Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Adventures of the Teen Titans ❯ 1, 2, 3, 4, GO! ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Blowfish the Monkey Tamer 
Robin, Boy Wonder. Starfire, Tamaranean warrior. Cyborg, metal-headed strong-man. Raven, telekinetic empath. Beast Boy, animal shape-shifter.
Look out Jump City, here they come.
Non Anime: Teen Titans Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.24.2005 | Pages: 19 | Words: 14.9K | Visits: 377 | Status: Completed
Robin, Boy Wonder. Starfire, Tamaranean warrior. Cyborg, metal-headed strong-man. Raven, telekinetic empath. Beast Boy, animal shape-shifter.
Look out Jump City, here they come.
Non Anime: Teen Titans Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.24.2005 | Pages: 19 | Words: 14.9K | Visits: 377 | Status: Completed
Blowfish: Gack, it's been a while. Ahh, what can ya do?
Readers: YOU CAN UPDATE SOONER, THAT'S WHAT!
Blowfish: Oh yeah…^_^; I saw Titans East, and if I could only say one thing about the eps, it's this:
MAS Y MENOS ARE THE CUTEST THINGS EVER!!!
I couldn't understand a WORD they were saying, but I just wanted to hug them! I bet all of the people I know who take Spanish who watch TT are all saying “Ha! We can understand most of that, unlike [Blowfish], who takes French! Ha!” Curse you, Spanish! CUUUURSE YOOOOUUU!!! I must say, however, part 2 disappointed me greatly, especially since I liked part 1 so much. Brother Blood makes me want to rip my hair out. The good news is they say Slade is coming back in season 4! All this and Trigon! IS THIS THE GREATEST OR WHAT?! …Anyway, I got reviews!
wouldntyouliketoknow: Hmm…let's ask Raven!
Raven: The chances of me watching TV (especially anime of any sort) EVER again are… 3,688,544,000 to 1.
wouldntyouliketoknow: Yep, you were right!
blackmoon36: FMA kicks ass, yes…I've missed the last three eps. I'm angry. Honestly? I'm not really sure what possessed me to make Raven do that. I just thought, “Hey, that thing Ed does is kick-ass! I'm gonna make someone do it!” And it just sort of escalated from there. I think I write best when I'm rambling—take the Raven grocery scene, for example. I have NO idea how I got there, but it was fun. There's gonna be romance, but not until a little later. And who says all romance has to be fluffy? I'm gonna do some damn angsty romance, thank you very much! TRIANGLES, YOU HEAR ME?! TRIANGLES!!! I dunno about Starfire. My best guess is that she takes everything in English and literally translates it. And it's kind of endearing the way she doesn't use contractions. I made Raven a little tougher, yeah. You know why? Because she is (physically) the perceived pansy of the group. I just thought she could be a little more bad-ass.
xino: Taking out one's personal problems on register boys is fun…
TtitansFan: For some reason, I had been talking about Lion King earlier that day, and I just thought of that spur of the moment. And there are so many similarities between Timone and Puma and BB and Cy. And the Dr. Fate thing was kinda weird, now that I think of it. I just thought that it would be odd that he wouldn't have something drawn up by then, you know?
sugarpony: FMA fans unite! I'm glad you like this so much. You should review others' stories more often—it makes us authors feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
TTJLFan: Yep, Raven's gettin' the toothpaste. Because Robin loves to torture her.
Robin: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Raven: Yeah…
Bob-chan: Never read a fic like this before? There are loads of origin fics floating around. Or maybe that's not what you mean. Ah well. I wasn't aware I HAD a writing style, but I'm glad you like it! SSBM is the best party game, YEAH! And as for the other Titans, they may be mentioned at some point, but they won't really play a part until later.
ninmenju-shin: Yep, that Dr. Fate is a weirdo. Yeah, that FMA ep was shocking. I pretty much had the same reaction, except quieter—my parents would've wigged out if I'd woken them up with so much swearing. As for the analogy for this chap's long-ness, I bet my bro could relate. We had to stand in the back of the church at our Christmas Eve service. TOTAL TORTURE. And my bro is actually a partial-atheist. OOH! You get a cookie because you spotted one of my countless continuity errors! I'm only five chapters in, and I've already screwed a lot of things up. Just for the sake of salvaging continuity, no, none of the Titans know Raven is a demon. (Not that that makes ANY sense, regarding earlier chaps…damn you, continuity! DAMN YOOOUUU!) How many chimeras has Raven seen? Hmm… Yeah, the whole train thing was kind of inspired by SP2. You got the movie?! I got the game! It kicks major ass! I got four CDs! Avril Lavigne, Keane, Modest Mouse, and Yellowcard! And my brother made me a super-awesome-kick-ass CD with a bunch of great bands (Nightwish, Pink Floyd, Blind Guardian, and Apocalyptica, to name a few!) WOO! I also got a T-shirt that says, “I used to be a schizophrenic, but we're okay now.” Get it? More than half the people at my school don't know what a schizophrenic is… I also got fuzzy pajama pants. Fuzzy pajama pants make the world a better place with their fuzzy comfort!
