Fan Fiction ❯ Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You ❯ The Calm Before The Storm ( Chapter 36 )

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You

 

Chapter Thirty-Six

“The Calm Before The Storm”

 

A/N: The results are in. It wasn't even close in the end. It seems everyone agrees that Cy needs some lovin', and that he should get a whole lotta lovin'. The Love Triangle wins! ^^ Which should be fun. I now know exactly what shall be happening with Cy, and I must thank you all for your votes and for many of the good ideas that came out of them. This chapter shall be dedicated to Madmartagan, who gave me some wonderful ideas when reviewing the last chapter, and for that I thank you.

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 

The ground was littered both with the broken bodies of Luthor's androids and spatters of blood from the titans as well. Cyborg, Starfire and Robin were fighting their hardest against the onslaught of mechanical enemies; but to no real avail. Luthor's TK-Series androids were unbelievably powerful. A few starbolts, a sonic cannon blast or two, or one of Robin's exploding discs were enough to render the androids down, but not out. Repeatedly they knocked the enemy down and moved on to a new foe, only to find the previously defeated android getting back up.

 

So far, of the thirty-four enemy androids, they had managed to disable or destroy twenty-seven. However, during the battle each of the Titans had received their fair share of injures.

 

The already battle-scarred Robin had nearly been decapitated when TK-12 ripped a stop sign out of the ground and swung it like a sword at his head. Robin managed to duck down at the last minute and throw a freezing disc on the android, which covered him in a thick coating of ice. The boy wonder followed that attack up by whacking the ice-covered android with his bo-staff, which knocked the frozen foe backwards. When the android hit the ground, he shattered into pieces along with the ice. However, before Robin could take any kind of pause TK-07 had grabbed him from behind, tossed him up into the air, and then kicked him on his way back down as if he was a human soccer ball.

 

Starfire had equally bad luck. She had grabbed TK-19 by the head, charged a starbolt, and blasted it at such close range that the android's head had exploded into pieces. She'd managed to duplicate the trick with TK-31 and TK-04, but when she tried to get lucky a fourth time, TK-34 had slipped past her grasp and gotten its hand on her arms. The android stretched each of Starfire's arms in a different direction, causing the redhead to scream in pain as he pulled her body like she was a child's doll. Starfire growled out in anger, placed her feet against the androids chest and kicked off hard. The android wound up flying backwards, having his arms ripped clear off. Starfire floated in mid-air, rubbing her sore shoulders and wincing at the enormous pain surging through her body. Unfortunately, for her, TK-23 chose that moment to tackle her to the ground. Smothered under the heavy metal body, Starfire's only means of escape was to blast the android from close ranger with her eye lasers. Sadly, the android exploded from the attack and Starfire was caught up in the blast.

 

Finally, as the battle continued to rage, the Titans were able to reduce their enemies down to only ten. However, the three Titans were all incredibly tired and severely injured. Robin was down on one knee, clutching his shoulder that had a huge gash down it. He was bleeding from his nose, shoulder and a few cuts on his chest and legs. Beside him was Starfire, floating just above the surface of the ground with her eyes and hands still glowing. Her stomach had a deep cut across it that was bleeding badly, and her left eye was swelling up. Cyborg stood aside from the two, his body covered in scratches, dings and his metal breaking off in some places. A trickle of blood was coming from out of his mouth, and he was losing power fast.

 

Around the three titans, the androids began to close in on them in a circle. The ten remaining TK-series robots were advancing fast with their hands out in front of them. Across the street, the Hologram of Luthor was laughing his head off. The Titans East were still unconscious and tired up around the hologram. The robots began to move in for the kill.

 

“You got any ideas?” Cyborg asked as he attempted to fire his sonic cannon. Unfortunately, his power supply was running so low from the combat that he didn't have enough energy to fire his cannon. Cyborg cursed loudly and reverted his hand back into a fist.

 

“We must be strong. We will overcome them.” Starfire insisted as she hurled a pair of Starbolts at two of the advancing androids. The starbolts smacked them in their chests and exploded on contact, showering the ground with bits of metal and green sparks. The androids kept coming, however.

 

“I hope so.” Robin silently whispered to himself. In truth, they were in a bad spot. Robin's utility belt hadn't been refilled in a long time, and he was running out of gadgets. Cyborg's energy supply was so low he couldn't attack with his sonic cannon without risking a system shutdown; and Starfire was injured. She'd soon be too tired to create starbolts. The group had to finish this, and fast, or they'd risk falling victim to death.

 

The Titans tensed up. The androids began to close in on them. It looked like this might be the end. There may only be ten androids left, but that still outnumbered the titans quite a bit and the injuries had reduced them all down to their last leg.

