#he wanted to do an experiment with titanium to make a new green paint

[mycological-mariner]

“I never responded to your messages, I did see them but I just didn’t respond. Sorry.”

[frogmanwritings]

Chapters: 2/?

Fandom: Teen Titans (Animated Series)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Relationships: Beast Boy/Starfire

Characters: Garfield Logan, Beast Boy, Starfire, Koriand'r (DCU), Slade, Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, Robin, Robin (DCU), Dick Grayson, Cyborg (Character), Victor Stone, Raven (DCU), Rachel Roth

Additional Tags: Angst, Romance, Villains to Heroes, Fluff, Smut, Violence, Alternate Universe - Teen Titans (Animated Series) Setting, AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Evil

Summary: Garfield Wilson has lived with his adoptive father, Slade, since his parents died. Finally, after 5 years, Slade is sending him out to try and take down his rivals, the Teen Titans. How will a dark and mistreated Garfield react to them upon meeting them? How will he deal with their bright alien bringing a shine of positivity and joy to his life that he had hidden from him behind angst and abuse?

Links:

Fanfiction 

Ao3

It was a cold night, though that was nothing new to the man walking along the sidewalk, green eyes examining the sky above him. It was almost a perfect black, the small blend of ocean blue and even a deep violet mixed in with the colorless sky, coupled with white shining stars that held hints of gold in their gleam. The man had occasionally seen the sky through his small window, though he had to admit that it was far more gorgeous to look at without the restriction of fogged glass blocking his view. The stars were much clearer, even if they were just endless specks light-years away. The silver moon looked like it was yawning, holding a crescent shape and letting even more glistening mini suns shine his path.

Garfield Wilson couldn't help but take in the scenery. He was on a mission, to catch the attention of the infamous Teen Titans and let them know just which new 'baddie' was in town. And how would he go about doing that? Well by stealing a high-powered battle staff with both explosive and electric capabilities, something that Robin would drool over in comparison to his little metal Bo Staff.

The laboratory it was being held at was highly protected, with alarms being set up on all potential openings, and motion-detected lasers inside the establishment should an intruder get past those. Enough to scare off plenty of potential thieves with the threat of the police coming over, let alone the Titans. Good for Garfield however who wanted them to come to him, plus he'd get a pretty staff along with the fact.

Slade had scouted out the place previously and was able to easily identify each security measure the place took when it was closed off, and it turns out that security guards usually patrolled the outer entrances of the lab, but only on weekends. Likely due to financial restrictions placed onto the owner of the research facility by the mayor, it was well known that he didn't want Jump City to become a police state, instead relying simply on local police forces and the Teen Titans to protect the place. Rather foolish however, given the numerous superpowered villains patrolling the place, looking for any opening to make themselves bank. But politics were a very brutal game, and if Mr. "Say what the public wants me to say" wants to secure votes, he'll prohibit local establishment and non-government funded facilities have any sort of bodyguards patrolling.

The owner still used guards however, just on weekends and on non-busy police days, whatever the hell that meant. So easily enough, the heist of the staff was simply scheduled on a day that security guards weren't there, aka a nice Wednesday night.

Garfield soon came across the address given to him, surrounded by other research facilities, though their research seemed to be based more in medical purposes. Made the changeling wonder just why this laboratory in particular were crafting military grade weaponry. Unless the explosive tip of the staff actually blew up asprin and bandages of course, science was a mystery.

It was a wide white building, looking to be around two and a half stories tall. Black tinted windows were placed within 10 feet of each other along the side of the building, where Garfield suspected that those were where the workers and their desks were at. The upper level of the building held no windows and was much wider in space than the lower level, so he assumed not only was that where the lab workers held their experiments and research, but also where the staff was held.

Speaking of the apprentice, his mutated green skin, while starting out as a grass green color, had slowly dimmed down to a paler color that more resembled old moss rather than anything lively. Plenty of years living in a cellar will do that. His jawline was strong and firm, a pointed chin that looked like it could cut through steel pointing down to his torso. His hair had grown out all the way down to his neck, and puberty treated him well in the facial hair department, with some sick sideburns that stuck out, similar to that of another Logan across universes.

Despite his poor living conditions, Garfield certainly didn't look like it. He was still fairly short, only around 5'7" to 5'9" on a good day, but he had put on a decent chunk of weight. He wasn't a bodybuilder, but his muscles were well defined and his torso was almost rock-solid, with his six-pack being his most prized possession on his body. Around 180lbs of muscle, he certainly wasn't no pushover, along with his naturally enhanced strength and durability. No Superman, and he wasn't sure just what his limit in strength was, but he was confident in saying he was stronger than any other human around.

But he didn't just have to rely on his pure strength, being Slade's son did come with benefits, and oh boy did he have some weapons to spare. A Bowie knife, numerous flashbangs, a Grapple Gun, smokeballs, even a few sticky bombs, all strapped to a utility belt tied around his waist. Dressed in a black jumpsuit that resembled the outfit of a Doom Patrol uniform, the purple was replaced with the bronze-orange that was painted over one half of Slade's mask. Armored gaunlets were wrapped around his wrists, made of reflective titanium designed to block just about anything, including energy blasts, which just so happened to be the primary weapon of one of his adversaries in Starfire.

Of course, he still had his collar, gray and made of steel as well, dogtags hung off the front, one with the same 'S' as on his headband, along with the other one having his 'new name' in Garfield Wilson craved into the metal. To wield the staff and not get electrocuted, he wore special-protective gloves, the palms of them made of an absorbive rubber that would, at best, tickle his hands should the sparks of the weapon ever come in contact with them. At the back of his neck was where he would store the staff, a natural sheath that was perfect for any sword and staff, and was also what was used to hook onto the wooden pillar in his 'room'.

Rather than going through the front door, Garfield used his grapple gun to fire a zipline right onto the roof of the second floor. Climbing up, there wasn't any sort of vent or glass roof like he assumed, perking frustration out of the changeling before just deciding to blast right into the place. He had bombs to spare, and besides, might as well not have that first zipline be a waste and make a grand entrance.

Unhooking one of the sticky bombs from his belt, he planted it on no specific part of the roof, giving the thumb that was being used to hold the explosive a smooch before doing so. Gar pushed the red button atop the bomb and quickly ran a safe distance away, not even bothering to shield his eyes or plug his ears, simply watching the bomb tick and tick and tick before...

*BOOM*

Immediately, the explosion triggered the laboratory's alarms, flashing red lights going throughout the entire establishment, which was going to be almost unavoidable regardless if he wanted the attention or not. But once the smoke and dust cleared, Garfield jumped down, immediately greeted with the typical white layout of the place, colorless walls and colorless floors making for a rather bland room.

But he didn't much care for decorations, he was more focused on the glass case that held the staff, though the shapeshifter suspected it wasn't any sort of simple glass that could be broken with a sneeze, especially so with the gleaming metal that outlined the container. Designed to hold out average humans, Garfield certainly didn't see himself as one of those, and thus he decided to test his strength out.

Cracking his knuckles, he lifted up the prized possession, the staff itself around 4 feet long, sleek silver design with one of the tips holding a black rounded tip which he could only assume to be the explosive tip. And the other end held a black button, he could assume that's how you turned on the electric properties of the glorified stick.