Grumbumble: Yay! I've surpassed myself! ...I'm not quite sure what you mean, but thanks! I am sort of proud of myself for this little piece, I guess. Poor BB with his lack of depth…
BB: WHAT?!
Grumbumble: Raven's rant…I actually just went back and re-read it, and I must say, it came out a little scarier than I intended. But it worked out anyway, I suppose. Mwahahahaha. I like to have Raven and Robin talk. We see so little real interaction between them in the show, and I've always thought it was odd. They have a lot in common, it seems like they'd be good for each other—seeing as the other Titans are so hyperactive. Hmm. Now TWO people have commented on my style. I must have one. Huh. NOOO! More ego-boosting for Blowfish! (grabs onto Grumbumble's leg, trying to keep her from leaving) NOOOOO!!!
Chimpy: (drags Blowfish away) Your ego's big enough already.
Rowlingfan217: YES!!! BEST ORIGIN FIC!!! WOOOOO!!! You have NO idea how good it makes me feel to read that!
E-chan5: I would imagine BB loves the Lion King. How could he not? Eh, Bats is OOC because most of the scenes where he actually DOES anything end up being mushy.
K9: As stated, yes the runaway train was a ref to SP2. And if I'm dropping ANY couple hints, I'm not meaning to. There are no couples as of yet.
“talking” `thinking' dreams/TV song lyrics (bold) NEWSPAPER HEADLINES (bold)
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson, “View From Heaven” by Yellowcard, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence (ROCK ON!!!), or the Teen Titans Theme. I'm not feeling overly creative at the moment, so come up with your own funny thing and put it here mentally.
Also, there is no such thing as a band called Saturn's 31. I made that name up, which is why it sounds so stupid. If there really is a band out there called Saturn's 31, I am sorry for putting you in here, and please, for your own good, change your name.
Blowfish: Six geese-a-laying, five gooooolden riiiiin—what? Oh yeah. On with the chapter!
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On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
Cyborg sang along with the radio loudly, making it all the more impossible for Starfire to believe that Beast Boy was asleep. Robin was humming along to the song, and Raven seemed to be ignoring it. Starfire listened to it with quiet contentment, finding that she indeed liked this as much as some of the other Earthly music that Robin had shown her.
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
Starfire was enjoying this particular drive because they were going to the new tower being constructed for them to live in. They were also traveling in one of Jump City's many underground tunnels to go under the water, and she found the idea of the water being above her rather exciting. She didn't have many such places near the city she had lived in on Tamaran.
On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Starfire's happy soliloquy was interrupted by the sound of Beast Boy beginning to snore. Raven pressed her head against the window.
“Must everything he does be annoying?” she groaned. Robin smiled.
“Heh, I think it's his nature.”
Seein' things that I may never see again,
And I can't wait to get on the road again.
A stream of drool flowed down Beast Boy's chin and slicked down onto his shirt. Raven made a disgusted noise, and Starfire giggled. Cyborg was too caught up in the song, wiggling his hips to the music and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Raven glared at him, but he only sang with more vigor.
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
Raven reached over and turned the dial, but Cyborg grabbed her hand before she could turn it to where she wanted.
“Man! I was listening to that!” Cyborg said angrily. A new song filled the car.
You won't be comin' back
And I didn't get to say goodbye
I really wish I got to say goodbye
“Hey, I know this song!” Beast Boy said, snapping awake, startling everyone else. “I love this song!”
And I'm sure the view from heaven
Beats the hell out of mine here
And if we all believe in heaven
Maybe we'll make it through one more year
“Crap,” Raven muttered. “I wish I'd gone one more station over…”
“One more station over? What's better than Yellowcard?!” Beast Boy asked, looking shocked.
“Slipknot?” Robin offered.
“I enjoy the artist known as Michelle Branch,” Starfire added.
“None of those are as good as Yellowcard!” Beast Boy yelled.
I hope that all is well in heaven
`Cause it's all shot to hell down here
I hope that I find you in heaven
`Cause I'm so lost without you down here
“Man, you guys have no respect for good music,” Cyborg muttered.
“Forgive us if we aren't Willie Nelson fans, Cy,” the changeling said.
