLACKWELL Derek CODENAME: Sinbad AFFILIATION: Villain TAGS: Everyone NOTES: 1584 words! Bring the chaos!

The penthouse was deathly quiet, bathed in a dense blanket of darkness. The sun had set hours ago, but no lights had been lit, no blinds drawn, no dinner set upon the stove. Most would assume the apartment was empty, but they would be wrong. Tucked away in a corner of the expansive living room was a well worn armchair. Sunken into it’s cushioned embrace was Derek. Still dressed in his work clothes, he had arrived home in the early afternoon. Having poured himself a large scotch on the rocks, the not so slightly unhinged maniac had taken to his perch, his steely eyes drinking in every detail of the city laid out before his feet. The only movements he made were occasionally glancing at his wristwatch to keep an eye on the time, or to sip at his drink every half hour or so. To most it would seem Derek was spacing out, staring creepily at the world below him simply because he had nothing else to do. But, again, they would be wrong. Even though the man was completely insane, he also possessed a dangerously sharp intellect. He soaked up knowledge like a sponge on steroids. So, even though his body was idle, his mind was most definitely not. All this time Derek had been carefully plotting out plan upon plan, weaving a complex web of intrigue and deception. He had dozens of pawns scattered throughout the city, all working to secure his aims, even though they themselves did not yet know they were all part of his grand design. Indeed, tonight was a busy night for him. Money was a powerful weapon, especially when combined with death threats and blackmail. As he took another sip from his scotch, an accountant who’s daughter Derek currently had locked up in the guest room was uploading a virus into the security system of a major bank downtown. By morning an old “acquaintance” of Derek’s in Switzerland would be several million dollars richer. They’d send the money onto another “friend” in Germany, who’d convert it into cash. This cash would then be sent to numerous other interested parties, from hitmen to American Senators. All of whom would play their part in Derek’s plan, or face his wrath for daring to disobey him. But, whilst this was the major play of the night, Derek had several other goals. A man known as Reflecto had been released from prison today. A small amount of research had revealed that he was a little confused as to which side of the law he wanted to be upon. Naturally Derek saw this as an excellent opportunity to start sowing the seeds of discontent. Reflecto’s former Teen Titan pals would no doubt hope his time in jail had been a wake up call for him, convincing him to return to the side of good. Derek was going to make sure this didn’t happen. Reflecto seemed like the perfect lackey. Easily manipulated, already ostracized from his old friends. It’d be like taking candy from a baby. Derek had paid off a cab driver to pick up Reflecto from the prison, and then drop the lost little hero off at the villainous heart of town. The first of many subtle hints from Derek the Universe that he should embrace the darker side of his nature. Derek was going to be there tonight anyway, so he might as well kill two birds with one stone. During his studies, several items of interest had stood out, one of which was the Gem of Ozarin. Apparently it had the power to transfer the personality of one person with another. Effectively, it was a body switcher. Of course this sparked all sorts of nefarious ideas within the twisted depths of Derek’s mind. What better way to mess with the Teen Titans than to literally turn the team inside out? Or, better yet, switch them with a bunch of villains and watch the chaos unfold. They’d be so distracted with their own drama, they wouldn’t notice all the back room evil going on right under their noses. Apparently the Gem had found it’s way into the hands of a dealer in a casino in the dodgy part of town… the same part of town Reflecto had just been ditched at. It was like big bag of fun for Derek. A new toy and a new pawn in one big tasty pie. Downing the remains of his drink, Derek finally started to move. Grabbing his trademark red coat on the way out, slipping his handguns into his belt in the process, Derek kicked the door closed and headed to the garage. As he sped across town, the number of people he’d infected returned to zero, leaving a cold space in his chest which the warmth of sin normally filled. Putting the car in park, Derek watched like a ninja as Reflecto stepped out of the taxi. To his surprise the guy then proceeded to mug a gang member, then enter the very casino that held the Gem of Ozarin. Not one to decapitate a gift horse and wear it’s mane as a wig, Derek let his power flow in a wave before him, infecting everyone it touched as he strode confidently up to the casino door. Within moments he had over a dozen sinners under his sway, so he quickly forced them all to feel the effects of Pride, in turn granting Derek good luck. The doorman took one look at Derek’s imposing glare, and saw him for the super villain he was. Wordlessly he stepped to the side to allow Derek entry. His cold dead eyes skimmed over the casino floor, and soon fell upon the caped Reflecto. The guy kept on surprising him, for in his hands was the Gem of Ozarin. Seriously, the universe had to be routing for Derek, this was almost too easy! Like a panther on the prowl, Derek weaved through the throng of humans, infecting everyone he passed with Lust to give him a small degree of hypnosis. By the time he reached Reflecto a fist fight brought on by an overabundance of Pride had flowed in through the door, and several couples were getting overly intimate on the poker tables. "You and I need to talk." Derek said simply, hypnotic charm thickly coating his words. A normal human would nod their head and trail after Derek like he was their own personal savior. But, as Reflecto was a telepath, Derek would be lucky if he was affected at all. Instead, the psychopath was relying on his increased good luck to ensure Reflecto agreed to talk. Taking the man by the arm, Derek pulled him out of the way of a brawling pair of walking tattoos. Firmly he steered Reflecto over to the bar and, with a wave of his fingers, ordered them both a drink. Here on the bar stools they were safely out of the reach the chaos breaking out in the casino around them. Should anyone steer too close and interrupt them, a stern glare and quick hypnotic word from Derek would see them on their way again. "You know there’s no chance of you returning to the side of good, right? You’ve done terrible things, been to jail, and now that you’re out, the first place you go is the crime district and end up in the middle of this. You’ll probably be back in the joint by morning. But then again, maybe not." He drawled, giving a small wave at the crazy scene of violence and sexual fever around them that would no doubt be in the headlines tomorrow, his eyes turning to bore into Reflecto’s with his final words. "I can make sure that no evidence remains placing you here tonight, and that similar events such as this do not occur to you in the future. But in return I expect you to work for me." Derek was all business now, his voice cold and unforgiving. Reflecto either complied, or Derek would make his life a living hell. The stern with a hint of bloodlust glare in his eyes letting Reflecto know the consequences of turning Derek down. So far Derek had not infected Reflecto. But, should the fool refuse Derek’s offer, he’d let his power envelop him, just so he knew exactly what Derek could do. He’d keep the additional powers he gained for himself as side effects of infecting people a secret, just in case the idiot decided to blab about his future boss to the Teen Titans.