The cylinder container had plenty of buttons on the top of it, as well as a hatch that was locked up and wouldn't bulge, even as he tried to rip it open. Obviously there was suppose to be some sort of password he could enter that would open it up, but with the alarms going off, that also meant that the lab computers were shut down completely until the security system was manually turned off. And like hell was he going to try and figure all of that out.

So, Garfield went after what seemed the most vulnerable, the glass. Holding the container up with one arm, he lifted his other, pointing his elbow out and after a deep breath, slammed it down. Painful? Definitely, but the glass showed signs of cracking, and thus he bit his tongue and slammed the sharp of his arm down once again, and after a third attempt, the protective cover was broken open, and the changeling from there tore the rest of it open, tossing the shattered glass and buzzing metal to the side for his prize.

Placing his hands firmly on the pads of the staff, he gave the thing a few swings, being surprisingly heavy for its scrawny size, but he wasn't about to back down from the challenge of wielding the thing. As for his escape... might as well put the baby to the test. Finding the wall that faced out towards the street, he held the staff back before thrusting it forward, letting the explosive tip make wreckage of the pure white walls, clearing out a rather sizeable hole in the building.

"Nice." He remarked, looking rather proud of his find before actually looking out the hole he created and seeing... a police car? The station was across town, how the hell were police here already? It was just a stray vehicle however, and of course, Garfield immediately thought of the gas station just a block away. Cop was probably harassing some clerk when he heard the alarm go off.

And speaking of the cop... where was he? The changeling could tell right away that he wasn't in his car, even through the tinted windows and there wasn't anywhere that he could hide behind with the way he parked it over the sidewalk.

And just as he connected the dots of where the pig could possibly be, the cock of a pistol rung in his ears, along with a deep-voiced demand. "Drop the weapon!" The male yelled out, though right away Gar could hear that he wasn't fully confident in his words. Why would he be, he was a loaded out green man with some stiff muscles and a deadly staff in his hands. Not even turning around, the shapeshifter just perked his brow and kept his same exact stance. "I just want the Teen Titans, I don't want to kill you now." His monotone voice remarked, and only half of that was a lie. He DID want the Teen Titans to come to him, but there was a certain part of him that was curious of just what killing someone felt like and this shaky cop might just be the perfect candidate.

"Drop it now, man!" The officer seemingly completely ignored his words, once again making a nervous demand, trying to hide it behind a loud yell, but the apprentice could easily make out the emotions in his voice. He was scared, and there was a tiny part of him that felt bad for the guy, but then again, he was also a complete dumbass entering the place without any sort of backup in sight. And he even tried to let the suit off, giving him a chance to get out of here so he could wait for the Titans, but nope.

The station would be better off with someone different wearing that badge, Garfield ultimately decided, but.. the cop did have the advantage right now. Any sort of sudden movement and he could catch himself with a bullet in him. So a quick plan was arranged, and the shapeshifter slowly and steadily raised his arms up in surrender, the staff being held in between his index fingers and thumbs, dangling temptingly. "Come and take it."

After a few seconds of silence, Logan eventually did hear the officer slowly step forward towards him. Slow, hesitant steps that further showed just how fearful he was. Each little tap made the changeling more eager, just waiting. "No sudden movements, you hear me?" The cop ordered, and Gar silently responded with a slow and sure nod, pressing his thumbs firm on the staff while his pinkie waited for just the right moment to move.

Feeling those sweaty fingers placed on the metal of the staff, what came next might've came across as a shock. Literally. A yell of anguish came out of the cop's mouth as the advanced electricity of the staff was turned on by the teenager and burned his hand, and Garfield was quick to react, snatching ahold of the pistol that was previously aimed at the back of his head, making sure that the bullet that was panic fired from the chamber hit the floor several feet away. Holding the staff in one hand, he made quick use of the officer's own pistol, the next two shots fired, both piercing and flying through the forehead of his adversary.

Logan watched as the cop fell, not much like the early, early shows and movies he barely remembered watching as a child. Instead of jumping backyards several feet, his victim kinda fell on himself, the top half of his body slumping downward while his legs gave out on him and collapsed on the ground. Landing on his tailbone first, the rest of the body fell backwards, and a mean sounding *thump* accompanied the head slamming against the tiled floor.

The officer was around his height, but had a hefty gut on him, his blue police uniform barely holding on around his fat. His arms had hair growing along them, and looking up towards his face, clear blue eyes stared blankly up towards the exposed roof, blood seeping out from the two bullet holes that were above each eyebrow on him. The thing was that... they still seemed alive, though only briefly. Several emotions ran throughout them that interested the changeling. Fear... Confusion... Sorrow... Regret... too many to count before they quickly clouded over and went cross. His mouth was gaped, as if trying to say his final words, but nothing came out, just a small heave, his final breath...

Oddly, Garfield felt... nothing. He expected some sort of high afterwards that motivated him forward, maybe even regret that would shift his opinion on doing this entire job, but... nothing. The dark-skinned officer's body laying lifeless before him didn't do much for him, and even seeing the gushing blood pooling around the back of his head, though if that was from the bullet shots or his head smashing into the tile on his way down was unknown, it all was just something that happened.

The most emotion he felt was actually a bit of disorientation after having those gunshots fired so close to his sensitive ears, using his pinkie to pick at his earlobes as if just murdering that man was an inconvenience for him and his poor eardrums. There was also a bit of confusion, Gar being able to hear some sort of static sounding voice, before realizing that it was coming from the cop's communicator. He couldn't make out the exact words but it seemed like whoever was on the other end of it was urgently asking for his partner's status. Sorry fella. He unapologetically thought to himself, stuffing the freshly fired pistol into one of his holsters before doing the same with the stolen staff, this time securing it in the hole on the back of his collar.

Glancing back at the hole in the wall he made, Garfield walked forward until the tips of his toes hung off the edge, green gaze examining the outerior of the laboratory and finding himself disappointed that the Titans hadn't arrived yet. At least, under the sound of hot rubber grinding over asphlat alerted him to the sight of a blue and silver convertible turning on the block and heading right in his direction. A bit odd, until he recognized the cybernetic look of the blue that perfectly matched the half metal Titan, and looking through the windshield, that just confirmed it. Cyborg.

Pulling his stolen pistol back out of the holster, he took aim at the vehicle, closing one eye and taking a breath before firing off two shots, aimed at the wheels. However, the bullets merely bounced off of them as if they were nothing, and before he could shoot anymore, his gun was enveloped in a black aura and quickly dismantled in front of him. And finally, Gar managed to glance forward just in time to see a shining green ball of energy fly his way, ducking and avoiding it and letting it crash into the desks in the laboratory.

About time.

The Teen Titans. Cyborg and Robin jumped out of the convertible and stared up at the green changeling, while Starfire and Raven joined them, hovering idly with the same looks of determination in their eyes. And really, this was the first time the apprentice had a chance to get an actual look at the team. Based solely off of descriptions, he had a small idea of just what they looked like, but when face-to-face, it was a whole 'nother thing.

