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The Titan 8
🕑 Added 2024-10-24 21:09:06 +0000 UTCChapter 8:
"You left this man to die!"
I stood in the street across from Superman as he scowled at me. Firefly lay at his feet, groaning in pain. His legs and a few ribs were clearly broken, but aside from bruises and some light burns, he wasn’t in immediate danger. Superman crossed his arms, his eyes locked on mine, waiting for my response.
Behind me, the emergency first responders and the people I’d just saved from the fire stood nearby, their faces tense as they glanced between Superman and me. I could hear murmurs, people whispering, trying to figure out what was happening.
I sighed, feeling the tension building. "I had more important people to save than some pyromaniac murderer," I finally said, my voice steady, though I wasn’t entirely sure how true that was. "I was going to go back for him if I had time." As the words left my mouth, I remembered the bodies I’d seen with my x-ray vision while searching through the burning neighborhood.
"Fuck you, asshole," Firefly grumbled from the ground, barely able to lift his head. I didn’t bother looking at him.
Superman’s expression didn’t soften. "That's not good enough," he said. "If you're going to be a member of the Justice League, then you need to save every life, no matter the circumstances!"
I crossed my arms, matching his stance. "Who decided that?" I shot back. "I agree the Justice League shouldn't kill," I paused, knowing I didn’t fully believe that. There were some monsters that needed to be put down, but the public would never accept that. They couldn't put their trust in heroes who were merciless killers. "But nowhere in the Justice League charter does it say who we have to save. If I only want to save innocent people, that’s my choice."
Superman’s frown deepened as he clenched his fists tightly.
"I found the real victims. Firefly started that fire," I continued, my voice rising slightly as I gestured to the wreckage behind me. "It would’ve been his own fault if he died in it."
Suddenly, a slow clap came from the crowd of civilians nearby. A few more joined in, and before I knew it, there was a smattering of applause.
"He's right!" one man shouted.
"Yeah, screw Firefly!" someone else yelled.
"You should’ve let him die! My neighbors are dead because of him! They were good people!"
Superman’s face tightened as he heard the crowd supporting me. I could see that he wasn’t used to this—people cheering for the idea of letting someone like Firefly die.
"Being a hero means making hard choices," I added quietly, stepping closer. "I made mine. You can judge me for it, but I saved more lives today than I would’ve if I wasted time on him."
Superman looked down at Firefly, then back at me. His jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. The disappointment in his eyes said enough.
I held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned my back on him, heading toward the paramedics. The cheers and claps followed me as I walked away, leaving Superman standing in the street with the villain he saved.
I had more important things to take care of, like putting out the fire before it spread to more of Star City. Superman didn’t even stick around to help with that; he just grabbed Firefly and flew off without a word. So, I hovered above the burning buildings and used my frost breath to put out the flames as fast as I could. The freezing air swept over the area, turning orange and red infernos into billowing clouds of steam.
I was almost finished when I sensed someone speeding toward me from below. A red blur zipped across the ground before stopping in front of me. It was the Flash. He waved as I descended toward him.
“Hey there, Titus—I mean Titan,” Flash greeted with a smile. “Nice costume, by the way.”
“Thanks, Flash," I replied, landing next to him. "What took you so long?”
Flash crossed his arms and grimaced. “Captain Cold. He’s always a pain. The ice from his gun’s been modified to be almost completely frictionless. It makes it really hard for a speedster to fight him.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Captain Cold? What was he doing all the way in Star City?” He was typically known to be a Central City villain.
“Probably trying to get away from me,” he said with a smirk.
I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “He should know by now that’s impossible.”
“Right?” Flash grinned. “At this point, it only takes me a couple of seconds to travel anywhere in America. Though, I usually stick to Central City.”
With that, we got to work together putting out the remaining fires. Flash had a clever strategy—he ran around the burning buildings at super speed, sucking away all the oxygen and snuffing out the flames. It was way more efficient than covering everything in ice, and it caused a lot less property damage. I made a mental note to try to mimic his technique next time.