 

Then the ground began to shake.

 

“What the --?” Robin cried out, surprised.

 

The ground was shaking savagely and the androids were falling over. As one of them fell down onto the ground, a large green tyrannosaurs rex fell from the sky and landed on top of it, crushing it flat. The T-Rex twisted its snout around and bit another android clear in half. The ground beneath two of the others suddenly opened up and they fell into a hole; then he ground re-closed and smashed them to pieces.

 

Robin, Starfire and Cyborg looked up to see Terra's flying rock speed by. Raven was standing behind the blonde on the flying rock as they sped over the battlefield. Terra's hands flashed with yellow light and several chunks of rock from the street broke off and smashed into a couple more of the remaining androids. Beast Boy smashed another one with his tail, and destroyed the final one with his mouth.

 

Terra's rock landed on the ground a few feet from the injured Titans and she and Raven hopped off. Beast Boy reverted to his human form and grinned his goofiest grin at his friends. Luthor's hologram did not look amused. Across the street from the titans, the bald-headed hologram suddenly vanished. Far away, the real Luthor cursed his luck.

 

“Perfect timing BB.” Cyborg sighed in relief. Then his face was filled with concern as he cast his glance across the street. “C'mon y'all, we have to check on them!” He pointed towards the Titans East.

 

----

 

A Short While Later . . .

 

The Teen Titans, both the original and the eastern incarnation, were gathered together now. After the end of the battle, they had regrouped and traveled downtown. The Titans East, aside from their now-destroyed tower, had built a secondary-base in Steel City just in case something ever happened to the tower. The base was located in a cave in the side of a mountain. It wasn't very fancy, and nowhere near as equipped as Titans Tower had been, but it was better than having nothing.

 

Everyone was injured to some extent. The Titans East each had their own injuries and bruises, the twins being in the worst condition of anyone. Cyborg was plugged into the wall attempting to recharge his power cells while the conversation took place. The rest of the team was seated around a circular table. They'd taken the time to address all of the medical needs and many of the titans were bandaged in various places.

Everyone there had shared his or her stories. Bumblebee retold how Slade had defeated the Titans East, Raven explained what happened back in Jump City, and Robin recalled the confrontation with Luthor's hologram and the TK-series androids. There did not seem to be any good news.

 

“So let me see if I get all of this straight,” Cyborg said at last as the stories were finished. “Slade's dead, right? So we don't have to worry about him. And all of Luthor's androids were destroyed, so he at least has to build new ones before he can come back again. What about Trigon and the demons? I'm still confused on that situation.”

 

“Trigon and his children are locked inside the glove.” Raven replied, tossing the golden gauntlet onto the surface of the smooth black table. They had removed Slade's hand from the glove and disposed of it earlier. “And my powers are stuck in there with them.”

Robin heaved a sigh. This seemed to be their most urgent issue now. Without her powers, Raven was at a disadvantage. Some of the most dangerous supervillians in the world were still gunning for the titans actively, and if she did not have her powers, there was very little they could do to protect her. Raven realized this as well. She was sitting in one of the chairs with her shoulders tensed and her head down. Beast Boy, who sat next to her, bit his lip and put an arm around Raven comfortingly. She merely sighed once again.

 

“Raven, isn't there a way to get your powers back from the glove?” Robin asked, concerned for his friend.

 

“I don't know. The Azar made the glove, I don't know much about it.” Raven replied.

 

“So, why don't we just call this Azar person and ask them?” Beast Boy inquired.

 

“Because I don't know how to contact The Azar.” Raven responded.

 

“Then how'd y'all get it in the first place?” Speedy asked, kicking his legs up on the table.

 

“My mother.” Raven replied, her voice becoming very quiet. “And she's dead now.”

 

The talking ceased for a moment. All of the Titans seemed out of ideas. They had hit a stalemate. They needed to free Raven's powers from the glove, but none of them had any idea how to do that. Finally, Speed got up and made a bold declaration.

“Well, let's destroy the glove then! That should free Raven's powers.”

 

“That will also free Trigon.” Aqualad pointed out. Speedy sweatdropped and returned to his chair silently.

 

“If I had the Book of Azar, I could figure this out myself.” Raven sighed, placing her head in her hands. “But it was destroyed along with our Tower.”

 

“Can't you just get another one?” Terra asked from her seat on the other side of Beast Boy.

 

“There were only seven copies of the book ever made. Four of them were destroyed on Azarath, one I had, and the other two were lost. Where am I going to even begin to look for one of the remaining copies?” Raven sighed.

 

“eBay?” Terra suggested, shrugging her shoulders. Raven glared at her silently, but Robin stood up.

“That's it!” He announced.