You won't be comin' back
And I didn't get to say goodbye
I really wish I got to say goodbye…
“Damn! It's over!”
“Thank God,” Raven and Cyborg sighed at once. Piano chords vibrated in the car, and Raven grinned.
“Now we're talking.”
How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb
“OK,” Beast Boy conceded. “Evanescence does kick ass. And Amy Lee is so hot.”
“Ya got that right, man!” said Cyborg. He, Beast Boy, and Robin exchanged high fives, and Raven rolled her eyes.
Without a soul
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back
Home
“Boys…” she muttered. Starfire wore an expression of confusion.
“Please…if this Amy Lee is `hot', then why does no one wish to cool her down?” the alien asked.
The boys stared at her, and Raven bit her cheeks to keep from laughing. The passenger seat window glowed black and cracked.
Wake me up!
Wake me up inside
I can't wake up!
Wake me up inside
“Uh…you can take this one, Rob,” Cyborg said.
“Oh look, we're here!” Robin said quickly, pointing out the window. Large metal structures jutted from the earth ceiling, including one that looked like an elevator of some sort. Cyborg shut off the radio and parked the car.
“Damn, damn, damn!” Raven groaned. “It was just about to get to the really good part!”
“Don't worry, Rae,” Cyborg chuckled. “Maybe I'll buy ya the CD.”
“Titans,” a familiar voice said. Dr. Fate appeared before them in a glowing ankh. “How do you like these tunnels? Jump City's natural caverns make it an ideal place for underground bases—for purposes pure and evil.”
“Uh, yeah, it's pretty sweet,” Beast Boy said, trying to sound as if he had been paying attention. “Is our entire tower thingy gonna be underground? I mean, no rabid fan girls, but…no rabid fan girls, ya know?”
“This isn't about picking up girls,” Robin said sternly.
“I know! This is about helping people, but still—if we're gonna have all of this publicity, might as well take advantage of it, hmm?” Raven jabbed him.
“Most of your tower shall be above ground, but this is where the electrical wires and generators will go,” Fate said. Cyborg perked up.
“Energy generators?”
“Yes, of course. To run a tower of this size would be an oversized task for the city's power plant. It's best to have it all here.”
“Where is it?” Fate led them into a large room where a massive generator was making a dull whirring sound. “Oh yes! This is grade-A, baby!” The mechanic ran over and began inspecting the generator thoroughly. “Man…a week ago, I would've killed for something like this!”
“That's comforting,” Raven muttered.
“Come on, Cy,” Robin yelled. “We gotta check out the rest of this place!”
Dr. Fate took them on a tour through the half-finished tower, revealing much more than the Titans had hoped for: A massive living room, several bedrooms (all still lacking in furniture except for beds), two bathrooms (which Beast Boy immediately made use of), A surveillance room, and the massive basement and storage rooms. The teens were thoroughly impressed.
“You guys put all this up in two weeks?” Cyborg said, completely flabbergasted. “That's insane!”
“The Justice League has very extensive resources,” Fate said briskly. “Now, the bedrooms have beds, would you wish to spend the night here?”
“Would we!” Beast Boy cried. “This place is the shit, of course we wanna stay here!”
“Well then, make yourselves at home. This will be your home for quite a while, anyway.” With that, Dr. Fate disappeared into another glowing ankh.
“Where does he go when he does that?” Beast Boy pondered aloud.
“Pocket dimension, I think,” Robin said.
“Cool.”
“Well, team, I guess we should…huh, what should we do?”
“Raid the fridge?” Raven suggested.
“I'm down with that,” Cyborg said. “Anybody else?”
“Nah,” Beast Boy said. “I had that nice block of tofu this morning, remember?”
Robin turned a little green at Beast Boy's comment. “Whatever appetite I had was just spoiled.”
“I am not in need of nutrition at this time, friend Cyborg,” Starfire said.
“All right then, guess it's just me and Rae. C'mon, Rae.” Raven and Cyborg left for the kitchen.
“You think they have a gym?” Robin speculated.
“I do not know, Robin,” Starfire said. “Perhaps we should inspect this tower further.” She flew down the halls, Robin on her heels. Beast Boy slumped on the couch.
“Don't wait up for me,” he muttered.
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“Specimen is almost fully sedated, sir.”
“Good. Scalpel.”
“But he's not fully sedated yet…he could scream…or even escape. And he would be in a tremendous amount of pain.”
“Did I ask for your opinion, or did I say `scalpel'?”
“Yes sir.” Through his foggy vision, the boy could see the glint of metal in the man's hands.