Once we finished, Flash stood next to me, brushing some soot off his suit. “So, what happened here?”
I explained how Firefly had been burning everything in sight when I arrived, and how I’d had to rush to save around twenty people. I also mentioned that I’d disabled Firefly but left him to his fate while I focused on the civilians. I was half-expecting Flash to give me the same judgmental look Superman had earlier, but instead, he let out a long sigh.
“In the hero business, sometimes you’ve gotta make tough choices,” Flash said, his tone more serious than usual. “Even I, as the fastest man alive, have been in situations where I had to decide who to save. You should always choose the innocent people over the villains. Don’t worry, Titan—I’ll vouch for you with the rest of the Justice League if Superman makes a big deal out of this.”
I felt some relief but still had one more concern. “What about Batman? Do you think he’ll be pissed off?”
Flash burst into laughter, shaking his head. “Pfft, do you know how many times Batman’s left the Joker to die? As far as I know, Bats has never killed anyone, but I’ve also heard he hasn’t exactly gone out of his way to save a few villains from accidentally killing themselves.”
Hearing that made me feel a whole lot better. If Batman could get away with leaving a villain like the Joker to his fate, maybe I wasn’t as out of line as Superman had made me feel.
Flash gave me a reassuring nod. "Don’t sweat it. We’re heroes, but we’re also human. Well... mostly. Eh, you know what I mean. We just do the best we can."
I smiled, feeling a bit lighter. "Thanks, Flash. I appreciate it."
“Anytime, Titan.” He waved and, disappeared back into a red blur, leaving me standing there alone. That was kind of rude, leaving without saying goodbye, but I figured he was already speeding off to go and save someone else.
– Superman –
Superman personally flew Firefly all the way back to Gotham, dropping him off at Arkham Asylum. He gave the warden and guards a stern lecture, making it clear that under no circumstances should the villain escape a second time. Once that was done, he shot back into the sky, heading towards Metropolis, his mind clouded with frustration.
By the time he landed on the balcony of his apartment, he was tired, but not from the flight. He quickly changed out of his costume and into regular clothes, blending into the life of Clark Kent. As he stepped into the apartment, he heard the faint clatter of dishes in the kitchen. A small smile tugged at his lips.
“Whatever you’re cooking smells great,” Clark called out, walking in with a slight smirk.
Lois jumped a little and turned around, playfully swatting at him. “Quit sneaking up on me, Clark!”
Clark chuckled softly as she added, “I’m trying a new chicken recipe your mom sent me. Hope you like it.”
He leaned against the counter, that familiar warmth filling his chest at the mention of his mother. “Mom’s recipes never fail,” he said with a smile, but his expression faltered, thoughts of family creeping into his mind.
Lois noticed immediately. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
Clark’s smile vanished. “It’s that damn lab rat,” he muttered bitterly.
Lois frowned, crossing her arms. “Clark, we’ve been through this. You can’t call Titus that. Even if you don’t want to be a father to the boy, which is your right, he’s still his own person—not just some lab experiment.”
Clark grimaced, his jaw tightening. When he had first told Lois about Titus, he’d expected her to be furious—learning that he had a child with Wonder Woman, even if neither of them had ever actually been together. But instead, Lois had taken it in stride, even remarking that it was surprising it had taken villains this long to clone the strongest heroes. She had no ill will towards Wonder Woman or Titus, and that baffled Clark.
Lois didn’t understand. She wasn’t an alien who had to grow up hiding her true nature from the world, constantly fearing that one slip-up could lead to being captured and experimented on. That was Clark’s life. He had avoided that fate, but Cadmus hadn’t needed him in the end—they’d stolen his DNA and used it to create Titus. That made him feel absolutely violated. If Batman hadn’t assured him that the lab and all the data were being destroyed, Clark might have leveled the entire facility himself, scorching it to ash with his heat vision just to make sure.
“What happened to make you so upset?” Lois asked, gently pulling him back from his thoughts.
Clark sighed, his hands clenching into fists. “Titus left a villain to die,” he said through gritted teeth. “He prioritized saving others instead of the life that was right in front of him.”
