Teen Titans #59: "Beguiled, part 2"

-2-

More than two hours later, after they had showered properly and Eric had fed her omelettes, Donna had sliped into her Troia costume and was flying back to the Tower. She was smiling to herself, very relaxed, very happy.

Was this what Tara felt like all the time? She wondered, fleetingly.

The most amazing thing about her passion with Eric was that there was something familiar about the feeling. It reminded her of something she could not place....

She stopped cold, floating in midair. A jet roared overhead, fairly close; she didn't even notice.

She remembered exactly what her time spent with Eric reminded her of, now.

When she had faced Circe, the old foe of Wonder Woman, she had been winning, on her own. By her own power and strength she had been defeating the witch. And the witch had known it.

So the witch had cast a spell that had begun to drain Troia's power, stealing it for the witch's own use. It had very nearly worked, too; she had almost succumbed. The witch had very nearly taken her power, consumed it, and rendered her powerless. Then Circe would have become a god, and Hera only knew what she would've done next. First to Donna, and then to the world.

She had almost given in that day. She remembered the moment, when she had almost let Circe take everything she was. It had been very close, closer than anyone suspected. She had told no one.

Eric was doing the same thing, only more slowly. And he was using the sexual act to focus that drain, and she had willingly cooperated.

And had enjoyed it.

She swallowed a painful lump in her throat, then let out a shuddering sigh.

She didn't feel violated, exactly; more like a profound sadness and disappointment. She had enjoyed Eric, even knowing what sort of man he was. No....because of what sort of man he was.

And now it was all gone.

She felt a burst of rage, then; and her first instinct was to rush back to Eric's apartment and pummel him.

But even as the though filled her mind, her reason returned.

Not yet. First she would find out the truth of it. The hows and whys.

But even before that, she would go to those she trusted.

She sped on towards the Tower, three times faster than before.

-4-

First, Donna talked to Carrie.

Even now, Carrie was still uneasy about her; because in her own lost reality, Donna had been a villain. But that otherworldly experience was exactly what Donna needed right now.

“Carrie,” she said softly.

Carrie looked up from her books her tutor Sarah Charles had left for her. Her wings fluttered nervously, she blinked. Then she focused and took a deep breath. “Yes?”

“In your world....was there ever an Eric Forrester?”

Carrie cocked her head to one side. “One of the Checkmate agents who came to us when....when it ended, his last name was Forrester. Don't know if he was a counterpart to Eric or not.”

Donna nodded. “What was your read of him?”

Carrie considered. “What little I knew of him? Hot tempered, and his partner seemed disdainful of him.”

“Okay,thanks.” She turned and left. They'd never know for sure, of course. But on another level, Donna was sure. It had been Eric, or his equivalent. And he was bad news there, too. It was circumstantial evidence at best, but it felt right to her. It felt true.

-6-

There was only one stop left; Chaos' cell.

He had not yet had a trial. Metahuman trials always dragged on even more so than normal ones. Often, villains escaped incarceration before their trial even occurred.

Belle Reve was overcrowded—they didn't even know what was going on with the Sucide Squad any more—and other metahuman prison facilities were likewise stretched thin. So Chaos was biding his time in a cell with bonded polycarbide armor door at STAR Labs. Not experiment glass, bars or forcefield; he had the scientific wherewithal to escape from any of those.

During her morning.....session...with Eric in the steamy shower stall, Donna had seen a tattoo on Eric's back; he had told her it was the brand Chaos put on all his experimental subjects. Before the three girls had left the Tower, they had checked with Dagon; the sleepy vampire confirmed that yes, he had one too. They had already known that both were subjects of Chaos experimentation, of course.

There was no guarantee Chaos would talk, or if his words could be proven true if he did. On the other hand, he owed Eric no favors.

They got leave to see him with little fuss. Two guards stood at the ready with plasma rifles, and of course the girls themselves were powerful enough.

When the cell door opened, Chaos seemed disposed to talk. He lay on his bunk, a lazy, insolent, half-asleep look on his face. He said no word, just looked at them with mild curiosity.

“How well do you remember your subjects?” Troia asked without preamble.

Chaos shrugged. “Well enough. I will be acquitted at the trial, you know.”

“Not likely,” Terra snorted.

“But that is not why we're here,” Troia said, giving the blonde a warning look. Terra subsided.

“No?” Chaos sat forward, somewhat more interested now. “You've come to make a deal?”

“No promises.”

“Oh.” He sat back. “What, then?”

“Eric Forrester. You remember him?”

Chaos smiled openly. “One of the more enthusiastic volunteers. Yes.”

“You gave him machine empathy,” Starfire said.

“Ah ah,” Chaos waggled a finger. “I activated his metahuman potential by stimulating his genes. That manifested, in his case, as machine empathy, as it did with several others. Eric uses it to interface with computers, or so I understand.”

“Yes, he does; he was already a hacker, before. Were there any....additional powers? Complications?”

Chaos's lips thinned as he considered whether to tell them anything. “Maybe a lawyer should be present for this conversation.”

Starfire held up a fist that glowed.

Troia waved her down. “This is about Eric, not you.”

Chaos remained silent a little longer....then his expression soured. But not in a hostile way. His face looked older, longer...tired. “There was....an unforeseen side effect.”

“You don't say,” Terra said, dryly.

“The machine empaths, all of them....they found that as they used their powers, their humanity began to lessen the more they used their powers.”

“Lessen? How?” Troia said, a note of honest concern in her voice. If Eric was trying to save his own life, she could at least understand that.

“They started to become machines themselves. Bone began to become metal, flesh started to become cybernetic. They were literally becoming robots.”

Troia put a hand over her mouth. Terra and Starfire cursed.

Chaos nodded. “Yes. There was no way I could stabilize the condition. Fortunately, the problem came with it's own solution....for the subjects themselves, at least.”

Troia tensed; she knew she wasn't going to like this. “And that was?”

“Through physical contact with other people, they could replenish their humanity, by draining it from others. The process is gradual. For a normal person, it would take several weeks before there was a noticeable effect. For a person who already has powers, it would take even longer, as the subjects drained the power first.”

Troia leaned against the wall, trying to get her breathing under control. “So the.....person Eric touches....starts to become a robot instead?”

“No. He does not transfer his weakness, only steals their strength. A drained person gradually becomes weaker, until finally they are comatose.”

“And then killed?” asked Terra in a shocked voice.

“By the time they reach a comatose state, their isn't enough of their humanity left to make killing them worthwhile. And besides, a coma victim draws less attention than a corpse.”

“And looks like natural causes,” Troia said in a horrified whisper. She felt like she was going to throw up. “I suppose the.....the more physical contact Eric has with a subject, the faster the process?”

“Indeed. Though he wouldn't want to do it too fast; he would only need to take a certain amount to stabilize his condition at any given time. He could theoretically stop the decay forever, just by not using his powers anymore.”

“Except......that Eric could never bring himself to do that,” Troia said. “So he.....is walking a tightrope between using his powers and...and feeding on people.”

“That would be the natural inclination, yes.” Chaos nodded.

Troia closed her eyes and drew herself together. “Thank....thank you. For the information. We....we have to go talk to Eric, now.”

Chaos sat back. He didn't smile, though dark amusement showed in his eyes; he had gathered the gist of the situation from their reactions. “Give Eric my regards,” he said.