Robin stood in front of the pack, the leader of the group, and his iconic look still remained even after leaving Gotham behind. Domino mask, slicked black hair and a colorful combination of green, yellow and red in his outfit. His jawline was like a reverse pyramid, pointing downward diagonally into a pointed chin. He was rather thin, though his father made sure to tell him that behind his slim build, he held the strength to combat even the strongest of adversaries, including Cinderblock and Mammoth.

Cyborg was easily the biggest of the group, standing well over 6 foot even in his teenage years. Most of his body and head composed of a sleek gray and blue design that seemed extra futuristic. A red eye glowed angrily at him, while a icy blue human eye was squinted, as if he was confused about the appearance of the man he was staring at. Have you seen yourself in the mirror, tough guy?

Raven was probably the most boring to look at. Most of her body was hidden behind a night-sky colored cloak, though he could just make out her thin lips pursed in a frown as she looked upward, along with shapely gray legs that were short enough to make her the smallest of the group. But even at her small size, he knew he had to be careful around her, given her immense power.

And Starfire... god was she was a looker. Flowing autumn-colored hair, tall curvy body that could make any woman jealous, all secured in a revealing purple outfit. Her fists were hidden by two glowing green orbs that increased and decreased in size each second. But the most intriguing thing about the alien was those eyes... A fierce colored green that were like prizeless emeralds, her pupils were wide and shone with almost unbreakable will. And in the darkness of the night, they shone like two mini stars.. the shine of them just so captivating. Hidden behind her will was also a layer of passion and compassion that caused a gentle smirk to cross the face of the changeling. Certainly the most attractive of the Titans and also the most interesting...

"Slade... seems like he found himself a new apprentice." Cyborg's heavy voice was the first to speak, surprisingly unaffected by any of the robotics on him, sounding perfectly normal. Perhaps he still had his lungs underneath all that metal. The human eye of the half robot then widened as his red eye glowed for a split second. "My god. You have Sakutia... how are you still breathing, man?"

"Seems that tech of yours is more advanced than Father described." Garfield first spoke to the Titans, making sure his voice was as sharp and menacing as it could be, finishing his statement with a snarl. However, it seemed that his three companions didn't share the shock of Cyborg's, looking at their friend with a confused look. "Sakutia was a deadly disease most commonly found in animals in Africa, kinda like rabies. Except no one's been able to survive it once they've been infected, since it attacks their cells and mutates them before slowly melting down. It's a slow and painful death, thankfully extremely rare, which makes me question how this guy is alive." Their friend thankfully explained however.

After the medical lesson, Robin was the one who perked up the most, Logan being able to see his eyes widen underneath his black and white mask. "Wait, father? Slade has a son?" He questioned, furrowing his brow as a demanding finger pointed upward. "Slade does not seem like the type to doing the settling and conceive bumgorfs." Starfire thought outloud, looking at Robin with a curious gaze, who seemed more determined than thoughtful at the moment.

Ignoring the word vomit that was whatever the alien just said, Garfield just shook his head, growing more and more bored by the second. And if they weren't going to initiate combat, then he will! Snatching one of his sticky bombs from his belt, he gave the button a quick tap before tossing it like a frisbee in the direction of the Titans, who quickly split up to avoid it, leaving it to stick onto the spare police car on the street, a few idle beeps ticking before eventually the vehicle exploded in epic fashion, fire and car parts flying across the air.

Jumping down from the second story of the laboratory, he was quickly greeted with a charging Robin, who jumped and spun in the air, looking for an overhead kick. Quickly, Garfield caught the metal-plated boot, having to exert some strength in order to hold the bird boy in place, and the look of surprise on the pale teen's face was quite satisfying before the changeling swung him by the ankle, tossing him through one of the windows of the laboratory.

Green starbolts rained down on him soon afterwards, and the apprentice had to jump and spin out of the way of the balls of energy, even using his gauntlets to block one of them before finding himself right in front of the towering Cyborg. Ducking an incoming punch, Garfield tried his hand in giving the robot a punch to the gut, only to find his knuckles ache while his adversary barely moved an inch. "Really man?" Victor questioned him before lifting up a metallic knee, hitting him square in the gut and forcing a heave out of the green teen.

Finding himself getting frustrated early on, especially so after the cybernetic Titan tossed across the street and having to roll out of the way of an alien starbolt once more, Garfield decided to approach things differently now.

As a black-encased mailbox flew in his direction, the changeling decided to introduce his powers into the fight, quickly shifting into a gorilla and turning the flying weapon into rubble with a double fist pound, followed up by a roar. Thankfully his collar and utility belt were designed to endure and grow with his transformations, he still had his weapons at hand should he need them. Hearing Cyborg let out a "Woah!" of surprise, along with seeing the levitating Raven's eyes widen, Garfield went on the attack, jumping up into the air towards the cloaked woman.

She in turn tried to shield herself with her dark powers, but the pure strength of the gorilla was enough to knock her down to the ground regardless, breaking her barrier and causing the changeling to land right atop of her. Shifting back into his human form, he gave a cocky smirk to the empath who had her hood down now, exposing her large violet eyes and short cut hair, along with a red charkra on the center of her forehead. "Azarath Metri-mmph!" Raven began her chant, but Garfield wasn't about to allow that, shoving the side of his hand into her mouth and gagging her while his other hand brought out his Bowie knife.

Before he could do anything with it however, the apprentice found himself knocked several yards away from the demon with a painful burning sensation in his side. Gripping at his hip, he looked upward to find both the beautiful Starfire and menacing Cyborg standing in front of him now. Numbers game is no joke. He thought bitterly to himself, narrowing his eyes as he watched the muscled half-robot transform one of his arms into what looked like a cannon, an almost blinding blue building up in its interior.

Tossing his knife directly into the cannon's gaped opening before it could fire, Garfield transformed into a bear, jumping forward and knocking the staggered Cyborg into a lightpole with one of his powerful paws before turning his attention to the Tamaranean, turning into a fly to avoid one of her punches, before turning back into a human to grab her outstretched arm and judo-throw her over his head.

Pulling out the stolen staff that was stuck to his back, Garfield gripped it nice and tight before turning it on, the odd sensation of the electricity sparkling against his protected palms almost ticklish. More shadow-covered objects were being tossed his way, from lightpoles to tires and even objects from the laboratory, like the desks and chairs that were on the first floor of the establishment. The changeling was quick to react, ducking and swerving out of the way of the smaller and thinner objects and using the explosive tip of the staff to blow up the larger objects, leaving only bits of them to brush against his face.

However, Raven wasn't quite done with him yet, flying forward and landing a quick roundhouse to his jaw while he was still seeking smoke. Staggered, Garfield grunted and turned off the staff momentarily, using it to block the demon's barrage of kicks and palm strikes. She wasn't slow or anything, but in comparison to his sparring partner being Slade? She was an amateur, and her moves were easily predictable. Before long, the villain caught one of the arms that struck forward, holding it firm in between his elbow and his side, and he quickly retaliated with a headbutt square in between her eyebrows.

A cry of pain escaped her mouth, and his forehead could feel the bone it struck down on break under its hit. Satisfied, he then transformed into a kangaroo, using those heavy hitting legs to kick the staggered Raven far and high, right into the exposed hole on the second story of the laboratory. However, he didn't get much time to celebrate, as he once again had to use his staff to deflect a Birdarang that was closed in on his chest.