CREDS TO EMMA

[Deleted]

Reflecto continued to struggle against his captors. That is until a fight broke out between them for no apparent reason. Confused, Reflecto just stared at them as they just started punching each other. “What the…?” the telepath mused aloud. But, he was free and that was really all that mattered.

Now freed from their grip, the telepath turned to run only to be stopped short by an unknown voice requesting a private audience with him. He whirled around to find the source of the curiously mesmerizing voice only to see nothing more than a man, a man dripping with confidence. Still Reflecto just wanted to get the hell out of dodge and was most annoyed that he kept getting stopped.

“Talk? Are you mental? I’m a super attempting to mingle with all the criminals you see here in this very casino. What do you think? Now if you’ll kindly excuse me I seriously have to get going here and…and…” Reflecto stopped there and looked back at the guy into his steely cold eyes. There was definitely something about this man that he both hated and liked. He was definitely different from the other criminals there; even the telepath could see that.

Before he could say another word the other man grabbed him by the arm and led him away from the brawl of the lesser criminals. A few moments later he found himself at the bar where he promptly sat down next to the strange villain that seemed to know of him. He didn’t like this. But, something had caused him to more or less allow himself to be dragged here.

The telepath found himself studying this…this unknown villain. He found it almost strange that he didn’t know of this guy when he knew of most of Jump’s villains. Just where has this guy been anyway or was he new…?

Not wanting to alert any suspicion, the telepath faked a smile and took a sip of his drink that had been ordered for him. He just had to be careful not to drink too much. “I really shouldn’t be drinking this…” he mused even though he had already taken several sips. Seriously, was this guy a mind reader too? How did he know this happened to be his favorite drink? Suspicious, he looked at the other man again. Just who is this guy? He had to know. He had to ask.

