Info

I

One of the stranger things about history is its unrelenting desire to repeat itself. Take Princess Koriand'r, for example. Six years ago, she arrived on Earth for the first time, crashing her ship in Hudson Bay. Today, she arrives on Earth for what may be the final time, crashing her ship in Hudson Bay. Six years ago, she was escaping her enslavement by the Citadel, the Psions, and her sister. Today, she escapes the destruction of her home world and arrives on Earth, possibly the sole surviving member of her race. The star that her planet orbited was the final victim of the sun-eater, a massive "being" that met its end when it tried devouring Earth's sun.

Koriand'r was near death from lack of sunlight when her ship finally crash landed in the bay. The only thing keeping her alive was the warmth of her teammate's soulself. As the ship sunk beneath the waves, damaged beyond repair, Raven teleported her friend out of the ship and placed her on dry land. Releasing her friend on the shore of the ex-Titans Island, her soul gradually reshaped itself to a form resembling that of her former body.

Raven looked down at Starfire, the sun already starting to reinvigorate her. She held her hand over her face as though to press it against her forehead. Koriand'r stirred and opened her eyes. "Thank X'Hal, we made it!" She rose slowly to her feet and stretched out to drink in the invigorating sunlight. "We made it!" she smiled to Raven.

"It was a difficult flight. I am just happy you are well." Raven smiled warmly back.

"I owe you my life. Thank you for being there for me."

"You are my friend, Koriand'r. To do anything less would weigh far too heavily on my conscience. I am here for you, now and forever." Raven could almost taste Starfire's happiness.

"I know. It feels good to be home again, doesn't it? I never knew how much I'd end up missing Earth."

"Yes, it feels quite... exhilarating!" Raven answered.

Without another word, Koriand'r stripped out of her bulky space suit and launched herself into the sky, allowing her nude body to continue drinking in the nourishing sunlight. Raven floated up, falling far behind her. "Koriand'r, wait!" she called out to her friend.

Upon hearing this, Starfire quickly looped back to Raven. "I'm sorry. I got a little carried away!"

"What do you want to do now?" Raven asked.

"We have lives that we need to rebuild. I'm sure Donna's still holding onto my apartment, so we have a place to stay. It's going to be difficult with the Titans disbanded, but I'm sure I'll be able to do something."

Raven winced slightly at the last line. "I'll be able to do something" she repeated in her mind. She had been so busy helping Koriand'r build up New Tamaran and then comforting her when it was lost and keeping her alive on the long journey home, she never had the opportunity to notice how much she missed having a physical body. She was little more than a ghost. Perhaps it was proper retribution for allowing herself to be corrupted a second time by her father. Perhaps it was simply an act of fate. All she knew was that she desperately wished she had Koriand'r's freedom, her ability to touch and be touched. She pulled her hood over her head, hiding her expression.

Kory noticed Raven's sudden change in expression. Her sudden desire to hug and comfort her clued her in on what the problem may be. "Don't worry about anything Raven. Once we get settled in, we'll figure out something for us to do.. C'mon, let's go home!" she smiled as she turned and streaked toward Manhattan.

Raven couldn't help but smile back as she watched her fly off. She closed her eyes and teleported away in a cloud of black smoke.

Back on Titan's Island, two figures watched them leave. "I don't believe it, Harly. I never would have expected Raven to return."

"What's wrong Dick, feeling lovesick for your ex?" Harlequin chided.

Deathwing just glared at her. "You have no right to judge me, seeing how your own feelings for Jade cost us our last operation! Anyway, Raven's different now. I only see a small part of the person that helped make me what I am. She looks... cleansed... but not quite. There's still something there. I wouldn't have felt her otherwise."

"Well, feel her up on your own time. I'm sure she'll play a large role in what's coming next. Keep an eye on her, Deathwing. See if we'll be able to use her." Harlequin walked away, leaving Deathwing to contemplate his options.

Starfire landed on the patio of her penthouse apartment, the June sun basking off her golden skin. Raven was already waiting for her.

"I can't believe you flew halfway across the city with no clothing on!" Raven smiled. "Have you forgotten so soon that Earth isn't quite as open-minded and free-spirited as Tamaran was?"

"Do you know what Raven? I don't care anymore!" she replied good-naturedly. "If I want to fly naked, I will. If I want love somebody, I will. I'm only just now realizing how much Dick was holding me back. I tried to change so much for him. This time, people are going to have to adapt to me, not me to them. I'm NOT monogamous, I'm NOT closed-minded, I'm not even human for X'Hal's sake!"

"So you're not going to try to return to Richard then?" Raven asked.

"No. I should have realized it wouldn't work long ago. Do you remember how he hated it that we made love on that island when you had that crush on him? I was being true to myself and to my feelings when that happened. I can't deny that. I couldn't deny it when I seduced Jade so soon afterwards, I couldn't deny it with Donna, I couldn't deny it with you. And now I won't deny it. I'll talk to Dick again. We'll always be friends, but I refuse to change that much for someone. First things first though. Before I get a hold of anybody, I need a shower! Care to join me?" Kory winked.