“Now…” he said. “I will finally know what it is that gives you your ability…I will know…I must know!” He regained his calm composure. “You may die in the experiment…but don't worry—perhaps we'll find something that can benefit mankind, hmm? Now hold still…”
The blade came closer and closer, until…
”WAAH!” Beast Boy hit the floor hard, then jumped up and looked around—only to find no scalpel-wielding scientists near him.
“Jesus Christ...” he muttered. He sat on his bunk bed and shivered a little, as a small child who has been woken by a bad dream does. He suddenly wished his mother was there to tell him it was all right, that no crazed scientists would be dissecting him.
Unfortunately, his mother was not there. And there was no guarantee that the man who had experimented on him wasn't lurking somewhere nearby. So he had to comfort himself in the best way he knew how.
“Soy-shake time.”
Beast Boy crept through the dark halls. It was past midnight, and everyone in the tower had gone to bed many hours ago. He went into the kitchen and pulled out the soy ice cream and soymilk he'd gotten from the store earlier that day. That was really all he had done, aside from channel-surfing. Raven had found the roof to be a suitable meditating place, and stayed there until nightfall. Starfire and Robin had just been talking and hanging out, and Cyborg had gone out to get some “personal stuff”; he came back with some gear oil and a CD-shaped bag.
Beast Boy put the ice cream in the blender with some soy milk and turned it on. Even with the blender on, he could hear all of the sounds in the Tower. Starfire was beginning to snore somewhere above him, Cyborg's gears whirred away to his right, and to his left, if he strained, he could hear Raven's slow, steady breathing, mixed in with pained grunts.
But he could hear something else.
Footsteps echoed in the hall outside the kitchen. Beast Boy crouched down on all fours, his legs like coiled springs. Every muscle in his body was tensed up, as he waited for the approach of the enemy. No signals from the human part of his brain were getting through—only fear and animal instinct remained. But then, Beast Boy heard something he did not expect.
A very long yawn.
Beast Boy paused. Surely an enemy wouldn't be so careless as to make excessive noise. He stood up, smiling at his own lack of logic. There was only one person it could be. The door opened.
“Hey, Rob,” he said cheerfully.
“Mmm? Oh, hey,” Robin muttered, scratching his butt. Beast Boy winced. Robin didn't appear to quite as mindful of his manners when he was tired.
“What are you doing up?”
“Huh? Oh, I was just, ya know, doing err…night patrol.”
“…”
Robin yawned again. “Trust me, work enough with Bats; he'll turn you into a total insomniac.”
“Ohhh…so you never sleep?”
“I sleep. Just not often, or peacefully. And I've always been a light sleeper.”
“Mmm-hmm…do you always wear your mask to bed?”
Robin fingered his mask. “Nope. I actually remove it before I go to bed—though sometimes I do doze off with it on.”
“Oh. Soy-shakes are done!” the changeling said, pouring the thick, white liquid out of the blender. “Want one?”
“Err…no thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” He took a long gulp of the drink and Robin looked a bit queasy.
“So,” the Boy Wonder asked. “What are you doing up?”
“Couldn't sleep.”
“Ah…anything you wanna talk about?”
“I dunno.”
“Nightmares?”
“What are you, psychic?”
“Nah, I just know how I look some nights. And you look the same.”
“What do you dream about?”
“Lots of vertigo dreams about Gotham. And Joker. Man, that guy's face will really stick with you—it's hella creepy.”
“Oh…”
“I dream about my parents, too. But that's mostly good stuff.”
“Like what?”
“Just…normal stuff. We sit around, talking. Just talking. It's really nice.”
“So…are your parents dead?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.”
“Yours?”
“My what?”
“Your parents? Are they dead?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.” There was a long silence. “I'm gonna get some coffee on.”
“Better put on some hot water, too.”
“Why?”
“Raven's up.”
“How do you know—“
Raven walked in, yawning. “Hey,” she grunted. Robin looked at Beast Boy.
“How the hell—“
Beast Boy grinned and wiggled his long ears. “Stylish and fully functional.”
“Well, they're fully functional,” Raven grumbled, filling the teapot with hot water. He glared at her.
“Why are you up?”
“Because I'm awake.”
“Don't try using Star's logic on me! What's got you up and about?”
“I could ask you the same question. But it's really none of my business, just like mine is none of yours.”
“Geez, you're just a ball of sunshine tonight, eh?”
“I really don't think it's any of your business why I'm up, that's all.”
Beast Boy glared at her. It didn't seem fair to him that he and Robin had spilled their guts to each other, but she wouldn't say anything.
“Ya know, Raven, someday you're gonna have to—“
EEEEEEEEEEMMP! EEEEEEEEEMMP! EEEEEEEEEMMP!