But before he could the other man spoke, lecturing him; which he really hated. He glared at the man. “That is no business of yours,” he hissed warning him not to press the issue further. “Besides, my coming here was not my idea. My crazy taxi driver…” protested Reflecto only to stop short when a thought hit him. He looked the villain straight in the eye knowingly. “Hey, wait a minute! You and my cab driver speak the same language. I’d call that a coincidence if I didn’t smell a rat. Just what’s going on here anyway and don’t you con me. I’ll know if you are lying because I can hear your thoughts and I’ve been pretty polite up to now by not reading them. But, if you’re not straight with me I might have to. You dig?” the telepath warned.

Noticing the man waving his hands, Reflecto curiously looked behind them where he saw the chaos ensue all around them. It was far too difficult to ignore, but the telepath tried to.

A fly happened to buzz noisily over their heads agitating the telepath further. At last the fly landed on the table and rather than swat it, the telepath took his frustration out on the tiny insect by killing it with one of his mental blasts. Casually, Reflecto brushed it off the bar table. “Sorry, I just really hate flies. You were saying,” he said in his best innocent sounding voice.

On cue the man continued and Reflecto thought that for a villain this guy sure did talk a lot. Perhaps the man was merely in love with his own voice. If that were the case it would make sense to the telepath since the man admittedly had a very nice voice. If he were gay he probably would have fallen for this man’s voice alone. But, Reflecto did his best to conceal such disreputable thoughts in case this man was a fellow mind reader.

The man went on to pretty much demand that he work for him. The telepath frowned at that. Nervously, he took another sip of his drink until none of the light brown liquid remained. Now frowning at his empty glass he just pushed it to the side. Before he spoke he let out a tired sigh and rubbed the side of his head. He could tell this villain was threatening him just as Slade had done. But then he noticed the evil eye the villain had been giving him and he swallowed hard. He felt his heart drop, his throat go dry, and his feline ears flattened to the sides in fear. Still, he tried to resist. He had to. He didn’t want to make the same mistake that he made with Slade all over again.

So in his attempt to resist Reflecto firmly shook his head. “Sorry dude, gonna have to pass you on your most generous offer. Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but you can’t just come in here like you own the place and…and say all of these things when you know nothing about me, make veiled threats and expect me to work for you. Sorry not gonna happen. In case you haven’t noticed I really am trying to go straight. But, you are right about one thing. The Titans probably won’t let me back on their team after all the stupid mistakes I made, but I can still be an independent hero. I really do want to do good and…and I think I better just go now…” he said quietly, pressing the gem further into his jeans pocket. The telepath had no idea that the other man already knew he had the gem since he had yet to read the villain’s mind.

Reflecto jumped from the bar stool and made a bee line for the exit only to be stopped by a pair of burly brawlers. “Let me go!” the telepath growled as he squirmed against their tight grasp.

The two dragged a struggling Reflecto back to Derek. “This belong to you?” mused one of them earning a glare from Reflecto.

[Emma]

BLACKWELL Derek CODENAME: Sinbad AFFILIATION: Villain TAGS: Everyone NOTES: 982 words! Yay threats!