Lois stared at him, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Clark, do you even hear yourself? You’re angry at him for saving people? That’s what heroes do.”
“It’s not that simple, Lois,” he said plainly.
Lois shook her head. “Your hatred for Titus… it’s starting to get strange. Maybe you should talk to someone about this. Batman, maybe? Or even Black Canary—she’s a licensed therapist.”
Clark scoffed, standing up abruptly from the kitchen chair. The sudden movement startled Lois. “I don’t need to talk to anyone,” he snapped at her!
“Clark—” she started, but he cut her off.
“You just don't get it! I thought you would be on my side,” he muttered, turning his back to her.
Lois called after him, but he ignored her, heading straight for the door. He needed to get out, needed space. Without another word, he left the apartment, her voice still calling his name as he closed the door behind him.
He shot into the sky, and he flew over Metropolis. He decided to patrol the city for the rest of the night. His phone buzzed in his pocket as Lois tried to reach him but he ignored her. Clearly she needed time to cool off so that she could start seeing things from his perspective!
– Titus –
With all the fires put out and the last of the victims sent off to the hospital, I decided it was time to head back to the Watchtower. I reached up to my ear, expecting to find my communicator, but instead... nothing. A wave of embarrassment hit me as I realized I’d left the Watchtower so fast, I hadn’t even grabbed it. No wonder Diana or J’onn hadn’t tried contacting me. I had two options, fly all the way to space or head back to D.C. and use the Hall of Justice teleporter.
I opted for the latter. The Watchtower was still a secret from the general public, and the last thing I wanted was to be the guy who exposed it to the world by flying up there for all to see.
As I flew across the country, I suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the sky—Supergirl. She spotted me, too, and flew over with a bright smile. I could hear her heartbeat speed up a bit as she got closer, and her cheeks were tinged with pink. My mother’s words about Kara possibly having a crush on me came to mind. I couldn’t help but grin to myself.
"Hey there, Titus. I like your new costume," Kara said.
"Thanks," I replied with a grin. "It’s nice not having to worry about my clothes getting destroyed on missions anymore."
"That’s a shame..." she mumbled before quickly realizing what she said. Her face turned even redder. "I–I mean, that’s good! It’s... good."
I chuckled softly, giving her a knowing look. "I know what you meant."
She fidgeted slightly, brushing a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "What are you doing up here, anyway?"
"I forgot my communicator," I admitted, still feeling a little embarrassed. "I was heading to D.C. to teleport back to the Watchtower."
Kara tilted her head, curiosity clear in her pretty blue eyes. "Why? What happened?"
I filled her in on the events of earlier—how Firefly had been setting everything ablaze, how I had to save a bunch of people, and how Superman was... less than pleased with my decision to prioritize the civilians over the villain. When I mentioned Clark’s disappointment, Kara’s expression darkened into a scowl.
"That’s ridiculous," she said. Before I could respond, she flew closer and wrapped me in a surprise hug. "The Flash was right—you did the right thing. Next time I see Clark, I’m giving him a smack for your sake!"
I laughed, a bit surprised by her reaction. "That’s not necessary, Kara. But... thanks. I appreciate the support."
She pulled back, offering me a reassuring smile. "You can use my communicator if you want," she said, before hesitating for a moment. "Or... maybe we could go out on patrol together?"
I paused, remembering what Diana had mentioned about spending more time with other people. I didn’t really need to get back to the Watchtower right away.
"Okay," I said with a smile. "Let’s go on patrol together."
– Kara –
Kara flew through the skies alongside Titus, the cool wind rushing past them as they glided effortlessly above the landscape. They didn’t have a particular destination in mind, just patrolling for any emergencies they could help with. Still, Kara’s thoughts were in turmoil, especially after the embarrassing comment she’d made just a few minutes ago.
She had said it was a shame Titus’s new costume wouldn’t get destroyed anymore, and she couldn’t believe those words had actually left her mouth.