Raven smiled graciously at Kory's offer. In spite of all off their problems and hardships, their love life never faltered. Due to Raven's current state, their relationship was very voyeuristic in nature. In their time together, Raven learned a great deal about Tamaranean physiology and custom concerning sex. At birth, all Tamaraneans possess a light tuft of hair between their legs as well as on their heads. This hair thickens and grows to about mid-thigh by the end of their first year, completely covering their genitals. Between the ages of 14 and 16, they lose this hair, leaving their bodies completely devoid of hair, save for that on their heads, the males being able to grow beards. Once this occurs, all Tamaraneans choose 1 male and 1 female to engage in removing their virginity. Females lose the equivalent of their hymen in the process, the males losing their foreskin. Kory told Raven how her ceremony was conducted on Okaara with Primus and Kalista, who would one day go on to lead the Omega Men. She also told of how her sister, Komand'r, once again flouted Tamaranean tradition. Komand'r had purchased 2 slaves on the Citadel Homeworld to perform the ceremony with, but instead of having sex with them, she slit their throats and broke her virginity with the hilt of the murder weapon. Self-fulfillment was one of the great taboos of Tamaranean sexuality. Their society was built on complete openness with each other. To deny another the sensations you wanted was unthinkable. Komand'r was the first Tamaranean in generations to break it. Raven had a feeling of guilt when she thought about how Koriand'r was also breaking this taboo for her sake. Occasionally she would watch Kory with other men and women, but usually she'd watch her pleasure herself. That way Raven would be able to feel the pleasure herself by creating an empathic connection between herself and Kory. Kory herself had no hesitations though. She was initially surprised when Donna first told her how prevalent masturbation was on Earth, but she learned to adapt. She found a number of partners that enjoyed watching her please herself, and she only did so in their company. In Raven's case, this was the only way they could be intimate with each other. How could she deny Raven, when so much of her own life was spent in search of happiness, pleasure, and love? The answer was simple. She couldn't. So she entered the shower with Raven, and like she did many times before, allowed Raven to connect their emotions and feelings, and made love to her in a way that was perhaps more intimate than many physical couples could hope to experience.

II

"GOOD morning, Trixie!", Toni Monetti beamed as she strolled into Trixie Collins' office, wearing a dark blue bikini with an open silk robe over it.

Trixie raised an eyebrow dubiously. "'Morning', Toni? It's two in the afternoon."

"Morning, afternoon, whatever. I was going up to the roof to lie out in the sun. I stopped here to see what you're up to." Toni moved herself behind Trixie and pressed her chin against Trixie's shoulder.

"Paperwork. As usual. Homes for displaced metas is a wonderful idea in *theory*, but in *practice*, the logistics are killing me", Trixie sighed.

"Oh, come on. You bought the Goldstar building; with the five of us staying here you've got a good basis to say that a service like this is needed; and hiring us out as a temp agency is getting us a ton of money. I don't see what the problem is," Toni smiled.

"It's not that simple. We've got about a dozen government agencies on our backs, checking to see if we're abusing people, if we're setting up our own private army... hell, we're even being investigated for 'undue corporate favoritism' because there aren't enough metas to go around. The only thing we *don't* have to worry about is the condition of the actual housing. The Goldstar building more than meets government standards, even if it does cost a fortune to maintain. We've got a lot of work ahead of us if this is going to work in the long run."

"Well, you look like you could use a break. Care to you join me?"

Trixie tilted her head back and rested her cheek against Toni's. "Awww... I can't. This paperwork is going to take another HOUR. Tell you what, though - I'll meet you up there when I'm done."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Trixie smiled and kissed Toni gently. "Now go. Go. Enjoy yourself."

Three and a half hours later, Trixie, still in her business clothes, made it to the roof to join Toni. Toni was lying on her stomach beside the pool, bikini top undone. Trixie walked up beside her, kicked off her shoes, sat down, and dipped her feet in the pool.

"Mmmm... I thought you'd never get here", Toni said once Trixie made herself comfortable.

"Me neither. A woman from the government - CIA, FBI, DEO, MGM, MSG, something like that - stopped by right after you left and demanded files on everyone staying here. Like being interrogated by God himself. She was brutal."

"But did she at least have a nice ass?"

"Toni!"

"Hey, come on, you checked her out, didn't you?"

"Shush!", Trixie hissed, blushing, and tilted her head meaningfully in the direction of a bright green pigeon flying in lazy loops around the building.

Toni blinked, puzzled. " 'Shush'? And what's over - OH." She reached back to retie her top. "HEY! HEY, GAR! SHOW'S OVER!"

The green pigeon let out a squark of dismay, fluttered to an awkward landing at the edge of the pool and became a short, green-skinned young man.

"No!", he cried. "You didn't need to put your top back on for me! I didn't mind! Really!"

"Go away, you pervert!" Toni playfully smacked the side of his leg. "You're not going to see me naked, no matter how much you beg!"

"Well, it just so happens that I don't want to see you naked! I just flew by to tell you beautiful ladies that you're out of luck. Garfield Logan is no longer available. I have a date tonight with the long lost love of my life, Jillian. Sorry, you both had your chance."

"I think we'll survive Gar!" Toni smiled. "Where're you going?"

"I don't know yet. She's paying."

"Oh, the gentleman as always!" Toni replied sarcastically.

"You're just jealous!"

"Jealous? Me? I'll have you know that I'm NOT going to be lonely tonight!"

"Oh, and who are you going to be with?" Trixie asked, with a sparkle in her eye.

"That's none of your business Ms. Collins. Yours too, Gar." Toni smiled.

"Well, whoever he is, I'm sure you'll be thinking of me." Gar joked.

"You're right Gar, I'll definitely be thinking of you the whole time."

"Well, just remember, I'm taken now."

"I'll make sure I go through the proper period of mourning... there, I think I'm done now. Go. I'm sure you have to get ready.

"I've got plenty of time. I don't have to meet her until 5:30"

"5:30? Uh, Gar? You're late." Toni mentioned, showing him her watch.