Intense doesn’t quite describe how piercing Derek’s gaze was when Reflecto decided to “warn” him. The man was so good at glaring that it was a wonder he didn’t have heat vision as one of his many powers. As it was, Derek contented himself to let his soulless eyes bore into Reflecto’s core. It’s amazing how effective doing nothing at all could be. Simply by remaining still, unfazed, unblinking, his burning glare could undermine all pretenses of confidence, and leave the victim uncertain. It was an old trick many dangerous men before Derek had used, but none had looked as sexy as him doing it. Not wanting to let on how bad he was just yet, Derek let his glare linger for only a moment. Just enough to enforce how pathetic he found Reflecto’s bravado to be. He cut it short, blinking lazily like a cat does when it knows it’s won the foolish staring contest it’s owner decided to attempt with it. Instead he polished off his drink, keeping tabs on Reflecto out of the corner of his eye whilst the kid turned to note all the chaos erupting in the Casino. As Derek was placing his glass back on the bar, the capped crusader decided to thrust out his chest and parade like a peacock once more, zapping a fly to death with a mind blast, then brushing it away like he was the coolest thing to happen since the invention of the wheel. The urge to simply kill this child, take the Gem of Ozarin, and proceed with his plans with the other minions at his disposal was incredibly high. But, luckily for Reflecto, Derek was in a patient mood. So he settled for simply narrowing his eyes slightly, letting the kid know he was walking a dangerous line, before going on and explaining he could make sure Reflecto didn’t go back to jail, in return for working for him. Finally, the boy seemed to notice that acting macho wasn’t going to work, his feline ears flattening back against his scalp under Derek’s gaze. Silently the psychopath listened to the blathered excuses, the false assumptions, and the knocking of the kid’s knees together in terror. He didn’t even bat an eyelid when Reflecto bolted for the door. Instead his steely eyes slid to a pair walking muscles that dared to call themselves human. 3 slight quirks of his index finger was all it took. 1st he pointed at the pair to gain their attention. 2nd he moved his finger slightly to the left to point at the fleeing Reflecto. And 3rd, he flipped his hand over and made a beckoning motion with that same finger. It took only a moment, but the message was clear “bring that kid to me.”. All the time they had been talking at this bar, Derek had been letting his powers flow out in waves. Now his area of influence had extended from this small casino, to encapsulate everyone in the entire block. With the exception of Reflecto. As silent as the grave, Derek once more contented himself to simply watch as the pair brought the struggling Reflecto back to him. He didn’t deem the pair worthy of the honor of hearing his voice, so he ignored their question and pointed his trusty finger at the chair Reflecto had vacated less than a minute before. Again, the message was clear, and the duo roughly shoved the kid back onto the stool, keeping a firm grasp on his arms to make sure he didn’t run again. “Maybe I wasn’t clear before,” He started after a pause, he words innocent enough, but his tone dripping with dark undertones. “Either you’re back in jail by morning, and dead by the end of the week thanks to an inmate with a rather pointy spoon… or you work for me.” He continued, his face cold and unfeeling, his eyes narrowed and burning with malice to lend truth to his words. “Running away and becoming a hero was not an option.” He hissed, brow lowering to give a clear indication of just how dangerous a beast lurked within. “You are nothing more than a lowly insect beneath my boot. I own this city, I own you. Either you do everything I say, exactly as I say it. Or I’ll break every bone in your body, drop you out in the desert, and see how long it takes for your pathetic ass to starve to death.” Derek all but spat, intentionally letting his façade of relative sanity drop to let Reflecto see the psychopath within. Sitting back on his stool, Derek took a moment to run his hands down his vest, smoothing the wrinkles that had formed in his outburst. Composing his face back into the stern emotionless mask it usually bore, he laced his fingers together, put on a pleasant smile, and spoke once more. “So, are you going to work for me?”

CREDS TO EMMA

[Deleted]

Reflecto gulped nervously as his large, burly captors forced him back into his chair and even then the telepath continued to squirm. He felt himself sweat as Derek went on, continuing with his threats. A soft whimper escaped his throat as Derek went on t say that running off to become a hero again was not an option. 'Just who did this guy think he was telling me what I can and can't do...?' thought Reflecto though the telepath sensed he would soon get his answer. At Derek's threat the frightened telepath felt himself sinking ever deeper into his bar stool.

As scared as he was he opened his mouth to speak. "But...but if I am as insignificant as you say then...then why even bother with me? Why do you need me? What could you possibly want..." he stopped short before closing his eyes to listen to his captor's thoughts and then realization dawned on him. This psycho knew he had the gem and wanted it. His heart skipped a beat and his feline ears lowered once more.