“—WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!” Beast Boy yelled over the noise.
“IT'S THE ALARM!” Robin yelled.
“WHAT?”
“THE ALARM!”
“WHAT?!”
“IT'S THE—“ Raven pushed a button on the wall, stopping the noise. “—alarm. Thanks, Raven.”
“What's the alarm for?” Beast Boy asked. “I mean, other than making us crap our pants in surprise.”
“It's to tell us that a crime's going on somewhere in the city.” Cyborg and Starfire came running in.
“What is the emergency for which the alarm alarms us?” Starfire asked.
“Yeah, I almost got my eardrums blasted out!” Cyborg said angrily. Robin's fingers worked furiously on the keyboard.
“Looks like…a giant cinderblock man,” he said, looking puzzled. On the screen was a large humanoid figure with a strange, cinderblock-like head. The rest of his body appeared to be made out of stone.
“Cinderblock?” Beast Boy said incredulously. “That is the second most fucked-up thing I have ever seen.”
“Well, fucked up or not, he's wrecking downtown. All right, let's—“
“Uh, Robin?”
“Yes, Raven?”
“Uhh…you, Beast Boy, and I are still in our pajamas.” Robin looked down to find that he was indeed not in his costume.
“Oh. Umm…”
“Cinderblock can't wait,” Cyborg said. “How about Star and I go ahead, and you guys change?”
“OK! Cyborg, Starfire, go deal with Cinderblock. Raven, Beast Boy, go change.”
“Wait a sec,” Beast Boy said.
“What?”
“Our clothes are in the wash.”
”…You guys don't have more clothes?!”
“If we wait two hours, we will.”
“We don't have two hours! You guys honestly don't have anything to wear?”
Raven shifted uncomfortably. “Well…I do have this one thing…but it's—“
“Don't care. Put it on. Beast Boy, we'll find something for you in the basement. Cyborg, Starfire, go get Cinderblock. We'll be with you shortly.”
“Got it. All right Star, let's move!” Cyborg yelled. They went downstairs and out the door. Raven sighed and went to her room. Robin grabbed Beast Boy by the wrist and dragged him into the basement.
“There's gotta something down here,” Robin muttered. He paused and thought about all of the things Dr. Fate had shown them earlier. “I've got it! Fate left us some blackout gear!”
“Awesome!” Beast Boy said excitedly. Blackout gear was cool, and green went very well with black.
Robin made his way over to the crate that Dr. Fate had pointed out as the container for the blackout gear. He found that another crate, labeled “PAINT” was on top of it. He lifted it up, only to find that it was leaking paint. He also found that the blackout gear crate was partially opened. He looked inside.
“Oh hell…” he groaned.
“What?” Beast Boy asked. Robin held up the top to the suit.
There was a bright purple stripe going right down the middle.
“You have got to be kidding me. Please tell me there's another suit in there. There has to be another suit in there.”
“This is the only one.”
“No. No way. No way in hell.”
“Beast Boy, this is it.”
“NO.”
“It's this, or go out in your PJs. Your choice.”
“Goddammit…”
“And…uh…there's one more thing.” Robin held up the pants, which were purple down to the mid-thigh, making it look like they had purple shorts on over them.
“Son of a…tell me at least I get cool boots.”
“Err…whaddya know! There are some cool boots in here that match you costume just right! And some gloves and a belt too!” He held up a pair of purple boots, a silver belt, and a pair of gray gloves.
Beast Boy started to bang his head against the wall.
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Cinderblock tore a lamppost from the sidewalk and began to swing it around, clearly enjoying himself. Police fired at him, but the bullets that actually hit him barely penetrated his stone skin.
“This bastard just won't go down,” one of the cops muttered.
“Hey, look!” another yelled, pointing skywards. “It's two of those Teen Titans!” Starfire was carrying Cyborg and they appeared to be flying towards Cinderblock.
“Come to try to help us, ya think?”
“Guess so. They're superheroes, right?”
“Superheroes my ass. Bunch of kids playing dress-up, if ya ask me.”
Starfire let go of Cyborg and he landed on Cinderblock, driving the behemoth down to the ground.
“Maybe so, but they're pretty damn amazing!” the cop laughed.
Cyborg grinned, both feet placed firmly on Cinderblock's chest. “Whaddya got now, big guy?” he taunted.
As if to give an answer, Cinderblock grabbed Cyborg by his neck with one of his massive hands and flung him through the wall of a nearby building.
Starfire sped towards the stone beast and flung several starbolts at it. The blasts knocked Cinderblock back a few feet, but then he extended his arm and batted at Starfire, knocking her from the air and onto the ground forcefully.