"Whadyamean?" Gar looked at Toni's watch in shock. "Holy Cow! I'm late!" He turned himself into a green road runner and let out a "meep meep" before running off the side of the building.

"Gar!" Toni called out. "Road runners don't fly!"

"I knew that!" Gar yelled back after managing to transform back into a pigeon before splattering himself on the sidewalk. With his heart still in his throat he flew away, hoping to preserve what little dignity he had left.

"I didn't think he'd ever leave!" Toni stood up, removed her thong, and sat across Trixie's stomach.

"Toni! What are you doing? Anyone else here can walk in on us!" Trixie turned her head away trying to persuade Toni to put her suit back on.

"Calm down Trix, now that Gar's gone, there's nobody else here that's gonna care."

"Not care? What if Inferno walks in on us? She's only 17. I don't think I'd feel very comfortable if she saw us like this."

"Come on! You can't tell me you don't know that she's going out with Tara."

"What? When?" Trixie asked, shocked by the news.

"A couple weeks ago. I caught them making out in the hallway outside Tara's room right after their fist date."

"Well, what about Miri? I don't think she'd like walking in on this."

"Come ON! If she saw this, she'd probably want to join in! Have you ever seen the photo shoots she did for EXXXtacy and Photographix magazines disguised as Starfire? She was with another woman in Photographix, and then she was part of a 3 woman menage a trois in EXXXtacy. You want to see 'em?"

"No, that's OK. I guess I'm not going to convince you cover up, am I?"

"You know how stubborn I can get!"

Trixie sighed to herself. Toni was right, she was stubborn, and Trixie simply couldn't say no to her. "You're going to get me into so much trouble Toni."

"Trouble? How?" Toni asked, genuinely curious.

Trixie leaned up on her elbows, her eyes occasionally glancing between Toni's legs. "Don't you even realize how dangerous our relationship is? Life in the real world isn't like life at your father's, or life with the Titans. I'm a 28 year old entrepreneur who's trying to get homes and jobs for meta-humans who need them. If our clients find out that I'm sleeping with one of my employees, it could be seen as creating a conflict of interest and cost us business. If our clients find out that I'm sleeping with another woman, who also happens to be almost 11 years younger than me, we could lose the ones who feel that they have to stand with the moral majority. If our clients find out that I started sleeping with you before you turned 18, I could even go to prison!"

Toni started unbuttoning Trixie's shirt. "Well, I think you're underestimating people. First of all, you started sleeping with me when I was 17. I checked the laws, that's perfectly legal in New York. Secondly, I'm not an employee, I'm your partner. I take jobs because I know it can help us get money."

Trixie shuddered as she felt Toni press her bare crotch over her now exposed stomach. "I know that, but our clients don't. You're listed in our paperwork as an employee, not a partner."

"Oh, please." Toni rested her hands over Trixie's breasts and started gently massaging them through her bra. "Most of our clients aren't gonna care. The ones who do probably just want to watch us in action."

"Maybe the people your father did business with would feel that way, but I've got experience. Once Booster Gold found out I was a lesbian, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. I'm just lucky he's been discreet enough not to tell anyone else."

Toni laughed and kissed Trixie gently. "Booster Gold was just jealous because you chose to sleep with his sister instead of him. And not all of the people my father did business with were scumbags. Some were very well respected and I'm sure they had no clue about my dad's dirty dealings. Look, Bottom line right now is, we're alone, I desperately want your tongue between my legs, and the only people who can walk in on us are other women who've already done this stuff. You're overanalyzing things as usual. We have nothing to worry about."

Trixie laid her head back down again, slipped her hands behind Toni's back, and started pulling her closer to her face. "You'd better be right about this." She spoke up to Toni as she hovered just over her mouth.

"I always am, aren't I?" Toni smiled and tossed her head back as she felt Trixie's tongue start to probe inside her, knowing that her record would be broken if for some reason Changeling decided to end his date early and pay them a visit.

Fortunately, he never did return home that night and they weren't disturbed until early the next morning by Trixie's cell phone. They were still lying beside the pool and their clothing was strewn everywhere. Trixie shivered as she got up to search for the ringing phone, feeling the morning wind blow over her naked body. After a brief conversation, she went and woke Toni up.

"Wha..." Toni moaned, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Oh god, it's a sunrise. Why are you waking me up so early?"

"I just got some great news. My secretary just called. We've gotten about a half dozen reports so far. It looks like Starfire's back on Earth. We may finally have enough people to restart the Titans.

III

Nightwing was not having a good week. Gotham's earthquake meant he had to spend more time there helping out than in Bludhaven, making a life for himself. Most of the week had been spent sifting through ruined buildings in search of Arkham escapees. None were found. It felt like a complete waste of time. He at least had Robin to help him, but he was unable to locate Batman. It was like he just dropped out of Gotham. It wasn't just Batman. Rumor was that over half of the JLA had disappeared. Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, even Oracle, all nowhere to be found. Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman had their hands full trying to keep up with every petty thug trying to take advantage of the situation. As frightening as the situation was starting to sound, Dick knew there wasn't anything he could do. It had been almost 50 hours since he had gotten any sleep and it was definitely taking its toll. He nearly had to have Robin drag him home, but he managed to get there himself. He collapsed into bed and just as he fell asleep, he was jarred back into consciousness by the phone. Silently cursing it, he reached out and pulled the receiver to his ear.

"Hullo?" he answered weakly.

"Dick! I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past 4 days! Don't you ever check your messages?"