Then Derek demanded he work for him once more. Man, this guy did not know when to quit. On the one hand he did not want this man getting his hands on something as powerful as this gem, but on the other he did not want to die. He could feel the power within this man and he wasn't playing around either. He let out a sigh as he wondered what to do. "You...you know of the Gem of Ozarin and...and you want me to give it to you." It wasn't a question. He simply stated it as a fact. He glared at his captor just wishing he could wipe the smirk clean off his face. "You want to use it on the Titans and cause chaos throughout the city, don't you?" he asked knowingly with a sigh of defeat. Feeling trapped with no way out he nodded. "How long must I work for you...? Will you let me go afterwards?" the telepath managed to choke out looking hopeful.

[Emma]

BLACKWELL Derek CODENAME: Sinbad AFFILIATION: Villain TAGS: Everyone NOTES: 784 words! So much talking haha. Wanted to wrap this intro part up so the fun can get started ^.^

Derek’s smile twisted minutely upwards, just enough to turn it into a wicked smirk of triumph. He knew all about the boy's special abilities, so it came as no surprise to hear him reveal the basic nuts and bolts of Derek's plans. He had seen inside the mind of the devil, and beheld his fate. In answer to his question for freedom, our friendly neighbourhood psychopath merely let his smirk become that much more unsettling.  Derek was a collector, a schemer, and was aiming for world domination one day. As if he'd let one of his pawns go. He was a God among men. These lesser creatures existed to please and to serve him. Once he had no more use for them, their final task would be to die an excruciating death for Derek's enjoyment. No, he would not let this boy go... But he would let him hold out hope, simply so he could witness the despair wash over the fool's face when that hope was annihilated.  Pushing aside the small hint of disappointment that lingered in his gut at Reflecto not going deep enough into his mind to realise just how insanely terrifying Derek truly was, and run screaming from the bar as a result, Derek took a sip of his recently refilled drink, curtesy of a fearful barkeep.  “Since you already took the liberty of peaking at my plans, you know what my first instruction for you will be.” Derek droned, placing his glass back on the counter. The smirk was gone from his face now, replaced with his usual emotionless facade. His tone was matter of fact, except for the little sneer that lingered on "liberty". Now that Reflecto had accepted his fate, Derek had no tolerance for outbursts of denial. Such instances would be taken care of... painfully. “But, as you aren't screaming and fleeing for your worthless little life, i assume you just brushed the surface of my mind without delving into the depths. Allow me to explain the finer points of my festivities.” He continued ominously. "In a moment we'll take our leave of this place. From that point on you will assume my role as the one in charge.” Derek's eyes returned to Reflecto's at this point, his murderous intent plain to see as a warning. “I will be accompanying you to the Teen Titans Tower island as your... body guard. Make no mistake, if you so much as think of revealing my true identity, of running away, or of warning the Titans, i will rip your spine from your body before you so much as utter a syllable. It suits my interest to remain a simple lackey in the eyes of the Teen Titans... for now.” Derek explained, his vice dripping in potential violence should Reflecto turn on him.  “I have set plans in motion before coming here tonight. We should have some company by the time we arrive at the Tower. Fellow... comrades, who will enjoy the opportunity you and the Gem are offering them to mess with the Titans.” He concluded abruptly. Draining his drink once more, Derek took to his feet. A small nod of dismissal saw Reflecto released from his human bondage. Before heading to the door, he paused to mention one last thing to his newest slave in crime. “Take note of the chaos both within this club, and on the streets outside. This is but the tiniest fraction of my power. Indeed, it is really only a side effect of it. And if my side effects are this powerful, imagine how strong i must be... then reconsider any escape attempts you may be plotting.” Derek purred, eyes flashing with menance at odds with the slight smirk upon his lips.

CREDS TO EMMA

[Deleted]

But all he got in response to his query concerning his freedom from Derek was arguably the creepiest smile he had ever seen. It was very unsettling, that smile and it was more than enough to send his prisoner on edge. The telepath's throat went dry, his heart skipped a beat and his feline ears dropped to the side. His captor need not say anything for he had been around in the world of criminals long enough to know only too well what that look meant. It was a scare tactic often used by boss criminals to keep their subordinates in line. Psyman lowered his head in defeat as his captor spoke again. His words left a cold chill down the telepath's spine. He had been caught. Derek knew he hadn't dug beyond his surface thoughts. Then Derek went on to explain his intentions or at least some of them though the telepath suspected there was more to it than simply using the Gem of Ozarin to cause chaos to Titans Tower.