 

“You're kidding, right dude?” Beast Boy asked, skeptically raising an eyebrow. “You really think we can find it on eBay?”

 

“No.” Robin snapped. “But we can track the books using the Internet. Cyborg, can you link up to the computer system here and search for those missing copies of the book?”

 

Cyborg nodded. “No sweat. Just hook me up.”

 

A few minutes later, the Titans had managed to hook Cyborg up to their computer system, and he was now sitting in front of the wall-monitor built into the side of the cave, searching the world wide web for any sign of the Book of Azar. Terra, Bumblebee, Speedy and Starfire stood around Cyborg, each anxiously looking up at the screen. Robin, Raven, Beast Boy, Aqualad and the twins were still seated around the table.

 

“We need to discuss Luthor, too.” Robin informed them. “He'll be back. He doesn't give up.”

“No kidding.” Aqualad replied. “I've heard enough bad things about that guy. What do you think we should do?”

 

Robin rubbed his chin for a moment. “I don't know. Going after him directly would be too dangerous, especially considering the fact that we've all been injured.”

 

“Plus we're going to have to go after the book, as soon as Cyborg can find it.” Beast Boy added.

 

“It's impossible to plan anything until we have more details.” Raven decided, leaning back in her chair and trying to relax. She was trying, but she was failing miserably. Beast Boy bit his lip, wishing he knew some way to cheer her up, but he knew it would be impossible tonight.

 

“Okay, I got good news, I got bad news, and I've got really bad news.” Cyborg said, turning around in his chair so he could face the Titans around him and those seated at the planning table. “Which do you want to hear first?”

 

“Anything about the book.” Raven replied before anyone else had a chance to talk. She turned her tired face to Cyborg with her dark eyes full of anticipation.

 

“Well, I was able to track down the last two copies. One of them was housed in a museum in France; but it was stolen a year ago. The other was sold on an online auction site. Turns out they both wound up in the same place, though.” Cyborg explained.

 

“Where?” Raven asked.

 

“The HIVE library,” Cyborg sighed, “Apparently Brother Blood thought they made good reading material for his students.”

 

Raven groaned and let her head fall forward onto the table. Beast Boy rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, but it didn't help improve her mood.

 

“And the book was destroyed when we trashed the HIVE headquarters, wasn't it?” Raven asked, not bothering to look up.

“Probably,” Cyborg sighed, “And even if it wasn't, Brother Blood's history, no way he can tell us where the books are now. I'm sorry Raven.”

 

“Hold up there, Sparky.” Bumblebee said, her eyes brightening. “I remember the undercover days at HIVE real well, and I'll tell you something; if there was a spellbook in that library, Jinx would have checked it out. That girl was nuts about that kind of stuff.”

 

“Jinx is still in Jump City's jail.” Robin reminded them. “The Police still have the HIVE kids in jail after the fight with Red X and Doug. We could always go down there and interrogate them.”

 

“Forget it Robin.” Cyborg shook his head. “Even if Jinx did have the book, do you really think she'd tell us where it is?”

 

“What makes you think she'd have a choice?” Raven asked with an icy tone in her voice. “I say we go back to Jump and get that book from her; now.”

 

“Hold on.” Robin shook his head. “That might not be our best approach Raven. Jinx is already in prison. If she doesn't want to tell us of her own will, we'll have no way of knowing at all.”

The boy wonder began to pace, as he often did when he was formulating a plan in his head. He did not know what to do, nor did he know how to do it. They needed to get that book from Jinx; it was their only means to restore Raven's powers to her. This meant they needed some kind of bargaining chip, but Robin couldn't for the life of him figure anything out.

Bumblebee, on the other hand, could. The leader of the Eastern Titans stood up and shared her rather bold idea with the group. “Why not offer her, her freedom?” She suggested.

“What?” Aqualad seemed shocked. “You mean let her out of jail?”

 

“Work something out with the parole board.” Bumblebee insisted. “Look, I went to classes with Jinx for a while when I was undercover; trust me, when compared to Luthor or Slade she's about as dangerous as a kitty cat. I'd rather have her back on the streets than have Raven powerless and defenseless.”

 

“Good point.” Beast Boy agreed. Raven raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head at his girlfriend. “Dude, face it Rae, nearly all the crap that's happened to us lately has been because of Trigon and those other demons. You're like a big magnet for danger.”

 

“Gee, thanks.” Raven's sarcasm was unaffected by her lost powers.

“Aww, you're a big sexy magnet for danger.” Beast Boy tried to recover himself from that last line, but Raven merely rolled her eyes at him and returned to the more pressing matters at hand.

 

“Bumblebee's right,” Robin decided at last. “We know Luthor isn't the type to give up easily, and he's still out there. We need that spellbook, even if it means letting Jinx out of prison.”