"Babs? What's up? Where are you?" Dick jolted upon hearing her voice. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Listen, this is an unsecured line. I'm in Metropolis right now. My system was compromised a few days ago. I need you to tell Bruce and the others to stay off line until I can get it taken care of."

"Bruce isn't around. To be honest, I thought you were with him. I'll tell Wally though. Anything else?"

"Well, you're gonna have to get by without me for a little while. I'm not sure how long this is going to take. This job is turning quite bizarre."

"Are you sure you don't need my help? I can be in Metropolis by sunrise."

"Dick, I appreciate your concern, but I need to handle this myself. It's becoming rather personal."

"OK, just be careful."

"I will, stop worrying! You sound like you need sleep though."

"Now who's worrying?"

"Get to bed, but don't throw away your tickets to Metropolis yet. I just got a news flash I think you may be interested in. Looks like Kory's back in town. Talk to ya later, Boy Wonder."

Dick hung on the phone after she hung up, knocked speechless. "Kory. Wonderful. I thought this week couldn't get any worse. Now I have to go see my ex-fiancee." he thought to himself.

IV

Lilith sat at the bar quietly nursing her bottle of wine. Her new ability to imprint the personalities of those near her had been making her life quite difficult. She longed for the days of being a simple precog amnesiac, living a free life, hanging out with the Titans, her friends. Unfortunately, maturity changed her in ways she never wanted to be changed. Her new-found memories helped her locate her "long lost" father, only to find he'd been with her all along as one of the Titans' primary supporters. Although this didn't sit well with her, she still helped him build a new Titans team, and continued to assist them after he pulled the plug on them until they finally disbanded 3 months ago. Now she was on her own. She'd been learning how to suppress the other personalities she had floating in her head (alcohol helped) and was losing the boring Raven persona (as she called it now) she picked up to mask herself. Now she was out, desperate to enjoy herself once again. She used to frequent this bar quite a bit after her first breakup with Donna (being 19 at the time, she got in with a fake ID) and found it was a great place to forget about past heartaches and problems. So, she ditched the robes she'd been wearing, put on a denim mini skirt and a light blue half shirt and went back to forget. It was working. She was into her fourth drink (and starting to feel a bit tipsy) when a blonde bombshell wearing a red leather mini and a black leather jacket came up and sat beside her. She reached into her jacket, pulled out a cigarette, and held it between her fingers.

"Got a light, sweetheart?" the blonde asked in a quiet, sultry voice with absolutely no accent to give Lilith a hint as to where she was from.

Lilith looked around for a spare pack of matches on the bar to no avail.

"You don't smoke?" the blonde asked.

"No." Lilith paused briefly. "I've got a light for you though." She lifted her right hand and made a quick snapping gesture, producing a flame which seemed to emanate from her forefinger.

"You're a magician?" the blonde asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"A novice, really; I only know a couple tricks," Lilith answered.

"I'm still impressed, luv." The blonde took the cigarette between her bright red lips and allowed Lilith to light it. She inhaled sharply, closed her eyes, and exhaled over Lilith's head. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Lilith. "My name's Synthia. With an S. And you are?"

"Lilith. Pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand toward Synthia, which she took and raised to her lips, kissing it almost chivalrously. Lilith's heart skipped a beat.

"Lilith." Synthia repeated. "The first woman. Created before Eve and rejected by Adam. Did you know that some people say that she was also the first vampire, the one from which all others were born?"

"I've heard that one. I've also heard stories that she was killed by Adam, and was reincarnated into one of the first Amazons. Either Hippolyta or Artemis."

"There's quite a large number of stories pertaining to her. I find it rather ironic though. In all her stories, she is rejected by men, and here you are, rejecting them right back."

"How do you know I'm rejecting them? I didn't know this was an all-woman bar until I first walked in."

"You knew. You've been here before. You've met a number of lovers here, haven't you?"

Lilith took a sip of her drink and smiled. She liked this woman. Blatantly seductive femininity mixed with a rather gothic view of legend. Not to mention her dead on intuition. "I've met a few."

Synthia took another drag off her cigarette. "So, why are you here tonight? Are you looking to get drunk?" She took the bottle of wine that Lilith was drinking and refilled her glass with it. "Or, are you looking to get laid?"

Lilith took another sip of her wine. "Now, if I answered that, I'd be making things too easy on you, wouldn't I? What do you think? "

"I think you're just looking to meet someone new. Getting drunk is a defense if you don't meet anyone, and getting laid is just an added bonus if you do. Am I close?"

"Not bad." Lilith turned her head away slightly. "Now your turn. Why are you here?"

"What do you think?"

Lilith concentrated a moment. Nothing. She couldn't get anything from her. No past, no future. She must really be starting to like her. Strong emotions tended to either enhance her psychic abilities or block them altogether. The only other woman who'd been this invisible to her was Donna. "What I think is irrelevant."

Synthia took a final drag from her cigarette, put it out and smiled (for the first time). "I want to meet you again, Lilith." She pulled a pen out of her jacket, started writing on a napkin, folded it in half, and handed it to Lilith.

"I want to see you again as well." Lilith took the napkin from her and laid it on the bar beside her.

"We will." She reached in and pressed her lips against Lilith's cheek while sliding her hand up Lilith's skirt and dragging her long fingernails slowly down the inside of her thigh. "Till we meet again."