She sank an inch into the ground.
Cinderblock was about to bring his foot down on her, but Cyborg quickly pinned him with a body slam. Starfire got up, looking pained. Cinderblock forced Cyborg off of him.
“I don't think this is gonna work,” Cyborg said.
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“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! RAVEN, WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!”
“SHUT UP!”
“Dude…you look like a circus performer! AHAHAHAHAHA!”
“I SAID SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE—”
“Quit it, both of you!” Robin yelled. The boys had come upstairs from changing to find Raven in a leotard and cloak. Robin didn't find anything wrong with it, but Beast Boy, not used to the concept of how silly superhero costumes could look, was laughing hysterically.
“Dude, where did you get that?”
“It's a traditional ritual outfit where I come from,” Raven huffed. “Not for going out and fighting monsters.”
“Oh. The belt's kinda cool, but man, this is priceless!”
“One more word, purple-stripe boy…”
“Hey! It wasn't my fault some retard put the paint box on top of the box with the black spandex!”
“Enough, you two,” Robin interrupted. “We've got a rogue monster and two teammates at a disadvantage! Let's go!”
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Cyborg was, quite literally, out of breath.
Cinderblock was holding him up against the wall, choking him. Starfire was pounding him with starbolts relentlessly, but he showed no signs that it was actually hurting him. Suddenly, black energy engulfed Cinderblock's hands and pried them from Cyborg's neck. Cyborg slid down the wall to the ground, trying to force air back into his lungs.
Starfire turned to see Raven, hands aglow, on a rooftop chanting her heart out. Starfire was not unused to this sight, but she was rather surprised by Raven's choice of clothes. With her limited knowledge of Earthly apparel, she could only assume that Raven had been presented with warrior garb in honor of some great deed, as was the custom on her planet. She assumed the same for Beast Boy, who was running up in black and purple spandex, changing into a rhino.
Beast Boy head-butted Cinderblock into the wall several times. Beast Boy changed back to human form, and stepped back from his opponent, who was now motionless. Cyborg got up and slapped his friend on the back, feeling triumphant.
Cinderblock shot out a hand and grabbed Beast Boy by his neck.
“Get this…bastard…off of me…!” Beast Boy gasped. Raven and Cyborg dove at Cinderblock, but he smacked them aside with ease. Starfire crouched down and tried to sneak up on him, but he could hear the crunch of gravel under her boots. Starfire's head snapped back when his heel connected with her jaw. Cinderblock let out a short choppy noise, which she could only assume was it laughing at them.
THWACK!
Beast Boy slipped from Cinderblock's grip and to the ground, rubbing his neck. The cement monster dropped like a…well, like a stone. Robin stood over him with his bo staff drawn. Cyborg came over and nudged Cinderblock with his foot. He did not move.
“Wow…nice one, man,” Cyborg said.
“Thanks,” Robin said. One of the cops came running over.
“Is it dead?” he asked.
“I think he's just unconscious.”
“Oh. Well, either way, thanks a lot.”
Robin beamed. “You're welcome.”
“'You're welcome' ain't gonna fix all of this property damage,” another voice said. Robin turned to face a tall, balding man that he recognized from the paper as being a lieutenant. Starfire, naïve as always, stepped forward with her hand out.
“Greetings, sir! I have seen your picture in the paper, yes? You are—“
“Lieutenant Nathan Pommel, Jump City Police Department” he said gruffly. “And who might you be?”
Under the impression that full titles were being exchanged, Starfire boldly said, “I am Koriand'r, Tamaranian Warrior Second Class, Teen Titan. But my Earthly title is Starfire,” she added.
“I know your `Earthly title',” Lieutenant Pommel said, looking slightly angry. “I watch the news. You kids think you're real hot shit, don't you?”
“Err…I know not of this `hot shit' of which you speak, but—“
“No we don't, sir,” Robin quickly interjected. “We're just trying to help out, that's all.”
“You `superheroes'…you all think you're so great, but you're all just press-grabbing gold-diggers.” Robin looked offended.
“No we're not!”
“Don't give me that crap, kid. I've heard it all before. The Justice League has so much of that tech, where do you think they get it all? They ask for money behind the citizens' backs, that's where! And they get it, because there aren't enough people like me who see through it or try to stop it!”
Robin was enraged. Of course, he knew that the League got a lot of money from Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. But he did it all in secret so no one could possibly connect him to his alter-ego. Robin did, however, know another place the League got money.
“They're government-funded,” the Boy Wonder said, gritting his teeth.
“Pah! The government just wants to have them on hand in case they ever need a favor.”