 

“Hey Robin,” Bumblebee said, walking closer to the boy wonder. “While we're on the subject, I don't think we should just sit around and wait for Luthor to strike again. Maybe we should get the jump on him.”

 

“I'm all for that.” Terra said quickly. She hadn't forgotten the hell Dr. Cobalt had put her through under Luthor's orders.

 

“We should also start the reconstruction of the Tower.” Speedy pointed out. “We can't use this cave forever.”

 

“Okay,” Bumblebee nodded, leaning one arm on the table. “Then Sparky and I will go get Jinx to talk, Speedy, Aqualad and the twins can start rebuilding the tower, and the rest of you can head after Luthor.”

 

The reactions were many and loud.

“Why do we have to rebuild the tower?” Aqualad and Speedy both cried out, angry that they were getting the boring job.

“Why do I have to go after Jinx?” Cyborg asked, equally upset.

 

“You two and the twins have to rebuild the tower `cause I said so.” Bumblebee replied with a `don't-second-guess-me' attitude. “And I said so because out of all of us, you four were injured the most by Slade, so you don't need to be in the battlefield right now. As for you Sparky, hell, you and I know Jinx better than anyone does. We did the undercover thing at Blood's school. We have the best chance of getting her cooperation. That leaves Robin and everyone else to go after Luthor.”

 

When explained that way, the arguments to the plan died out. Speed and Aqualad still looked upset that they had been sidelines and set on repair duty, but when faced with the alternative of taking on Lex Luthor's legendary criminal empire in their current condition, they quickly got over their complaints. Cyborg merely shrugged and mumbled something that no one was able to catch.

 

“The plan will work for me.” Starfire agreed.

 

“Yeah, I'm down.” Beast Boy added.

One by one, each of the Titans Teams agreed to the idea, and Robin and Bumblebee nodded in approval. So it was set; the Titans now had a battle plan, they would just have to hope it would work.

“Hey, I know this is an urgent matter and everything,” Terra said suddenly, taking the groups attention. “But do you think it can wait till morning? None of us have really slept in a long time, and I doubt even Luthor could build a new android army in such a short amount of time. The rest could do us all some good, too.”

 

There were no objections.

 

----

 

Meanwhile, back in Jump City, a pair of teenagers had found their way to the beach in the middle of the night. They were laughing and giggling as they stumbled their way down to the sandy shoreline. They were both drunk, and even the smallest of things was funny to the pair.

“Heeeeeeey,” The boy said, his speech slurred. “Lookit that.”

He pointed towards something lying on the beach. His girlfriend blinked and looked down at the object in the distance.

“What do you think it is?” She asked, then she hiccupped.

“Dunno. Let's find out.” He decided, and the pair hurried down to the strange dark shape. Upon arriving the brunette-haired young man bent down over the object; which turned out to be a man's body.

 

“Whoa.” His redheaded girlfriend took a step back. “What do you think happened to him?”

 

“Dude, it looks like sharks.” The boyfriend said, basing that on the fact he had watched Jaws last night. “Look, his hand's all chewed off and crap.”

 

The boyfriend pointed to the dead man's right arm, which was missing from the elbow down. His girlfriend shuddered and took a step back.

“Eww. Nasty. Should we call the cops or something?” She asked.

 

“Yeah. But first let's look for his wallet.” The boyfriend, being a drunk creep, decided. He reached down and began to pad the man's pants looking for a wallet. In a flash, Slade spun around and grabbed the boy by the wrist with his remaining arm. Using a self-defense move he'd learned in his military days, Slade twisted the boy's arm around completely until he heard the snapping of his bones. The boy screamed aloud and his girlfriend shrieked.

 

“I could use your car keys.” Slade hissed as he squeezed the boy's arm tighter.

 

“Take `em man! Take `em!” The boy yelled, tears now welling up in his eyes from the pain. Slade released the boy's arm and kicked him in the gut so he fell on the sand. Then the criminal genius removed the boy's car keys from his pocket.

“Which one is your car?” Slade asked the young woman. She screamed and ran off towards the water in a panic. Slade shook his head and turned his eye back on the man. Then he asked him the same question.

“The red one, parked up on the curb.” The boy replied only after Slade kicked him again in the chest. Slade kicked the boy one final time, mainly to vent his frustration, and then he hobbled his way up the beach and to the car.

 

Slade climbed into the driver's seat and closed the door behind him; then he leaned back into the chair panting. Blood was dripping down out of his wound onto the seat and steering wheel. Slade knew he needed medical attention, and soon, or he would be dead. He also knew exactly where he could get this medical attention. Slade put the key in the ignition and turned it, and then he shut the door. It was tricky to drive with one hand, especially after losing so much blood, but Slade Wilson was a survivor. He had survived the war, his supervillian days, the trip to Tamaran and the Titans; he would survive this too.