"Till we meet again." Lilith answered back. She watched as Synthia turned and sauntered out of the bar. She took a few more sips of her wine to try to calm herself (unsuccessfully) before picking up the napkin Synthia left behind. "Synfully yours" it said before it gave her phone number. On the other side was her address. Lilith knew she was being given a choice. If she called her that night, she'd spend the whole night talking to her and fantasizing about being with her. If she went to the address, she wouldn't have to fantasize. Lilith didn't have to be a precognitive to know where she was going to be that night.

July 2008

Azrael folded his wings around his body to fit through the window of the ruined cathedral. He landed gracefully in front of the alter and laid his package down. Despair and disappointment filled his head as he looked around the once glorious church. It had only been rebuilt less than a decade ago, after being destroyed by the Brain and Monsieur Mallah, only to fall victim to Zandia's continuing civil wars. The Church of Blood had survived for 700 years before, and now it couldn't survive for 7. Since the patriarch of the church had been rendered mindless by the witch Raven, no one had been charismatic enough to keep it together. Azrael prayed that would now change.

"Synthia!" he called out.

A young woman wearing only a black robe emerged from the shadows. "You've gotten the cloak?"

"Yes, Brother Blood is still a vegetable, and the monks who are caring for him don't even know it's gone. I still do not understand why you need it, though. It caused so many problems before."

"The cloak is not what caused the problems, Azrael; it was the men who wore the cloak. The lineage of Brother Blood was tainted by egomania and delusion."

"But, how are you going to truly rebuild? The Leader won't allow any unsanctioned organized religion now that Lord Chaos is gone, least of all one built on the remnants of the Church of Blood. You've managed to hide the few worshippers we have so far, but if we get any more, the Titans will surely take us down."

"Azrael, my angel." Synthia smiled softly. "The Titans will NOT be a problem."

"And what about my love, Lilith? You said that we would be reunited."

"You will be. Trust me Azrael. Have I ever disappointed you before?"

Azrael paused briefly before answering. "No."

"There. Now please, go down and let the acolytes know I'm coming. It's time for the ceremony to begin."

Synthia walk down a passageway into a huge cavern. Inside the cavern were about 50 acolytes dressed in red and black robes and a huge pool of boiling blood. She strode confidently to the pool, the acolytes parting to create a path for her. When she got to the edge of the pool, she slid her robe off and turned toward the congregation.

"Exactly 700 years ago, the Church of Blood was founded on this very spot. For over 600 years, Brother Blood watched over his people, showing them the path of spiritual salvation, defending them from their enemies.

"18 years ago, Brother Blood was defeated by a group of children, rendered mindless, and his church was destroyed. Yet miraculously, this chamber survived the destruction.

"Exactly 18 years ago, I was born, the only child of Brother Blood and Mother Mayhem, the heir to a ruined church.

"7 years ago, Lord Chaos disappeared, along with the army that was created from the remnants of my father's destroyers. Unfortunately, the Titans disappearance would only be temporary.

"7 years ago, the mysterious leader of the Titans set him or herself up as Lord Chaos' successor, ruling over the world's people, yet never revealing himself to us. His Titans trickled back slowly from the timestream to take their place as his enforcers.

"Today, I attempt to rebuild the Church of Blood from the ashes of my father's defeat, defying the will of the Leader.

"Today, the Church of Blood is reborn as the Church of Syn. I baptize myself in the blood of my father's enemies. Today, I become your true savior."

With that, she turned and strode into the blood pool, closing her eyes, and letting the hot blood flow over her nude body. She panicked slightly as the blood covered her head, but soon found that she was able to breathe as well here as she could on dry ground. Synthia closed her eyes and allowed the blood's power to permeate her body, falling into a deep meditative state. It wasn't until three days and nights had passed that she began to rise from the pool. Her acolytes were still there, seeming to have not moved in the entire time she was submerged. She swept her wet, blonde hair back and waded to the pool's edge, where a young, raven haired woman was waiting with a white cape. Synthia took the cape and slung it over her shoulders, clasping it shut at her throat. She looked intently at the attractive acolyte standing before her. "What is you name?" she asked softly.

"Cheryl. Cheryl Connelly mistress." she answered confidently.

A smile worked its way across Synthia's face. "Sister Cheryl, I want you to accompany me to my bedchambers when the ceremony is completed. You will be at my side and answer to none but me. Will you accept my offer?"

The woman smiled back. "Yes mistress, I am yours. Body and soul."

Synthia leaned in and pressed her lips to Cheryl's. She allowed Cheryl to place her hand against her bare breast while she softly kissed her, and reached up to hold it there after she broke the kiss. Finally breaking contact with her, Synthia turned and strode out of the blood chamber without another word, Cheryl following close behind.

It was for another three days and nights before Synthia exited her bedchambers. Waiting at the alter of the main church for her was a three-faced woman dressed in blue. "Trinity, are you ready?" Synthia asked, pulling a black leather jacket on over the tight red dress she was wearing.

"I am ready." one of Trinity's faces replied coldly.

"Excellent. Remember, I need you to drop me off 5 years after your final destination. I need the Society of Syn firmly established by the time I start on the Titans. Are you sure you'll have no problems?"

"History already confirms the existence of the Society of Syn. I am destined to succeed."

"Well, don't get too confidant. There is too much that can go wrong with this plan."

"I take it Sister Cheryl will oversee the Church's regrowth while you are gone?"

"Yes, I have faith that she will do well if I do not return when I am supposed to. Now, open the portal."

Trinity's head spun a bit, allowing a new face to come forward. Once it settled into place, an bright oval portal opened up, seemingly from inside her body. When the portal grew to cover Trinity's body, Synthia stepped through, back in time. When the portal disappeared, Trinity was gone as well. Neither of them noticed Sister Cheryl slip through the back side of the portal.