“The Justice League is not some government weapon!” Robin yelled. “And neither are we!”
“Well, whatever you are, you've knocked out two walls and damaged part of a sidewalk. Now get the hell out of my way. I need to write a report.” He walked towards Cinderblock with the other cop, and the Titans hung back, feeling angry.
“Jackass is just pissed `cause we did something his little golden boys couldn't,” Cyborg muttered. He turned to Raven and Beast Boy. “By the way, what the hell are you two wearing?”
Raven glared at him while Beast Boy just sighed. Robin's belt began beeping, and Cyborg looked at it cautiously.
“That thing ain't gonna blow up, is it?”
“Of course not,” Robin said. “It's hooked up with the alarm. We've got another emergency.” Robin pulled a circular yellow object out his belt—the source of the beeping. It had a white `T' on it.
“What is that?” Raven asked.
“It's a communicator that Cyborg and I whipped up. We'll make one for everyone soon, but right now we just have one.”
“So what's the emergency?” Beast Boy queried, peering over Robin's shoulder. Robin flipped up the part of the communicator with a screen. A burning building came up on it.
“It's a fire. We'd better get over there.”
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Several firefighters were already pumping water onto the building, but the blaze was proving quite resistant to their efforts. Another one ran out of the building carrying a boy. He put the boy down with the paramedics and ran over to his companions.
“There are still three people accounted for,” he yelled to them. “I'm goin' back in!” Almost as if in response to the man's words, the roof collapsed. “Goddammit!”
“There's no way we can get in there,” another one said. Suddenly, a black vortex appeared a few feet away. The Teen Titans stepped out. Robin went over to the firefighters.
“Anyone still in there?” he asked.
“Yeah, but the roof's collapsed. Even if anyone in there was still alive, we couldn't get to them.”
“Leave that to us. How many people are still in there?”
“Are you hard of hearing, kid? There's no way you could get in there!”
“How many?”
He looked at the teens, scanning their faces, wondering if they had an inkling as to what they were doing. There was no fear in their eyes.
“…Three.”
Robin turned to the others. “Got it?” They nodded. “All right.” Then, he said something. None of them knew it at that moment, but the words he said would follow them for a long time.
“Titans! GO!”
Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg ran through the door, while Raven and Starfire flew up to a window on one of the higher floors. Robin nodded to the other boys, and they separated. Beast Boy climbed the stairs to the second floor, where he could hear someone screaming.
“Hello?” he yelled.
“Help!” a voice responded.
“I'm coming!” There was a door between him and the person. “Not for long…” He changed into a gorilla and smashed into it with his shoulder. The door gave away easily and Beast Boy ran inside. There was an old woman trapped under a piece of wood that was burning at the end opposite of her. He lifted it off her and scooped her up in his large arms—much to her dismay. She kicked and screamed in horror, and Beast Boy could only carry her down the steps, feeling a bit irritated.
Cyborg pushed a burning door down, pleased that his metal hands weren't capable of burning. He looked around the kitchen and could see no one there. He could, however, feel something nudging at his leg. He looked down to see a lanky retriever barking at him. `Not one of the three people, but whatever,' he thought, shrugging. He picked up the dog and ran back towards the exit.
Raven and Starfire flew quickly through the higher floors, able to hear the ceiling above them creaking with the weight of the collapsed roof. Raven stopped at a fork in the hallway. Starfire halted behind her.
“This way,” Raven said, pointing to the left.
“We must go quickly. I feel that I am—“ She coughed. “—having some difficulty respiring.”
“Let's go,” she agreed. The went to the left where they found a boy around their age pounding fruitlessly on a door with his shoulder. He turned and observed them for a few seconds.
“Oh shit,” he muttered. “I'm dead, aren't I?”
“Not yet,” Raven deadpanned, grabbing his arm. Starfire linked her arm around his other arm, and they flew towards the window.
Robin led a little girl through the burning hallways. He was moving blindly—a fallen beam had blocked the path that he had entered through. He took a right turn and saw a light at the end of the hallway.
A window.
He leaned down and gestured for the girl to get on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he put an arm under her. He ran forward, drawing out his grappling hook with his free hand.
“Hold on,” he advised her. He shot the grappling hook through the window. He pulled it and found that he had indeed connected to something. The girl gripped his neck tighter as he jumped out the window and swung down to the street, where he deposited her with her parents.
Robin found that he had been the last one out: Cyborg was helping with the fire hoses, Raven was attempting to smother part of the fire with her powers, Beast Boy was attempting to calm down the hysterical old woman he was with who was shocked at the fact that he was no longer a gorilla, and Starfire was over by the paramedics, using an oxygen mask. He walked over to her.