And he would be back. Already the mercenary was planning his next move; and he knew the Titans would not enjoy it one bit.

 

----

 

The Titans did their best to find a comfortable place to sleep. The cave was not built to be a home, only a temporary base. They had computers and tables; but no beds or couches. Cyborg was leaning against the wall, still plugged into the computer storing energy to his power cells. He was also very uncomfortable. Terra, who had spent years living on the run with no home, had fallen asleep quickly and was snoring peacefully in a corner. Starfire was sleeping in one of the black chairs, and Robin was leaning against the side of the chair she sat in. Aqualad, Speedy and the Twins had already left, deciding to skip sleep since they had no battles to fight; instead, they were heading to get supplies to rebuild Titans Tower. Bumblebee had shrunk down to microscopic size and was sleeping quite comfortably on a makeshift bed she had made on the table.

Raven was lying in the further dark corner. She was not asleep. She was lying on her back with her hands folded under her head, thinking.

 

“You don't look too comfy.” Beast Boy's voice floated over to her ears. Raven did not bother to turn her head.

 

“Believe me; I've slept in worse places.” Raven was referring to her first days on Earth, after the Justice League turned her away when she was alone and living on the streets.

 

“Want a pillow?” Beast Boy asked, and then he transformed into a fluffy cat and ran over to her, climbing up on her stomach. She sighed once again, but this time it was more of an amused, happy sigh; than the usual depressed one.

 

“Thanks, but I'd rather have some company.” Raven replied. Beast Boy hopped off her and transformed back into his human form; he was now lying next to her with his eyes wide.

“Dude? Seriously? That's not like you.”

 

“I know.” Raven sighed. She moved closer to him, leaning her body against his shoulder and using him as a pillow. “But it's been a long, long day and sometimes I enjoy having you around.”

 

Beast Boy snickered. Raven raised an eyebrow. “What?”

 

“You're just starting to sound like you did back on Tamaran. Remember? When we first started getting together. You know I'm kind of surprised.” Beast Boy suddenly said.

“Surprised about what?” Raven asked.

 

“That we're still together.” Beast Boy replied.

Raven looked up at the ceiling. “I know what you mean.” She turned her head back to Beast Boy and saw the shocked look on his face, which caused a small smile to form on her lips.

“Dude, that was harsh Rae.” Beast Boy pouted.

 

“You're the one who said it first.” Raven pointed out.

 

“Yeah, but like, you're supposed to be all nurturing and stuff and tell me I'm being silly, and of course we're still together. It's like, bad when you agree with me on that.” Beast Boy explained. Raven shook her head and rolled over onto her side so her back was to him.

 

“Oh stop complaining. It is surprising that we're still together, but it's a good surprise.”

 

“Yeah . . . but you know, it was still harsh what you said, Rae. I'd feel a lot better if I got a `I love you snoockums' right now.”

 

“. . . snoockums? Do you honestly even believe the word `snoockums' is in my vocabulary?” Raven asked him, sarcastically. She was secretly enjoying this.

 

“Are you saying you don't love me?” Beast Boy asked, his tone half-serious, half-kidding.

 

“No, I'm just saying I don't love you enough to use the word `snoockums'.” An always-sarcastic Raven replied.

 

Beast Boy, however, noticed something besides that sarcasm. “So . . . you do love me, though, right?”

 

“Yes.” Raven replied offhanded. Beast Boy's eyes widened a bit.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really what?”

 

“You love me?”

 

Raven sighed. She suddenly realized she had opened Pandora's Box, and there would be no way to close it. Therefore, she rolled back over so they were face to face again, and then she said: “Yes I do. Can I get some sleep now?”

 

Beast Boy's eyes were as bright as a Christmas tree on Christmas morning. “You really do?”

 

“Beast Boy.” Raven said in a voice full of warning, but for once, he ignored her.

 

“No, no, no, this is big Rae.” Beast Boy said, blowing things way out of proportion as always. “I mean, what kind of love are we talking about here? The `I-said-I-love-you-cause-we've-been-dating-a-while-love', or is this more like the way Robin and Starfire are with the whole `I-said-I-love-you-cause-I-really-really-do' kind of love, or -”

 

“It's more the `If-you-ever-want-to-hear-me-say-it-again-you'll-shut-up-and-let-me-get-som e-sleep' kind of love.” Raven cut him off. Beast Boy got the not-so-subtle hint.

 

“Goodnight Rae.”