When Derek pretty much transferred leadership to him, Psyman slowly rose his head and looked at him to see if he was being serious or not and sure enough his murderous eyes said it all. The telepath blinked and his mouth just hung open with shock. 'Why would he...?" "I was right before, wasn't I? You are crazy! This whole plan of yours is just insane, that's what it is!"

Then the mad man went on to explain that he needed to appear as a mere lackey for the moment hence why he needed him so much. The telepath couldn't help smirking at that. "Ah, so you need me," he sneered.

After explaining that they will soon be accompanied by others also interested in messing with the Titans, the psychopath finished up his drink and gestured for the two burly men to release him, Psyman landed on the cold floor with an oomph. Psyman sent a glare at the norms. "Hey watch it! You didn't have to throw me! I'm not a rag doll you know..." the telepath growled. "Yes we did," the norms nonchalantly answered. Psyman stood, dusted himself off and turned at the two norms. "Consider yourselves lucky that I'm not going to snap your minds." No doubt Derek had been less than amused by the telepath's snide remark about needing him and had asked the two men to toss him down.

Then Derek went on to give him a final warning that really sent him on edge. Nervously he swallowed. A nervous laugh escaped his throat. "Me betray you and escape? Why, the very idea of it is preposterous really! Come on, give me more credit than that," he responded nervously. "But um, since we will be working together on this little scheme of yours, what should I call you? Shall I call you by your first name or last name or maybe you'd prefer it if I just referred to you by your alias? After all I've been in your mind long enough to know all three," he slyly asked purposely not revealing any of them in the presence of the two norms just in case.

He really hated this. The idea of being forced to help this powerful villain out made him sick to his stomach. But since he currently saw no way out of it he figured he might as well make it look good. If he was seriously going to do this thing for self-preservation reasons then he was going to up his acting. After all just because he wasn't a real crime boss, didn't mean he didn't know how to act like one. He just hoped that Derek could remember that he is merely acting because last thing he wanted was to make this guy mad. Unfortunately though, the telepath had recently developed the bad habit of becoming delusioned by his own lies and acting often to the point of almost believing them himself. Almost.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught the two norms walking away. "You there!" he called pointing an accusing finger at them. "Just where do you think you are going?" Psyman hissed.

"Uh, well our job is done here, so we were just going to go home now," answered one, scratching the back of his neck.

Psyman smirked. "I don't think so."

"Why? What do you mean?" the other asked.

"Didn't you hear what...he just said?" Psyman asked, pointing at Derek.

"Uhhh..."

Psyman groaned. Why was the help here so incompetent? "I'm in charge...for now and I say you two shall accompany us for the festivities. I want an audience, a civilian one and that is where you two come in..."

The norms just looked from Derek to Psyman and back to Derek again. "Um, okay."

Psyman grinned a triumphant smile. "Oh good so you will come," he said in a singsong voice.

He then looked imploringly at Derek. "I suppose we should go now, yes?"

What they didn't yet know was Psyman's reasons for wanting the norms to tag along although Derek could probably guess. Psyman had a feeling that they both knew who was really in charge and even now that the leadership had been switched meaning they could vouch for him in court when asked under oath of who was really in charge of the operation. And to make certain they will vouch for him when this was all over, the telepath took this opportunity to enter their minds to remind them what will happen if they didn't. 'Look you two the real reason I want you to come with us is because I need witnesses who know the truth. When this is all over you gotta tell them that Derek Blackwell was behind this and not me. That it was his idea to cause chaos and mayhem and not mine. That is in case this whole thing goes bad, but hopefully for your sakes and...mine it won't,' the telepath telepathically informed the two burly men. He prayed Derek didn't notice and that the norms would be smart enough to keep their big traps shut. But knowing of the telepath's luck such would be unlikely.