“You okay?” he asked, looking concerned.
“Yes, I believe that I shall be fine,” she said, taking the mask off. “Robin, there is something I must ask you.”
“Yes?”
“What does `hitting on' someone mean?”
Robin felt himself go a little red. “Wh-why do you want to know that?”
“Because Raven said the boy we rescued was `hitting on us', but he did at no time strike us. So I believe she was using a slang term.”
“He was hitting on you? When?”
“After we brought him out of the building. He referred to my skirt as `tight', and that I should `go out' with him sometime. Is my skirt too small, Robin? It does not cause me discomfort…and I do not know what he meant by `going out'. We are already outside, are we not?”
“Err…I'll tell you when we get back to the tower. How about that?” he asked, knowing that Starfire would probably forget her question entirely by the time they got back to the tower.
“Of course, Robin. Oh, look!” She pointed to the building which was now only smoldering. “Glorious! It appears that the efforts of our friends and the fighters of fire were a success!”
“Yep. We'd better get back to the tower.”
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“WHAT IS THIS BULLSHIT?!”
Cyborg slammed the newspaper down on the table, causing Raven's teacup to vibrate. She and the others looked up at him.
“What?” she asked.
“Look!”
TEEN TITANS SUSPECTED IN ARSON AS PUBLICITY STUNT
It was the day after the fire, which the police had deemed an arson. Obviously, they had their suspects.
“Why would they try the pin it on us?” Beast Boy asked, infuriated. “We saved three people!”
“And a dog!”
“They want to make us look bad,” Raven stated simply.
“But why?” Starfire asked softly. “Why would they wish us ill when we only try to help?”
“Because we're outsiders. We're different. They've seen enough of the bad sort of our kind to think that we're no good either.”
“Man,” Robin muttered. “This just….this sucks.”
“What's the point if they're just going to try to jail us?” Beast Boy questioned. He looked back at the TV, where there was a concert going on.
“Hey, everybody!” a guitarist with messy hair said. “ We're Saturn's 31, and we're really stoked to be opening for Jump City's Night of Rock!” The crowd went wild. “Anyway, before we start playing, I have to tell ya, there's a story behind this next song.”
“My sis here, Amy, and I,” he said, gesturing to the girl with the bass guitar. “We're natives of this great city, and even though we've moved out, our mom still lives here. Hi Ma, we know you're watchin' this! Anyway, ya'll probably know all about the big fire downtown, don't ya?” The crowd let out murmurs of recognition.
“Yeah, well, it was our mom's apartment building.” There were gasps from the spectators. “Don't worry, she's fine. But she told us the wackiest story about this gorilla savin' her. A gorilla, really!”
Beast Boy's eyes widened. “No way.”
“What's up, BB?” asked Cyborg.
“Dude! You guys have gotta come over here!” All of the Titans sat on the couch and watched.
“Yeah, she found out it was one of those Teen Titans! Come on, you know, those awesome guys who live up in that weird tower? The ones who save our asses on a regular basis?” The crowd cheered. “Yeah, they're the best! So, in thanks for saving our mom, Amy wrote a song for them!”
“…Wow.” Raven said, looking a little weirded out.
“And…it goes a little like this. HIT IT!”
When there's trouble you know who to call
Teen Titans!
From their tower, they can see it all
Teen Titans
When there's evil on the attack
You can rest knowing they got your back
'Cause when the world needs heroes on patrol
Teen Titans GO!
With their superpowers they unite
Teen Titans!
Never met a villain that they liked
Teen Titans!
They've got the bad guys on the run
They never stop till the job gets done
'Cause when the world is losin' all control
Teen Titans GO!
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
GO!
TEEN TITANS!
The Titans sat on the couch in silence. Beast Boy didn't pump his fist in the air, Cyborg didn't raise and eyebrow, Starfire didn't cheer, Raven didn't roll her eyes, and Robin didn't try to calm them all down. They just sat there, smiling.
Because despite being pounded by Cinderblock, hassled by police, nearly suffocating in a fire, and being accused of arson, one small band and a dorky song had somehow made their day.
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Blowfish: Holy CRAP, that was LONG. I don't think I've ever actually written anything that long. Wow. Ugh. My brain is…guh. Anyway, I'm gonna start with the re-telling/twisting of the series next chapter.
Next time: In the midst of being criticized by the press and the police, a much deadlier threat looms for the Teen Titans: Three teenagers sent by the mysterious HIVE. Will they overcome these well-organized, well-trained fighting machines? And just why were they sent? All (or most) will be revealed next time!
See the button? The blue one? Press it. You know you want to. Blowfish likes it when you press the blue button…