These Titans did not stay down easily, as once more, Garfield found himself outnumbered, Cyborg managing to tug the knife free from his arm, Starfire flying above and Robin charging forward once more. This would be difficult, as now all three looked to close in on him.

Transforming back into a gorilla, Logan let out a loud yell before using a massive hand to swat at Robin, missing his mark but at least keeping him a safe distance away while he thought up a strategy for the approaching robot. Some sparks were flying from his right arm, which gave the changeling an idea as he blocked another kick from the leader of the group. He just needed a bit of separation from Bird Boy..

Using the explosive tip of the staff, he stabbed down directly at Robin's feet, forcing him to jump backward, just as Cyborg had closed the distance between the two. A wild swing came his way, which Garfield managed to easily dodge before grabbing at the weakened shoulder of the mechanical man with a powerful mitten. A screech followed as the pure strength of the primate allowed him to rip the metal arm clean off of the body of the half-robot. And just in case, Gar quickly shifted back into his human form, turned on the staff and stuck it into the now exposed wiring of Vic.

Sparks and bolts came out as electricity danced along the wires and mechanics of Cyborg, smoke even floating upward from it before eventually, a loud pop was heard from inside his body and the massive half-man fell to the ground, human eye closed.

Starbolts rained down on him now, followed up with several Birdarangs, not all of which Garfield could dodge, eventually knocking him to the ground and causing him to lose his staff as it slid and bounced out of his grasp. He could feel blood run down his side, along with several bruises and burn marks over his chest and back. And he was getting tired, sweat pouring from his hairline down his face and soaking his top.

Looking forward at the two remaining Titans, they didn't look very happy with them either, Starfire's eyes glowing green and an enraged look on Robin's face. No chance they were going to let him get up without being able to knock him back down, with their ranged weapons and his lack of any. He needed just a bit of time to regain his energy, to be able to shift again to finish this...

"Goddamn." Garfield let himself remark, a pained chuckle escaping afterwards, his tongue flopping out of his mouth to wet his lips as he rolled over onto his back, looking forward at the two Titans. "When Father said you guys were strong, he wasn't lying..." He made sure to put emphasis on 'Father', and looking at the perked eyebrows of Robin and knowing his near obsession with Slade, it seemed that was a good choice as he just stomped forward and stood over the fallen changeling.

Garfield raised his hands up in 'surrender' as his collar was grasped and tugged on, forcing the green apprentice to get face-to-face with the leader. "Who ARE you? What is your father after?" The domino-masked teen interrogated his enemy, a vicious snarl on his face.

"Garfield." Was his simple answer, purposefully leaving his second question up in the air and even teasingly perking his brows as he spoke. "Garfield's the name. Though Logan is.. also acceptable." It was clear frustration was beginning to seep into the bird boy, that grimace of his tightening, as well as the grip on his collar. There you go, keep it up.. Gar enticed in his head, slowly lowering one of his hands down while spreading the fingers on his other as it was raised in defeat.

"Garfield... what's your last name?" Robin then growled, giving his collar a shake while his free hand tightened in anger. "Oh.. wouldn't you love to know.. First name's Garfield, middle name's Logan, that's all you're getting out of me." The changeling answered tauntingly, which only made the leader more frustrated, though he seemed to accept defeat on that matter before moving on.

"What is Slade after?!"

Almost.. Garfield thought, his hand almost to that smoke bomb on his utility belt, his energy returning to him as time went on and he stalled.

"Well, not sure how much concern it is to you, but it actually has to do with your girlfriend there. Starfire, I believe?" The changeling lied slyly, nodding towards the Tamaranean who was standing feet away. He wasn't exactly a good liar, but in his anger-filled state, it seemed that statement was enough to get Robin intrigued, and Starfire herself as well, blinking a few times out of confusion.

"What would Slade want out of me?" She asked, only earning a sigh from Garfield. "I'm not going to tell you that now, really I've said more than I should've." He condescendingly taunted the woman, which only earned him a punch across the jaw from who was ontop of him. He really does like her.. He thought bitterly, feeling blood beginning to pool in his mouth after the hard hit.

"What does he want with-" Robin's question was interrupted by Garfield, who spit his own blood into the face of the bird boy, and before he could retaliate, an explosion of smoke clouded over them both. "Robin!" Starfire shrieked, however she wasn't going to be much help for him as a flashbang suddenly went off just under her feet, blinding her and making her stagger on her feet. The changeling quickly shifted into his gorilla form, grabbing ahold of the face of the leader. Giving it a tight squeeze, so badly wanting to just pop the head of the bitch who managed to win over his father's affection, he instead gave him a punch to the gut, causing him to spit out blood in return, though likely not on purpose like Gar's spit.

Tossing the body of Robin out of the smoke and onto the windshield of the convertible he arrived in, Garfield then leaped forward, cupping his fists and slamming them down atop the disorientated alien, planting her into the road. Slade wanted to send a message alright, and that was exactly what his apprentice was planning on doing. Walking over to his staff which had fallen several feet away from him, Logan grabbed it and walked over to the body of Starfire, body stirring on the ground.

Here's your goddamn mess- Garfield was about to drive the explosive tip of the staff right onto the face of Starfire, Robin's closest ally and teach him a lesson for having his father choose him, HIM, to be his apprentice over his own damn son, but then, she opened her eyes...

Something in her eyes made him hesitate. She was still disorientated and in clear pain as she could only wriggle on the ground below him as her pupils looked up at him, and yet... he couldn't do it. Garfield WANTED to take away that bird boy's crush, and the perfect opportunity was here to do that, but her eyes shone in a way that he had never seen before. The night stars above them reflected off of her wide pupils, her irises were like emeralds and the shine of the stars made them twinkle so beautifully. And once the helpless Tamaranean realized the position she was in, emotion screamed at him through her gorgeous gaze. They were silently begging for him not to hurt her anymore, pupils wobbling in fear, which only made the shine in her eyes glitter even more. And even in her scared state, Garfield could make out the pure passion and innocence that laid behind her irises that filled him up with a feeling that he couldn't pinpoint. She.. she didn't deserve this.

His pursuit of revenge slowly evaporated, and instead came in an attraction towards the Titan that he wasn't sure was there before. Sure, she was beautiful, he noted that before, but seeing her like this, the way her eyes looked at him... He had no trouble ending the life of the one police officer in the laboratory, but now, fear actually raked his body. Garfield hated it, but his body trembled as regret clouded his mind over hurting such a... precious soul.

He had to get out of there, quick. Sheathing the staff behind him on his collar, Garfield got away from Starfire, in which he could just make out the last look in her eye before he ran away, back to his father. She was confused, but there was another emotion there that made his heart swell.

Curiosity.

[elcorhamletlive]

fandom: MCU (Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron) (Post-Captain America: Civil War) ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark tags: Fluff and Angst/Angst with a Happy Ending/Character Study/Pining summary: The thing about hating Steve Rogers is that it shouldn’t be easy - but it really, really is.