 

“Goodnight Beast Boy.” With that, she rolled back over again and shut her eyes. She felt one of his arms wrap around her in a comforting hug, and then she heard him whisper something.

 

“. . . I love you too.”

 

Raven felt herself smile, and she was very glad she had her back turned to him while she did, because she knew he'd be bugging her for a goodnight kiss if he saw the grin on her lips.

 

----

 

The Next Day, In Metropolis

 

Lex Luthor slammed his fist down on his desk. The super genius supervillian was sitting in his high-backed leather chair. It was currently facing the glass window of his office on the thirty-sixth floor of Luthor Corp's Metropolis HQ. The evil billionaire was furious. His entire TK-line of androids had been defeated, and the Terra Project was a failure. Luthor was known to be obsessive. In recent days he'd lost millions of dollars worth of research money and many of his projects had been defeated by the Titans. The Terra Project was scraped; his TK-series androids were outdated, and his bank account was much lower than it had been last week.

 

Luthor needed his revenge. He would not be able to rest until he made the Titans suffer the way they had made him suffer. He needed an edge. He needed a way to defeat them. However, he did not know what he could do. More robots, perhaps? No. Luthor decided against making any more TK androids. They had failed him too easily.

 

“Might I suggest something?”

 

Luthor spun his chair around, looking for the voice that had just spoken. Someone was in his private office with him; but he could see no one. Luthor stood up and drew a revolver from out of his desk drawer, but there was no one in the room but him.

“Who's there?” Luthor demanded.

“A friend.” The voice replied. It seemed like the voice was coming from every direction at the same time. “My name is of no importance to you, Lex Luthor, but what I can offer you is.”

 

Luthor realized he must have been dealing with some sort of supernatural being, so he returned the gun to the desk. He'd been in the supervillian business long enough to know the ropes. Supernatural disembodied voices that suddenly appear with deals for you are usually a recipe for disaster. However, like the good executive he was, Luthor would hear it out.

 

“What kind of offer?” Luthor requested.

 

“One you will like, I assure you.” The disembodied voice replied with a devious tone. “Right now the Teen Titans are planning a double operation. Some of them are going to Jump City, to recover a spellbook in order to aid the one called Raven. The rest of the team has decided to come after you.”

 

Luthor raised an eyebrow. “They are coming after me?”

 

“Indeed. They will come, and they will break into one of your secret factories - the ones you deny owning. After soundly trashing your guards the will uncover evidence that proves your corruption to the world. Then they will come here, to Luthor Corp. Headquarters, and they will attempt to arrest you. You will battle them, and you will die in the process.”

 

Luthor remained calm and collected. “How do you know all of this?” He asked in a cool voice.

 

“Your future is my past.” The voice replied. “You see, I am a messenger from the future, Mr. Luthor. In the future, my masters will rise to power and the Earth will be there. The world's greatest superheroes will all battle against them and they will all die. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman - all of them will meet their end in the future. All, except for the Titans. They and they alone will continue to fight; and in my present they have discovered a way to defeat my masters. My masters are losing the war in the future, and losing control of their planet. Therefore they have decided to destroy the Titans in this past - and they've decided to use you to do it, Luthor. In exchange for your cooperation, you not only get to survive; but when my masters come you will be given a position of power in the New World.”

 

Luthor's face did not chance at all, as the voice explained all of this. Time Traveling voices from the future that claimed to be here on a vendetta against the Titans. It was strange and suspicious, but Luthor did not mind.

“So you want me to set a trap for the Titans and destroy them now?” Luthor asked.

 

“Indeed.” The voice replied.

 

“I've got no problem with that; but first I would like some proof that what you're saying is true.”

 

The voice laughed. “I told you the Titans are going after a spellbook. I can tell you exactly where that spellbook is, so that you can be ready with your troops. You must also prepare a trap for the Titans coming after you. I promise you Luthor, you won't be sorry if you do.”

 

Luthor weighed his options, and made his choice.

“Tell me more.”

 

----

 

The new day had come, and it was almost noon. The Titans had been allowed to sleep in because they had all gone without sleep for so long they needed it. Now that they were fully rested and re-equipped, it was time to get started on their new orders. The entire group was gathered at the entrance of the secret cave.

“Well, I guess this is it.” Cyborg said. He flipped open a panel on his arm and checked his power cells. They were once again filled and he was operational. “Y'all be careful messing with Luthor.” He said to Robin, who stood across from him.

 

“We will. You two watch yourself with the HIVE.” Robin replied.

“Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Sparky.” Bumblebee smirked.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Cyborg muttered. “Don't worry, if Jinx has that book, we'll get it from her. You'll have your powers back in no time, Rae.”