‘What was I thinking?’ Her cheeks warmed at the memory, and she shook her head rapidly, trying to clear the thoughts that were forming in her mind. ‘It wasn’t my fault he has such a... well, sexy body!’
She glanced over at him as they flew. His powerful frame moved effortlessly through the air, and Kara couldn’t help but remember the time he had been practically naked in front of her—back in that volcano.
‘He was the one who stripped down, not me! It’s not like I could have ignored that... right?’ She bit her lip, trying to suppress the memory, but it clung to the edges of her mind. He was practically asking to be checked out!
Kara quickly shook her head again, feeling her face heat up even more. ‘Ugh, stop it!’ she scolded herself. She was sure Titus could hear her heartbeat speeding up whenever they were together, anyway. He had super hearing, just like her. He had to know what that meant—right?
Then again... maybe he didn’t. Titus was smart, sure, but she wondered if he was as clueless about these things as most boys tended to be. ‘Boys are so hard to figure out,’ Kara thought with a slight frown. ‘Why am I even so attracted to him in the first place?’ She tried to dissect it rationally.
Was it just the fact that he was technically the only other Kryptonian male she could be with, considering he wasn’t her direct cousin? Although, Kryptonian society had never been bothered by such concepts, anyway. Their DNA was so advanced that incest didn’t carry the same risks it did for humans. Honestly, she had half-expected to end up with Kal-El when she first landed on Earth. But, of course, he had been raised on human values, and by the time she arrived, he only saw her as a little sister.
Kara had been quietly dreading the possibility that their race might be doomed. There weren’t many options for rebuilding Krypton, but then... Titus appeared. He was a miracle. Half-Kryptonian, half-amazonian, and somehow, that combination made him perfect in more ways than one. But it wasn’t just that Titus was Kryptonian, and Kara knew that. There was more to him than his bloodlines. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized he was a genuinely good guy. Kind, strong, and a bit clueless at times… but in a cute way.
Kara’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a loud crash below them. Both she and Titus instinctively looked down, spotting a massive pile-up on the I-95 highway. Cars were smashed together, some flipped over, smoke rising from a few of the vehicles. Without hesitation, they zipped down to the scene, landing amidst the wreckage.
Kara immediately began pulling people from the crumpled cars, her heart racing as she scanned the area with her x-ray vision. This crash was bad—she could already tell that there might be fatalities. She could hear the faint sirens of rescue vehicles approaching from a few miles away, but they wouldn’t be fast enough.
A woman in a nearby car caught Kara’s attention. She was pinned inside, the twisted metal crushing her arm. Kara winced, knowing the woman would likely lose the limb. With her x-ray vision, she could see the extent of the damage—it wasn’t good. The woman was conscious, though barely, and her desperate eyes pleaded for help.
Titus landed beside her after pulling a pair of kids out of a flipped minivan. He glanced at the woman’s situation and frowned. "That looks bad."
The woman whimpered, her voice shaky. “Please, get me out of here.”
Titus spoke calmly. "We’re going to help you. Just stay calm."
He gently began bending the twisted metal away from the woman’s arm, careful not to cause more damage, but as the pressure released, blood started pouring out. Kara’s stomach twisted at the sight. The woman screamed, and Titus quickly had her bite down on his finger while he used his heat vision to cauterize the wound. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and Kara fought back the nausea rising in her throat.
Once the bleeding was under control, Titus carefully pulled the woman from the wreckage and handed her off to a paramedic who had just arrived. Kara took a deep breath, surveying the aftermath as more emergency vehicles pulled up to the scene. People were being treated, some being loaded onto ambulances. The chaos was slowly being brought under control.
Kara’s eyes lingered on the woman as she was carried away, and a deep sadness settled in her chest. "She’s going to be crippled for life now," she said softly.
Titus looked at her thoughtfully. "Does she have to be?"
Kara turned to him, confused. "What do you mean?"
Titus met her gaze. "Didn’t Kryptonian technology allow for replacement limbs? Artificial organs? That kind of stuff?"