V

It was Koriand'r's second day back on Earth. Since her harrowing journey and landing, she had not left her apartment and spoken only to Donna and Raven. She had spent most of the day lying out in the warm sun on the rooftop patio wearing nothing but a pair of reflective sunglasses. She hadn't seen Raven all day. Just before sunset she received a visitor.

Argent's jaw dropped when she stepped onto the rooftop and saw Starfire's body in its entirety. She decided to fly up rather than take the elevator and obviously didn't expect to see this. She averted her eyes and lightly cleared her throat to get Starfire's attention.

Starfire was slightly startled by the noise, apparently not noticing Argent landing on the roof. She smiled warmly to her guest. "Hello!" she greeted her enthusiastically.

Argent kept her eyes averted. "Hello. Are you Starfire?" she asked, even though she already knew who she was.

Starfire pulled off her sunglasses and stared directly at Argent, looking up and down her body, silently approving of the revealing costume she was wearing. "Yes, I'm Starfire. You can call me Kory if you'd like though." She stood up and walked towards her guest. "And what is your name?"

Argent slowly turned her gaze back toward Kory, trying unsuccessfully to keep her eyes off of her breasts. She wasn't embarrassed or shy, just surprised that Kory was so... comfortable with not wearing clothing around strangers. Trying not to seem like she was staring she answered "Argent, but you can call me Toni. I'd like to talk to you about the Titans."

Kory recognized the name immediately. Over the phone, Donna told her about a new group of Titans that started up after they disbanded. She hoped that she'd be able to talk to some of them, but she wasn't expecting to hear from any of them soon. Donna told her that they'd broken up as well. "Great!" she answered back. "Why don't you have a seat over there" she said, pointing to a lounge chair directly facing the one Kory was lying in. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, no thank you" Toni answered, sitting down and watching intently as Kory returned to her chair. She seemed to move in slow motion to Toni, as she sat back down and made herself comfortable, letting one foot dangle off the side, keeping her legs open just far enough to give Toni a perfect view between them, which is where her eyes locked.

Kory sat back and allowed Argent to watch her for a few minutes before breaking in. "So, what do you want to tell me about the Titans?"

Argent was shocked back into reality by the sound of her voice. Her gaze shot up to Kory's eyes. "Um, yes. I'm here representing Goldstar Inc. We are looking to finance a new Titans team. We've gotten a few members, but we're waiting for a certain number of people to join before becoming official. Once we heard that you were back, I thought you'd be perfect for the team. Gar seems to think so, too."

Starfire's eyes lit with joy. "Gar's on the team? X'Hal, I miss him so much! How is he?"

"Truthfully, he's a pain in the ass." Toni smiled. "But, he's a wonderful friend and I can't imagine the team without him. Just don't tell him I said that!"

"I see you've learned how to deal with him." Kory smiled back. "Who else do you have?"

"Well, there's me, Terra, Inferno, Mirage, and Gar. Eventually we're hoping for a total of 12 to 14 members, putting us on par, numberwise, with the JLA. We're ready to start with just six, though." Toni replied.

Kory's smile faded slightly. "I'm not so sure I want to be on the same team as Mirage. She and I have never really gotten along."

"We know about your past with her. She's willing to start fresh. I'll understand if you don't want to risk it, though. There must be some pretty bad blood between the two of you."

"No, of course I'll join! It was silly of me to allow our past to influence my decision. The Titans are my family and I couldn't imagine being on Earth and not being a part of them."

"That's great!" Toni breathed a sigh of relief. She reached inside her costume immediately above her right breast and pulled out a business card she had in a pocket there. "The address for the Goldstar Building is on here," she said, standing up and handing it to Kory. "You can either continue to live here, or you can move in there, it's up to you. You can stop in anytime though so we can officially sign you onto the team."

Kory smiled brightly as she took the card, stood up, and threw her arms around Toni. "Thank you SO much for coming to me with this Toni! I can't begin to tell you how happy this makes me!"

Toni was speechless. She'd gone through a number of scenarios before she got here, trying to prepare for anything Starfire might've brought up, but this obviously wasn't something she prepared for. She wrapped her arms around Starfire's back, fiercely fighting back the temptation to grab her ass.

After what felt like a blissful eternity to Toni, Koriand'r finally loosened her hug slightly to look Toni in her eyes. She continued to press her nude body against Toni.

Toni's thoughts were a blur as she tried to comprehend what was happening. She found herself almost unconsciously starting to slowly rub her crotch against Kory's bare thigh, her hands were draped casually on Kory's hips. Toni had never considered herself to be exclusively dating Trixie. She'd been trying very hard to get Trixie to try other women, and Toni would occasionally find herself wrapped in the arms of a teammate or former lover, but in this situation, she had no clue what Kory expected of her. She just smiled back at her and finally spoke. "I'm glad I was able to help."

Kory smiled back and broke the hug completely, much to Toni's disappointment. Toni just stood helplessly, not even trying to hide her stares anymore. Kory seemed to feed on the admiration and knew exactly how to fan it. "Are you sure you don't want that drink? You've had a long flight. It's getting dark out, so we can go inside and relax before you go." she offered, almost innocently.

Toni was starting to feel a bit more brave. "Sure, why not? After you." she smiled, gesturing toward the door.

Kory knew exactly what Toni wanted. She turned around and stretched her arms back under her hair. She pulled her long hair to the front of her body as she walked, giving Toni a completely unblocked view of her ass. She even went so far as to lingeringly bend at the waist to open the door.