 

“Alright, then what are we waiting for?” A very hyper-active Terra asked. She was practically giddy this morning, which was very strange. Maybe it was the idea of getting back at Luthor, but Raven doubted it. She had already confronted Slade, who she hated a lot more than Luthor, and had hardly said a word to him. Whatever it was that had her so wound up, Raven did not know, but right now she had issues that are more important on her mind.

 

“Alright then. Everyone stay in touch, let's play this one safely. Don't forget we're dealing with Luthor. We can't underestimate him at all.” Robin said, adding that leader tone to his voice. “Titans, Go!”

 

As the Titans set out of the cave, splitting up and heading for different locations, they did not notice the bright blue pillar of light that was shining down from the sky in the distance. Nor did they notice the young woman who had stepped out of the pillar of light just before it disappeared. But she noticed them. She watched them, and she knew they were walking right into a trap.

 

“This should be interesting.” The woman said to herself before she started down the side of the hill to follow the Titans.

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 

A/N: There you have it; chapter thirty-six is done. I realize it wasn't very exciting, but it's one of those chapter you have to write to move the story along. Don't worry, things will pick up soon. Oh! If you haven't yet, go read Ten Years Later, my other TT story. If you like AFY, you'll like it too. I promise. Anyway, here's the review replies. Thanks for reading!

 

LadyHood: Eh, no worries! FFN deletes my reviews all the time. It's annoying, huh? I wrote one the other day to my friend Winter that was long and funny, but FFN ate it up. >< Anyway, I'm glad you liked both chapters. I'm also glad you appreciated the humor. I try to throw in a few laughs in-between all the constant killing and kissing. XD Thanks for voting in the poll. Thanks for reading my friend, I'll write the rest soon.

scathac's warrior: Dude, I'm glad someone else but me found it funny that BB bit off Slade's arm. I was afraid I was kind of a freak. XD Aww, don't sell yourself short SW. Writing action isn't too hard. Just practice a little and you'll get the hang of it. … one question, when you say Full Metal's on, do you mean Full Metal Panic, or Full Metal Alchemist? `Cause if it's FMA, then DUDE! Awesome! XD (I'm a huge FMA fan, BTW. Mainly `cause I'm practically just like Ed in every way . . . except I'm taller and have brown hair. XD.) Anyway, enough of my rant . . . thanks for reading my friend, I'll update soon.

 

Dane: I'm glad you liked it, and I hope the update was soon enough.

 

Goddessruling: Who says Slade is dead? I never said he was dead. Just beaten, bitten and drowned. XD. Thanks for voting my friend. Yeah, Cyborg called Raven Rae in Car Trouble. I forget which episode, but BB also calls her Rae a couple of times, I believe. Could be wrong. Speaking of BB and Rae, I'm glad you liked their kiss. They'll be more BB/Rae later, that's a promise. Anyway, thanks for reading m'friend.

 

leftd: Yeah, Aqualad's to blame for the Titans East's trouble by spewing those famous last words. I'm not sure if the next arc will include the other Titans or not. I'd say there's a 90% that it will, 10% that it won't. Yeah, Slade whooped Magus's sorry butt. The only real person Slade can partner with is good old Wintergreen, his own twisted version of Alfred. XD Yeah, I'm using the comic appearance for Slade's real face. Yep, Terra shall stay. I like Terra. She's kind of fun to write, and I have big plans for her later on to bring some angst and drama into BB and Rae's lives. I haven't read Seth Turtle's stories (yet) but I'll be sure to check them out if you recommend them. I'm always looking for something good to read. I'll have some more story written soon, thank you for the reading, and I'll see you later dude.

 

Aclahayr: Yes, I have been giving Raven hell for a long time. But you don't have to worry about that too much anymore, because with Trigon finally gone for good, Raven's going to be taking a backseat for a while. As she's my absolute favorite character she'll still play a HUGE role in the story, but her storyline won't be as big. Actually Cyborg will be having a gigantic focus coming up soon. Chapter Thirty-Seven will begin setting up whichever romance wins the vote, and once he gets into his love thing he'll be moving to the spotlight for the first time. As for BB and Star, well, let's just say Starfire's going to have a much bigger role soon. BB'll be busy too. Heheh. Thanks for reading m'friend, I'll have a new chapter soon.