[ecotone99]

[RF] The Voices In My Head

---PAGE ONE--- The sounds in my head get louder every day, sometimes it’s quiet whispering and sometimes it’s loud bawling, I want them to stop, no. I need them to stop every night I’m rattling in fear. Every day I’m freezing and sweating at the same time. For a while, my family thought I was having withdrawal problems with my medication, and for a while, I did too. They sent me to therapy and every session was a constant reminder of how I was such a failure. The first five minutes would be fine, no voices in my head. She would ask me why I felt this way and then… screaming in my left ear would start, flashing images of a man in a white shirt and black tie walking out of a building on fire shouting for help, and sobbing in my head would start getting louder and louder, I would start crying. At one session the noise was so much I cried for at least five hours. I would’ve probably cried longer except it started to hurt to cry. My therapist tells me every day is a new day with new opportunities and new choices to make and that I should use that to my advantage to overcome my problem. My voices in my head would start getting louder and louder until I could not hear myself cry They tell me to go to this place, sometimes I consider leaving the depressing abyss I call my bedroom, the closest I’ve ever gotten to leave my room without being physically dragged, was when I hadn’t even eaten anything for the last four days, I was just about to turn the doorknob then at that very moment when the palm of my hand touched the metal, the voices exploded, the only one I could make out was ‘come find us and set us free’ that one seemed loudest for me, now I know it was because that was the person who I would want to spend the rest of my life with This day the voices were unbearable, but if you think about it unbearable means you can’t live the pain of something, but I did. The voices were a lot louder to the point when actual blood started pouring out of my ears. Maybe if that happened earlier about a month ago I would’ve been scared, now I’m just lying on my bed with my blood slowly spreading over the white sheets. I’ve never noticed how my ceiling has knives sticking out of them, to be honest I can’t remember when I did that, every day is merging into one another, waking up with a headache and crying in my ears, my mother brining me up breakfast even though she knows I won’t eat it, I drink half a glass of water and go back to bed, I start shivering even though I have three quilts over me and then I’m dragged out of my room by my brother and my father while I’m screaming and kicking, my brother is the most understanding out of everyone in my family, I can’t imagine why, maybe he feels sorry for my boyfriend leaving me, maybe he feels sorry for my life turning out to be a failure, my bachelor’s degree in medicine being useless now, I wanted to be a doctor and travel to a part of the world where there were no doctors and help the deserving families of that province and train families how to deal with this by themselves when I was away working to earn money to fund this life style, even though it was going to be expensive I wanted to do this to make someone else’s life happier, it’s funny how I spent all that time in medical school to help someone and now I’m the insane one who needs helping Normally we drive through the city to get to my therapist's appointment but today the traffic was really heavy and my farther decided to drive around the outskirts of the city, on hindsight we should’ve just stayed in the traffic, my father ran over a pothole and something in our car came loose. We were about half an hour from a mechanic, while my brother and father were arguing about who should push the car only one voice was playing in my head, it sounded like the same one who wanted me to find him, the voice that I longed to hear. It said at almost a whisper ‘walk ten minutes forward in the direction you are going and help me escape’ in an instance I asked my father if I could stretch my legs. He was probably shocked and surprised to hear me ask to do something I used to do every day. My brother offered to come with me to keep me company, If I could’ve cared anymore I would’ve said no. but this day I was so desperate to know what caused me so much pain and suffering. Ten minutes later I’m standing outside an empty Italian pizza place, it has a dark brown tile roof with three wooden beams going down it, and the windows are still dusty. I grab my brother’s hand and push the door, it’s locked though. Even though I’m not wearing any shoes and my feet are aching from walking since I hadn’t done this much exercise in so long. I kicked the glass pane blocking me from whatever I wanted to know, my brother stood there in shock and I crawled through the opening in the glass. No sounds in my head and with every step, I take the more blood I lose until the bottom of my pajamas is stained with crimson blood. I’m looking at a picture of something I can’t tell what it is it's too blurry, I wonder why anyone would frame this. I just realized I was being watched by something, it had the shadow of a person but nothing was standing there to cast that shadow, maybe I lost too much blood. The shadow came closer and I felt something touch my shoulder. The man wearing a white shirt and black tie had a cut leg too, he had blonde hair and glasses his face looked a little square and he was shouting for help louder this time, that was the last thing I saw. I don’t know what happened but I’m now in a dark green room. ---PAGE TWO--- The room I’m in is white just looks dark green with the light illuminating from the vents. There are, no voices in my head, no crying, no shouting and no screaming for help. I don’t care where I am, as long as I have no voices in my head. The first few hours were fine until someone asked me to find them, someone asking me to free them, someone asking me to play with them, someone asking me to talk to them. None of these were the voices that I longed to hear - maybe I should do something, maybe I should try and escape this room. I want to know what happened to my brother, and I wondered what this place was. I decided to get up from the mattress I had been lying on for the past few hours or maybe it was days? Without a clock or the sun, a person’s sense of time starts to go. The door wasn’t even locked, just push it open, it was metal. 24 hours’ was written on the front side in black ink, or maybe it was painted. One voice in my head told me to go into the light and another told me to run into the dark where I could be safe. I didn’t know what to choose the answer was so simple just walk in one direction, if I want to go to the light I should just go left and if I wanted to go into the darkness I should just go right, I stood there for about an hour just wondering what I should do. Finally one voice I don’t think I had heard before, it sounded like it was a little girl, her voice was high pitched her ‘l`s’ sounded like ‘w`s’. She told me to go into the dark and rescue her; I decided to go into the light for some reason. There was an elevator in the light, it was blinding and voices in my head were starting to get louder telling me to run. I never noticed how my hair still looks perfect after not taking care of it for several months, black hair and white walls. I started laughing for some reason. The elevator door opened a wheelchair was in it, I was going to go in the elevator and get the wheelchair out I didn’t though, I don’t know what I was thinking I made what would probably be considered the biggest mistake in my life, I turned around and walked into the dark wondering what was in there. They all have white eyes and their mouths go all the way around their heads with an actual hinge to keep the two parts of their heads together their skin radiates cold, they all wear black and they are tear stains going down their cheeks, the girl runs up to me and take my hand, its dit's cold. Maybe they are dead. She tells me why I’m here, what I’m supposed to be doing, how they got me here and how sorry they are for ruining my life. Maybe this is all a dream and I’m about to wake up. The girls name is Amy, she told me she was the result of a genetic mutation, she was supposed to an immortal, a person who would live forever, a person who didn’t get sick, a person who couldn’t be destroyed, a person a thousand times stronger than titanium, the strongest metal on earth. Yes she could live forever and yes she was almost indestructible she had to pay the price for it; she had to stay the same physical body, voice, and way of thinking for life. I ask her if there are any more people like her down here. She tells me there are about twenty other types of people down here, they can’t go near each other because their genetic mutations react negatively with each other, some minimally and some on a larger scale. She tells most of the people down here volunteered for the experiment hoping to live forever, hoping to never die, hoping to never get hurt, and knowing you will always have time. Different mutations mean different abilities, the people that altered her tried to remove that piece of brain that turns you old, and removing that piece that makes you feel pain, removing that piece is extremely painful, you wake up with the top of your head sliced open and the pupils of your eyes turning neon white and your eyes glowing illuminating a faint light, every one like her ended up with half of their skull becoming very weak and eventually snapping and that’s why they have hinges on the back of their heads, they don’t eat, don’t need to breathe, don’t need to sleep, don’t need to rest, don’t need to do anything to keep them alive. She tells me that there are a lot more people who want to meet me. ---PAGE THREE--- I’m walking in pitch black; it feels like the floor is wet. It’s slowly