Toni just watched the show attentively, following Kory inside. So much was going through her mind at this point. Here was the woman she'd been fantasizing about since she was fourteen. She had every single magazine layout, every calendar, almost every news appearence. In short, she was a typical fan. It was taking all of her willpower to remain quiet. She wanted to kiss her, attack her, run away, anything. Common sense was winning the battle, for now.

Kory turned her head to Toni when they were inside. "Have a seat. I'll be right out. Is wine OK for you?"

"Actually, I don't drink" Toni replied. "It's one of the few vices I don't indulge in. Water will be fine, thanks." As Kory disappeared into the kitchen Toni nervously sat on a reclining chair facing a sofa.

When Kory stepped out with the drinks, she had her hair tossed back again. Again, the view for Toni was flawless.

This was too much for her. Toni stood up, moving in to take her drink. Instead, she grabbed Kory's arm, pulled herself in, and started intensely kissing her. Kory dropped the drinks to the floor and thrust her tongue into Toni's mouth. Toni's hands were no longer holding back, groping at every part of Kory's nude body as if it would disappear the next instant.

Kory was starting to feel the desperation as well now. She grabbed Toni's costume above her breasts and ripped it down so the front hung below her thighs. Toni quickly shrugged the tattered remains off her body so the only things she still had on were her black, silver trimmed boots. Kory pulled Toni's legs up and wrapped them around her waist. As Toni started grinding their hips together, Kory swung her around and pushed her back against the wall. Toni took advantage of her new position to grind herself into Kory even more fiercely, rubbing her smaller breasts into Kory's. This lasted briefly before Toni shoved herself and Kory away from the wall towards the sofa, knocking a table and lamp over in their lust. Kory spun then around before they landed on the sofa so Toni was on her back, on bottom. Kory pulled her tongue out of Toni's mouth for the first time and turned herself around again, stardling Toni's face. She leaned down again and started sucking between Toni's legs as Toni did the same to her. Within moments they were able to simultaneously give each other their first orgasms of the evening. Kory pulled back up and started tongue kissing Toni again, a bit more tenderly this time, mixing their juices in each others mouths. She pulled back again and smiled warmly at Toni. "If the new Titans are anything like this, I think I made the right decision!"

VI

Lilith sprawled out across the bed in exhaustion. How long had she been here, at Synthia's apartment? A week? A Month? Longer? Her days consisted solely of passionate lovemaking, her nights pretty much the same. Sleeping and eating came irregularly. It was all a blur for her by now. She recalled having her clothing stripped off by Synthia immediately when she entered the apartment, she remembered what Synthia was wearing, only red stockings, gloves, and a garter belt. She remembered the shock she felt when their lips connected for the first time, the intensity of her first orgasm... beyond these memories, it was all a jumble. The apartment was windowless, lit only by candles.

Looking around, Lilith noticed that she was alone. She could vaguely remember Synthia leaving at other times, never telling Lilith where she was going. "Did she have other lovers?" Lilith thought, both horrified and stimulated by the thought. The two of them hardly spoke a word to each other since she showed up, but Lilith knew she was falling in love with the beautiful, mysterious woman. With that in her mind and in her heart, Lilith finally fell into a restful, drug-induced slumber.

VII

Synthia and Trinity worked their way through the myriad of secret tunnels leading to and from Project Cadmus. One of Trinity's primary missions for the Society of Syn over the past five years was to gain allies for Sister Syn's cause. The first, and possibly the most important ally Trinity made was Dabney Donovan, the scientist whose work helped make Cadmus one of the world's foremost clone research facilities in the world. Unfortunately, his genius was accompanied by madness, so Cadmus kept him under house arrest, with his actions being constantly monitored. Their security measures weren't nearly enough, though. As Synthia and Trinity entered the cell, a holographic projector was activated, creating the illusion that Donovan was sleeping for the security cameras. Donovan himself barely noticed his two visitors, concentrating more on a notepad filled with what appeared to be indecipherable gibberish.

"Dr. Donovan!" Trinity called out, startling him away from his work.

"Trinity! I was wondering when you'd show up!" he called out enthusiastically. "And you would be?" he looked suspiciously toward Synthia.

"This is my associate, Synthia." Trinity replied coldly. "She is here to check on the progress of our work."

"Ah, yes! They're all ready, just waiting to be activated! If you'll follow me!" Donovan took absolute delight in how he was able to navigate through Cadmus right underneath his captor's noses. Even their guard dog, Superboy, didn't know what he was doing. He led Trinity and Synthia down a twisting set of corridors until they got to a small storage area filled with five covered cryogenic chambers. Donovan went to each tube and flipped the cover off of each one, revealing their contents. Each one had a single nude figure inside, held in suspended animation. "May I present to you… Raven, Wildebeest, Jericho, Red Star, and Victoria King!" Donovan cackled triumphantly.

"We were able to get the DNA from the first three from the extra-dimensional headquarters of the old Wildebeest Society." Trinity explained. "Red Star's we got from an abandoned Russian laboratory. He should give us the raw power that we need. Victoria King is the only one here who is not a clone, but she's too dangerous to keep unsubdued until we need her. She is a wild card, but has far too much potential to ignore."

Synthia stepped up to Victoria's tube and lifted it open. The cold mist stung her skin as it flowed out of the tube and sank to the floor, covering it in a cool, moist fog. "Yes, I think these will do." She smiled and whispered, sliding her finger over Victoria's bare breasts. "Yes, I think these will do perfectly!"