Kara blinked, the question catching her off guard. ‘Of course,’ she thought. Krypton had all sorts of advanced medical technologies. She had grown up surrounded by it—problems like this would have been solved with ease back home.
"Yeah, we had that kind of technology," Kara admitted, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. Ever since she’d arrived on Earth, all she’d been doing was fighting villains and saving people from immediate danger, but there was so much more she could be doing. "I never thought about it before," she said, her voice quieter now. "I’ve been so focused on being a hero that I didn’t even realize I could help people in other ways too."
Titus raised an eyebrow. "You went to school on Krypton, right? You must be really smart then."
Kara blushed at the compliment. Smart was actually an understatement, she was studying to go into the science division in Krypton. Her parents were actually two of the smartest people on the entire planet and she had taken after them.
While she couldn’t give the people of Earth weapons or dangerous tools, medical advancements—like prosthetics or artificial organs—shouldn’t be off-limits. After all, humans were already working on that kind of tech. What harm could there be in helping them move forward a little faster?
A small smile spread across Kara’s face as the idea solidified. "You’re right. I could make a difference, more than just... this."
Titus smiled back at her, nodding in approval. "Glad I could help. You might be able to save a lot more lives with that knowledge than by just punching bad guys."
Kara chuckled softly, feeling a newfound sense of purpose blooming inside her. "Yeah, I think you’re right."
– Titus –
Kara seemed a lot happier after I mentioned that she could be doing more to help people. Right now, most people probably saw her as Superman’s ditzy blonde clone, but I knew better than to simply judge people based on appearances.
We continued patrolling together for the next few hours, helping with a few more car crashes and even stopping a couple of random muggings. It was straightforward work, but it felt good.
When Kara decided it was time to call it a day, she used her communicator to have Martian Manhunter lock onto our location and teleport us back to the Watchtower.
As soon as we arrived, we spotted Shayera standing there, watching us with a pout on her face. “Had I known you were going on joint patrols, Titus,” she said, her voice dripping with flirtation, “I would have happily offered to go with you. I think the two of us could work very well together.” She flashed me a smirk, her green eyes twinkling mischievously.
Kara crossed her arms and shot the winged woman a glare. “Titus was just fine patrolling with me,” she snapped.
Shayera wasn’t fazed. She glanced at Kara, then back at me with a teasing smile. “Whatever you say, Barbie.” With that, she turned and walked away, purposefully swaying her hips as she went. I could tell she was trying to get me to focus on her perfect ass, and I had to admit, it was a little hard to ignore.
Kara grumbled something under her breath next to me, clearly irritated. “I’m gonna take a shower,” Kara muttered, still fuming a bit. Then she softened and gave me a small smile. “I had a lot of fun patrolling with you today, Titus. We should do it again sometime soon.”
I smirked at her. “Anytime. You know where to find me.”
With that, Kara walked off, leaving me alone in the corridor. I turned to head deeper into the Watchtower, planning to find Diana, but before I could, I nearly bumped into someone who seemed to be waiting for me in the shadows.
It was Batman of course. Who else could be so dramatic?
“Let me guess,” I said, crossing my arms. “This is about Firefly.”
Batman shook his head. “I heard about that,” he said curtly. “You made the right decision.” Batman didn’t waste any time. “I need your help with something in Gotham,” he said, his voice as serious as ever. “Something strange has been going on, and I could use some backup when I investigate it. It’s too dangerous for Robin.”
I raised an eyebrow. Batman usually worked alone or with Robin exclusively. “Must be important if you’re asking,” I said, giving him a nod. “I’m in. What’s going on?”
Batman’s eyes narrowed behind his cowl. “I’ll explain on the way.”
Without another word, he turned and walked off, leaving me to follow.
XXX
Comments
Vortex
So r they going to set up a company controlled by the justice league so they can sell alien stuff to help fund the league?
Danciingbread
Superman’s always been a bit of a hypocrite with justice and morals but seems like its been exasperated in this universe
Aeden Emrys
What is going on with Superman? He is really acting strange. Thanks for the chapter! Looking forward to reading more!