getting deeper but the floor doesn’t feel slanted. After about fifteen minutes later I’m swimming with my neck above the water, I can hear music and I see flickering lights in the distance, now and then the music changes and the water gets higher. I can make out the silhouettes of five people for dancing with each other and one sitting on the edge of what I think is a stage, its grey and round. The water is his tears that he constantly cries Four people are dancing one lady which I now know is called Beatrice has light purple skin she is wearing a long violet dress with pink crescents on the end of her dress, her hair was only a shade darker than her dress, it was tied in a bun with a pink scrunchie. The person she was dancing with was a man in a pink and white suit, his hair was straight and almost covered his forehead completely, and he wore a black top hat that had a glowing pink band going around it. There was another lady dressed in a pale yellow and white dress that puffed out just enough to cover her knees, it looked a little like a tutu but it wasn’t a tutu. She was twirling around at exceptional speeds; I was getting dizzy just looking at her. She was being spun by a man in all blue. He had white skin and a blue suit with different colored triangles on it. One person sat there on the small light grey circular stage, he was crying. Crying tears that filled the circular room we were in. crying the tears which looked like they would never stop. Music seemed to radiate from him and every step everyone else took was like a note of a different instrument being played. The one radiating music stood out for me like I had known him my entire life, he wore a green and black suit, and his curly hair was dark green, almost black. Where the whites of his eyes were supposed to be; it was black, both eyes were as soulless as my life once was. His suit was glowing faintly with green sparkle. I swam over to him and grabbed his foot. It was as hot as coal. I pulled it back and he looked up. He gave me a gloved hand it was warm. He helped me up and was probably going to hug me, but he knew he would burn me, he explained what he was exactly and how he was sorry for ruining my life. He says he was offered the chance to live forever. Someone he knew was conducting a scientific experiment, he jumped at the opportunity. He was told the procedure was very safe, that the people who had done this to him were to boost the part of the brain that produces energy if a person produces more mental energy your physical body is tricked into believing that it still has energy so that it is overworked without any major consequences, there was an entire team of lawyers getting this through the human rights department, even though his case the case was dismissed; he went through with it anyway. With his mind producing so much energy his body tries to get rid of it in any way possible; that’s why his body temperature is so hot and why he produces music, the other has to keep dancing to burn off the excess energy. He tells me that I have to go back and meet one more person to fully understand why I’m here I know I was stupid, but I thought I would end up with him ---PAGE FOUR--- The pool of tears I’m swimming through is starting to go cold when I came through earlier they were still warm. Could someone cry this much in twenty minutes? Why would someone imprison so many people into this forsaken place? Maybe I can help them, maybe I can save everyone here, maybe I can bring these people back to the world they once lived in, and maybe I could re-unite them with the people they used to love. The tears feel like there congealing, I need to use more effort to swim through them and I feel like if I don’t I’m stuck in place. I wonder what caused the man in the green suit to cry so much, what would happen to the other people like him if they did stop dancing, would they die? A few seconds later I’m out of the tears and walking on the cold metal floors, above me it seems like rats are running around in the vents different dark lights occasionally come out of them sometimes dark green, sometimes dark red or sometimes dark blue. They aren’t rats though their footsteps are way too heavy. I was going back in the way I came until I heard a scream, it sounded like there was a liquid gurgling in that scream. I was skeptical about what to do, continue going straight or turn left and maybe save someone's life. Maybe that makes me a bad person to take that long to choose between saving a life and going to someone I don’t even know. I eventually choose to go left and at least see what was causing that noise and if it wasn’t anything I could just turn back. ‘Voices in your head were what bought you here’ echoed through my ears. At first, I was just touching the walls and using only that to guide me, a stunning flash of light came on. I was disorientated and my eyes were still adjusting to the light. It felt like I was being dragged across the floor while someone held my foot, I thought it was just my mind, and I only opened my eyes when I felt something cold and sticky go on my back. I opened my eyes and I was being dragged down a long white corridor. A shadow of a hand wrapped around my foot and I was leaving a trail of blood as I went along. For the first time in what seemed forever, I cried not because of the pain but because I was sad. Maybe I passed out, maybe I blacked out. I wake up tied to a wooden chair; it felt like it had just been re-glossed. Across me is a metal fan going fast enough to cut someone open. I saw my brother strapped to a white wooden plank, with metal cuff links around both his arms and both his legs. His chest ripped open and blood coming out of his eyes, nose, and mouth. Was he dead? Was he unconscious? Did he pass out from fear? People that looked a little like Amy surrounded him pulling his insides out and carefully placing them on different trays. One saw me and pointed without speaking they all looked at me. They looked like three-dimensional shadows. No eyes and no mouths, no ears, and no noses. If they were far away enough they could pass for men standing still. They all simultaneously turned back to my brother. With a wrench, one cut open my brother's rib cage. Carefully he took what I think was his liver out of him. I was a little too far away to be sure. The same shadow creature came over to me, he untied me and he moved me to a different room. I guess they didn’t want me to see my brother like that from the waist down. I've been counting the seconds in my head, it been about twenty minutes. The door opened and one of the shadow creatures came in, his footsteps left behind a trail of thick black sludge, human footprints but this creature didn’t have the foot size of a human, it was the shape of a human footprint but not the right size. Sometimes we focus on the smallest details that we lose sight on the problems at hand I'm shoved into the room, where my brother previously was held. Severed limbs occupied the empty spaces of the floor. I’m hit over the head with something; I’m not sure what it was. It was something hollow and metal; it made a noise when it hit my head. They must think I'm unconscious or maybe they just want me to feel pain once again They are very strong they ripped my left arm off, it still hurts too. I screamed as loud as I could until I started coughing up blood, it was almost like a gurgle. They pull out an arm that looks human but I now know it’s robotic. The shadow creatures are people that tried to turn themselves immortal and they want to help the world Without complicating this, the shadow creatures used to be people who wanted to find a cure for death, experimental testing led to the making of people like Amy and the man in the green suit, they can leave if they have someone else's body to take, that’s where me and my brother come in. being contacted by failed experiments telepathically. Losing your mind and not being able to do anything about it, until you’re so desperate to find answers about what caused you so much pain and suffering, I guess that’s why the man in the green suit apologized and why he was crying so heavily when I found him. My brother looks mostly human except if you listen closely you can hear a soft humming noise inside him. The shadow creatures replaced his organs with cogs and gears; some are bigger than the others. Some look rusted, some look like the gear on a bicycle. They all turn at different speeds; it's weird how bad things happen to good people I don’t know what the shadow creatures were thinking. They put me in something like a box. It’s a little like a jack in a box though. It has a withered handle on the left side and the paint on it is chipping off. My skin is black and instead of fingers, I have claws. My teeth are like sharp glass and razor blades. If you look close enough you can see faint scars finding in the black of my skin. For my eyes I have two black holes, it’s a wonder how I can still see. There are streams of bright red blood coming out of what are supposed to be my eyes and my mouth. I have no nose and no ears; I guess I don’t have a face I found a white bracelet next to a black leather book with a black pen inside it. The white bracelet has little dragons on it. Footsteps of blood trail away from the bracelet, book, and pen I found. The man in the green suit and Amy must've left. No one answers me or my brother's questions about them. I'm getting used to crawling around. At least I'm not considered a freak down here. I wouldn’t know anyway, I'm too depressed to explore this place. I just realized how skinny my wrists are, they look like they could be snapped as easily as a little twig pulled from a shrub This little book is only half full now, maybe I’ll write more in this book later. Isn’t writing supposed to be therapeutic? If it is, it's not working. Maybe I’ll explore the rest of this place tomorrow.