VIII

Sweet Sixteen was enjoying her life. Since the Titans refused her the year before, she decided to strike off on her own, try to make a fortune, and have fun. Of those goals, the only one she achieved was having fun. Every night she'd come home with a different guy. She always meant to "convince" them to give her their money, but she always held back. Her conscience could deal with potentially destroying marriages, but not with destroying their livelihood. Tonight was like any other night for her. She was in her small apartment, on her threadbare mattress, lying on her back, riding a handsome young man ferociously with her legs wrapped around his back. Her date wasn't quiet or gentle either. He thrust himself in and out of her with reckless abandon, banging the headboard so hard against the thin plaster wall that it threatened to break right through it. She screamed as she felt him explode inside of her, slowing the pace just enough so their lips could briefly connect. Sweet Sixteen relaxed enough for her companion to pull out and roll off of her. She let out an exhausted sigh.

"That was wonderful!" she purred softly. "Make sure you lock the door on the way out."

"Huh?" the man looked startled "I thought I was gonna stay with you, get to know you a little better, y'know…"

"Oh, don't be silly!" she giggled. "Go home! I don't want all my other boyfriends to get jealous!"

The man shook his head, as though he were trying to shake cobwebs out of it. "Oh, OK. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

"Hey, anything's possible handsome!"

The man quickly got dressed and walked out. As he was about to lock the door behind him he tried to shake the cobwebs out again, turned around and left, leaving the door slightly ajar. Sweet Sixteen was too busy cleaning herself off in the bathtub to notice. She stepped back into her small bedroom with only a towel wrapped around her hair. She flung the towel off and collapsed back in her bed, ready for sleep. As she tried to fall asleep, she felt like she was forgetting something, or missing something. She cracked an eye open and promptly screamed. Standing in the doorway, with a towel flung over her face was a woman. Sweet Sixteen cowered back toward the wall as the woman dropped the towel to the floor and stepped into the dark, cramped apartment. "Look, I'm sorry!" Sweet Sixteen started babbling nervously, pulling a sheet up to cover herself. "I didn't know that was your boyfriend! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"

The woman gave her a soft smile and sat on the side of the bed. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you!" she tried soothing her. "You're Sweet Sixteen, right?"

"Yeah… I was kinda thinking of changing that though. Like, I'm not even sixteen anymore! Who're you?" She was starting to calm down and got her first good look at her visitor. She was an older woman, late 20s she guessed, with long, deep black hair wearing a dull black full body suit. She looked at her closely, like she almost recognized her from somewhere.

"My name is Cheryl" the woman replied. "I was sent here to help you."

"Gosh, we have the same name!" Sweet Sixteen let out a small smile. "But, what can you help me with? I'm doing fine on my own."

"Yes, you are. But you can do better. Why were you so scared when you first saw me?" Cheryl asked, resting a hand on Sweet Sixteen's knee that was poking out from the tangle of sheets that covered her.

"I thought you were that guy's girlfriend. I kinda stole him from her tonight when she wasn't looking. I'm not too hot of a fighter."

"Why wouldn't you use your powers on her?"

"My pheromones don't work on chicks, only guys. There'd be nothing I could do."

"That's why I'm here. I know exactly how your powers work and I know how I can get your powers to affect women."

"How?" Sweet Sixteen asked, her curiosity aroused. "If I could affect other chicks, I'd be invisible!"

"That's invincible." Cheryl corrected with a smile. "It's only a psychological barrier that's preventing you from reaching your full potential."

"Huh?" Sweet Sixteen looked confused.

"It's the way you think; the way you look at things. What do you see when you look at me?"

"I see a chick who's not gonna beat me up."

"OK, what else?" Cheryl pressed.

"Ummm… I don't know what you mean."

"Look at me closely. Describe me," she instructed.

"Well, you've got black hair… looks like an obvious dye job, blue eyes…"

"No wonder you don't have any friends! Keep going"

"You've got this really pretty body suit on. Doesn't look warm enough for you though."

"Why not?"

Sweet Sixteen blushed. "Well, your nipples are poking out. You must be cold!"

"It's 75 degrees in here. Trust me, I'm not cold." Cheryl assured her. "Why else would they be 'poking out' like you said?"

Sweet Sixteen smiled knowingly. She finally got it. "Oohhh! You thought that guy I was with was cute, too!"

Cheryl sighed impatiently and smiled. "Close. I think someone in this room is cute, but it's not your friend."

"Who?" The confused expression covered her face again.

"OK, lets try a different tactic." Cheryl stood up and slid out of her body suit, tossing it aside. "Stand up," she ordered.

Sweet Sixteen stood up, pulling the sheet with her. "Why are you naked now?" This is hurting my head…"

"Just trust me. Drop the sheet."

"But then I'd be naked too!" She saw that Cheryl looked like she was getting impatient and dropped the sheet to the floor.

"OK, now touch my breast."

Sweet Sixteen reached a fingertip out and pressed it into Cheryl's breast, like she was pushing a button. "Ick!"

"Not like that. Touch my breast the way you touch yours when you play with yourself. Stand behind me and reach your arms around."

"Yuck!"

"Why do you think it's 'yucky'?" Cheryl asked "Don't you like how your breasts feel?"

"Well, yeah. Sorta. I mean, I touch 'em a lot when I play with myself. I guess."

"OK, mine don't feel ANY different. Go ahead. Try."

Sweet Sixteen nervously stepped behind Cheryl, reached her arms around her and cupped her breasts lightly.