---THE END---

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[watchilove]

There are moments when we want now to last forever. At other times, soon can’t come fast enough. The Soonow timepiece by HYT has the answer. Its intriguing and captivating presentation of time’s flow is a constant reminder that every second counts. Because these moments are what add together to equal lives – ours: HYT Soonow.

  Now or never?

“now or never” is so yesterday. HYT defines the present as an energizing cliffhanger, never as a precariously suspended moment of gratification or information on demand. The meaning of time is the content we give it, every single step of the way. Soonow showcases this dynamic view of the now as a mobile pivotal point between the path travelled so far, and what could potentially lie ahead. Immediacy becomes an open door. The past empowers the present; then they build the future together. Always.

Visualizing this flow is a patented fluidic module that works in perfect harmony with an exclusive mechanical movement, in an apparently unconventional union. Two partially visible, multi-layer bellows inject energy into the system to initiate the representation of time’s transience via two contrasting liquids.

Documenting elapsed time is a see-through fluid that alludes to the clarity and wisdom that experience contributes. The inviting prospects of the immediate future are forecast by either bright green or blue liquid. This encourages us to make something of our time in these times. If we focus on time’s flow, now could well last forever.

Opposites interact

Soonow by HYT is a joint creation of art and science. Meticulous calculation meets a multi-dimensional depiction of the human skull, a creative inspiration that has extended from Aztec artefacts to contemporary painting and sculpture. A total of 313 18-karat gold pins make up the contoured masterpiece on this watch’s titanium dial. They simultaneously salute and wink at horological tradition and high-tech innovation. Their diametric opposite is perforation. Close to one thousand tiny holes punctuate the design of Soonow. Mathematics and esthetics emerge as strong partners, spelling out the numbers of each hour via precision drilling, with the exact centre of each word facilitating on-the-dot timing accuracy.

The luxury of uniqueness

A watch with a mechanism capable of defying gravity is indisputably authentic in its drive for individuality. The design language of soonow is committed to using three-dimensionality and thought-provoking detail to add new perspectives to watchmaking – and time-telling. In its entirety, this watch is a celebration of the uniqueness that has come to define true luxury.

Since time lends itself to being contemplated from different individual viewpoints, HYT is determined its timepieces should do the same. Sitting fluidly on the wrist, the two Soonow 25-strong limited editions adopt an architectural approach to depicting the passage of time with a droplet domed shape, sinuous lines and multi-layered, transparent structure.

The skull-shaped capillary, with its handcrafted bends and angles, represents an endless, rewarding quest for technical innovation. Hourly milestones appear to float above its outline. The skull’s facial expressions give their all to keep life’s transience front of mind. A pupil mirroring the power reserve level peers out from a disc sitting behind one eye socket. The other eye focuses on the passing of the watch’s briefest recorded unit, completing a full rotation in 60 seconds. Here the words “soon” and “now” remind us that time is precious in a way that no iris could. If the dial’s protagonist could wink, he or she probably would. But the smile is on the wearer.

How soon is now?

The Soonow story by HYT makes sense of time by allowing its flow to flourish. Only thoughts and actions separate now from soon – ours.

HYT Soonow Technical Specifications

Case :

Stainless steel, black dlc coating and satin finishes

Diameter: 48.8 mm

Height: 20.08 mm

Stainless steel screw-down crown, black dlc coating

Domed sapphire crystal; HYT logo and indices set within the material

Screwed case-back, with sapphire crystal, “one of twenty-five” decal

Water-resistant to 50 metres

Functions :

Green fluidic hours (inverted liquids)

Seconds, power reserve

  Movement :

Mechanical with manual winding, exclusive calibre

28,800 vph, 4 hz, 35 jewels

Hand-bevelled bridges adorned with côtes de genève

65-hour power reserve

HYT’s exclusive patented micro-fluidic module:

Borosilicate glass capillary tube with the nano-coating interior, bent into a new shaped form

Multi-layer metal bellows

Two immiscible liquids; one transparent, the other one coloured with a highly resistant dye

Thermal compensator with dedicated bellows and specific liquid

High-tech ceramic fluid restrictors

  Interface:

Transmission between movement and fluidic module by conversion of rotation into linear movement using a cam-follower system

Isostatic connection of the fluidic system guaranteed by a trident

  Dial :

Titanium dial with black dlc coating, 937 perforations

Hour markers with numerals written in full around the side of the dial

313 gold pins (18-carat)

Black super-luminova® rail under the capillary

Polymer teeth

Seconds indicator disc (left eye) with “soon” and “now” pattern

Power reserve indicator (right eye)

Strap: black rubber, titanium folding buckle, black dlc coating

HYT Soonow Green Ref. H02235: limited edition of 25 pieces

HYT Soonow Blue Ref. H02237: limited edition of 25 pieces

HYT Soonow

News: HYT SOONOW There are moments when we want now to last forever. At other times, soon can’t come fast enough.

[itsworn]

Mark Stielow’s New Approach to a Pro Touring 1969 Camaro

Prime Pro Touring protagonist Mark Stielow says he’s been building cars since he was 16. He’s 52 now. When Mark was a lad, his dad played a little with cars and he owned car washes and a trash hauling company. The kid grew his curiosity of mechanical things because his dad would let him take the old equipment apart to see what was inside and what made it work. Then he’d put it back together to see if it still worked. He’s been doing that stuff ever since.

He seems stuck on first-gen Camaros, and as you are aware, he’s shepherded at least a half dozen; some were harbingers, others all-out annihilators, and each of them illuminating in its own way. For his next act (tentatively titled Gunner), Mark wanted simplicity and a realistic build time: not years, but a matter of months. He wanted to build a car that looked old, unmolested, and original and pack it with the very latest modern equipment, just like people did in the old days.

He saw two ways to tighten up the response: find a car with virtually no oxidation but possessed of a scurfy, dirty coating on its original livery. Celebrating the patina pardoned Mark from Paint Jail before he even got there. There was no question that he’d keep the tar paper roof. “I looked long and hard to find a survivor car that wore its original paint and this one was the perfect candidate. That patina will provide a great contrast to the updated powertrain, while simplifying the build. But finding a patina ’69 Camaro isn’t an easy thing to do. The ’69s are so popular most have been restored at least once.” During Gunner’s transformation, all the sheetmetal was fiercely protected to keep the patina intact.

The prep, measuring, and squaring processes are absolutely critical. The lines must remain true and adhered to faithfully, but there’s always something in the way to interrupt them. To make room for the wheeltubs, you gotta cut out the rear framerails. Because the space for the fuel cell is smaller now, you need to source a narrower tank. Putting up the Detroit Speed Inc. QUADRALink requires the removal of a large section of the trunk’s upper floor. To install the suspension X-member means eliminating the original shock mounts.

About the chassis and suspension Mark says: “It’s one thing to build a fast car or one that corners harder than anyone else’s but the trick is doing it in a package that’s fun to drive and won’t beat you up. My last few cars were higher end builds with custom engines and paint. I wanted to do something fun and not worry about just being able to drive it.”

A big part of that not getting beaten up thing is being surrounded by the continuity of a completely finished interior that includes carpet, door panels, armrests, door glass, wind lace, window cranks, and 67 other bits straight out of the Classic Industries bible. That stuff complements the feel-good creature comforts (minimal audio, capable HVAC, badass seats) and, compared to the outside of the Camaro, seems a different world.

Stielow decreased his time in the proceedings by bringing in his go-to guys at Sled Alley Hot Rods up on 15 Mile, as he had done lots in the past. “With their experience, they’ve got the installation down to a science. It takes them less than half the time it would take me, helping get the car finished that much quicker,” Stielow imparts. Sled would complete all the heavy stuff, the main substructures, and the welding and then Mark would retreat to his big home garage (built right where normal humans would probably have dug a swimming pool) for the finesse work.

Before Mark could dig in, there were myriad things Sled attended, among them complications with the accessory drive system. It meant that Sled had to adapt conventional hydraulically operated power steering to an accessory drive that wasn’t designed to accommodate it. To help offset the weight of the driver, the oil tank and related lines of the dry-sump system were placed in a pocket created in the passenger-side of the firewall, removing about 40 pounds from the nose of the car and putting it where it would be beneficial. Sled capitalized on that fact and attached a transmission fluid overflow tank to address leakage that will occur under severe use.

Experience has shown that a blower engine under the whip wants to run as cool as possible. Sled had C&R Racing build a 28.5×21.3×2.5-inch aluminum core and paired it with the 850-watt fan from a CTS-V. Stielow liked its inherent pulse-width modulation, which offers greater temperature control and requires less energy to operate. The flared cold-air intake tube looks simple enough but required 20 hours to make it work as well as it looks.

Sled’s principle Matt Gurjack’s wisdom: “Metal fab has always been my thing, and at the end of the day, it’s my reputation on the line, not someone else’s.” Though there would be no metal prep, there was some rash on the front valance that required attention. The tricky thing here was being able to smooth it without breaking the 48-year-old paint. Gurjack carefully performed the fix with hammer-and-dolly, but he padded the hammerhead with a T-shirt to keep its edges from tearing into the paint. The lip of the left-front fender needed some love, too. Again, judicious use of the time-honored fix and several more ratty T-shirts came to the rescue.

In this world of just-in-time parts availability, what would be more expedient than an engine that was already built and already proven? The Gen V LT4 dry-sump version, the engine in the Corvette Z06 and Camaro ZL1, is rated at 650 pony/650 twist. Mark: “The choice with the Chevrolet Performance LT4 was easy. Bang for the buck, it’s a fantastic, very powerful engine and, like retaining the car’s original paint, simplifies the project because we’re not dealing with a custom engine build.” Through it, Stielow learned more. He says the most challenging part of the project was sorting out the new issues with the LT4.

So is it over yet? Stielow’s lead foot is getting heavier and even a best-bang-for-the-buck engine always needs more. Why? Because the kid will never stop growing his curiosity for mechanical things. CHP

Tech Check

Owner: Mark Stielow, Milford, Michigan

Vehicle: 1969 Camaro

Engine

Type: Scoggin-Dickey Chevrolet Performance Gen V LT4

Displacement: 376 ci

Compression Ratio: 10.0:1

Bore: 4.065 inches

Stroke: 3.622 inches

Cylinder Heads: As-cast Rotocast w/ 65.5cc combustion chambers, 2.130 (titanium)/1.590 valves

Rotating Assembly: Forged crankshaft, powdered metal steel connecting rods, forged pistons

Valvetrain: OE investment-cast, roller-bearing trunnion 1.81:1 rocker arms, OE pushrods

Camshaft: Hydraulic roller (0.492/0.551-inch lift; 189/223-deg. duration at 0.050)

Induction: 1.7L Eaton R1740 TVS supercharger at 9 psi positive manifold pressure

Ignition: OE, coil-near-plug, Chevrolet Performance E92 engine controller (PN 19331517), Optima RedTop in Eddie Motorsports battery box

Exhaust: Hooker Blackheart headers, 1 7/8-inch primary pipes, 3-inch system

Ancillaries: Four-point 4130 rollcage by Sled Alley Hot Rods (Clinton Township, MI), OE dry-sump system, OE/Holley accessory drive, American Autowire harness, C&R aluminum radiator, CTS-V fan, custom center console by Sled Alley

Output (at the crank): 650 hp at 6,000 rpm, 650 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm

Drivetrain

Transmission: TREMEC Magnum six-speed (modified and assembled by D&D Performance (Wixom, MI)); 2.66:1 Low-gear ratio/0.50:1 Sixth-gear ratio; Centerforce DYAD dual-disc clutch assembly, flywheel, and hydraulic clutch linkage; Quick Time bellhousing; fluid cooler w/ Walbro pump

Rear Axle: Strange Engineering 9-inch, Truetrac differential, 3.50:1 gears, Strange 35-spline axles, Detroit Speed Inc. (DSE) floater hubs, Strange driveshaft

Chassis

Front Suspension: DSE hydroformed subframe, spindles, springs, and splined antisway bar; JRi two-way shock absorbers

Rear Suspension: DSE QUADRALink, 1 1/4-inch antisway bar, Panhard bar, subframe connectors, DSE/JRi shock absorbers

Brakes: StopTech 15-inch rotors, six-piston calipers front; StopTech 13.7-inch rotors, four-piston calipers rear; 2010 Corvette master cylinder and booster, Tilton proportioning valve

Wheels & Tires

Wheels: Forgeline CF1 18×10 front, 18×12 rear

Tires: BFGoodrich Rival 275/35 front, 335/30 rear

Interior

Upholstery: Recaro

Material: Leather/suede inserts

Seats: Recaro, Recaro harness

Steering: OE column, DSE rack-and-pinion, Turn One P/S pump, Momo wheel

Shifter: TREMEC, Eddie Motorsports shifter bezel

Dash: Classic Industries

Instrumentation: Racepak

Audio: Alpine head unit, front and rear speakers

HVAC: Vintage Air

Exterior

Bodywork: Minor straightening of front valance and left-front fender lip by Sled Alley

Paint By: GM

Paint: GM Fathom Green (Code 57)

Hood: OE w/ Eddie Motorsports hinges

Grille: OE

Bumpers: OE

The post Mark Stielow’s New Approach to a Pro Touring 1969 Camaro appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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