 

Fireblade K'Chona: Dude, I get called evil a lot. Heheh, awesome. I know if I'm evil I'm doing a good job of creating suspense. XD
Slade and Kikyo . . . now there's an receipt for disaster. XP. You're right, both of them have the habit of coming back at the absolute worst time ever. And oddly enough, both of them side with their enemies while fighting demons. (Slade sided with the Titans in “The End” to fight Trigon, and Kikyo helped Inuyasha and co fight Naraku on a few different occasions.) Although of the two, I'd have to say Slade is slightly, well, eviler. Don't get me wrong, Kikyo's a crazy undead psychopath, but she has too much of a sympathy factor to be eviler than Slade, don't you think? XD
Anyway, thanks for reading dude. I'll write some more soon.

a-1991: Actually I thought suspense was spelled “suspence” too, but my spell-checker says it's “suspense”. O.o Weird. Anyway, I'm super happy to hear you liked it. Darn, I can't guess what movie that line was from. And now I wanna know. XDD! Tell me! Please? Oh, you asked a good question! Why did they take Slade's whole arm, and not just the glove? The answer is `cause none of them wanted to remove the hand from the glove. Nobody wants to touch a severed bloody hand. XD. Thanks for reading, and thanks for voting too!

 

Divagurl277: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for voting, and thanks for reading too!

 

Pickles12: Dude, that sounds awesome. Pop, chips and “The End”. You're so lucky! Yeah, I saw the screen caps. They're awesome! Heheh.

 

we gots good gramer: You think Slade will be back? Even after all that abuse he went through last time? . . . well, come to think of it, he did get stabbed in the brain back in chapter 20 and came back from that, so I have a feeling you're right. XD! Thank you very much for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and thanks for voting!

 

Samanthe2121: No worries my friend, they'll still be lots of Rob/Star in the story. Those two are the primary pairing in this story, after all. I'm happy to hear you're liking the story, thanks for reading and for voting!

 

Madmartagan: Oh man, that would've been great! XD I wish I had thought of something like that. Oh well, I have a feeling that what I have in mind will be good too. There's going to be a LOT of BB/Rae/Terra involved stuff coming very soon. First I have to get the Titans into a “quiet period” when there's not an evil supervillian trying to murder them. Also, your idea about the Cyborg thing . . . PURE GENIUS! I believe your idea of Cy being an not even aware he's a player would be absolutely perfect. Anyway, thanks for reading, voting and coming up with a groovy idea. Peace out!

 

Hoshi: I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reading!

 

Lambbaby: Well I'm glad you were on the edge of your seat. I always try to leave people that way. Hehehe. Yeah, Lex is a psycho hell bent on revenge. And he's so perfect for the part. XD! I think “The End” wasn't too bad. Some people might call it Rob/Rae, but I don't think it really was R/R. I think it was more showing that Rob and Rae are more like brother and sister. Anyway, as to your vote, thank you! Every vote counts, and I thank you very much for sharing yours. I'll update very soon, thanks for reading.

 

Inuluvsu: Heheh. Dude, you can't mess with BB's Gamestation and expect him to just sit back and take it. He'll kick anyone's butt over video games. XD Isn't summertime nice? When school's out. It's always fun. ^^ Yeah, I know I'm evil. I mess with Raven, I mess with Terra, and pretty soon I'm gonna really mess with Cyborg. As for your idea of killing Robin . . . Are you nuts!? The fans would tie me to a stake and burn me! Especially if Starfire was the killer. Although that does give me the idea for a really sad, angsty one-shot fanfic I'd loooooooove to write based on “Apprentice”. So I think I'll make that soon.

 

Primaballerina: Yeah, it did take a while for Robin and Star to start making out, didn't it? Heh. Well you know, I didn't want to rush into stuff. I tried to make it more of a realistic relationship; meaning it takes time for stuff like that to happen. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the story; I'll have more soon.

 

HRH-Ft-Louie: Thank you for reading and voting my friend. ^^ Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

 

Marthes: Dude, that awesome of you to say. I'm glad you liked the story, and even happier that you thought all the characters were on key. As for your idea of contacting the actual writers; hah! I wish. I seriously doubt they'd be interested in a seventeen-year-old fan with no professional training. Besides, I think most of my ideas are a little too violent for the actual show, don't you? Don't get me wrong, I think it'd be awesome to see this stuff actually happen (that's why I write it XD) but do you think Cartoon Network would really allow all of the knife fights, hand-biting off, profanity and make-out sessions that I've written to be on TV? I doubt it. Still, it was nice of you to say so. Thanks for reading dude.

 

IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana: O.o Well if I get a choice can you huggle me, rather than kill me? Killing is bad. As for that thing about why Slade and Raven's “as you wish” was funny . . . nope. Don't get it. XD. I'm slow, I guess.

Wait, my friend, you think I write these horrible cliffhangers with no forethought as to how our heroes will survive them? . . . Yeah, you're right, I do. XD Dooooooooode, I'd love to turn a book into a movie and have lots of explosions and mass murder and stuff. But first I have to write a book. And learn how to direct. XD Winter, as always I thank you for reading my friend. And you BETTER update your fic soon. Or I'll throw the severed Slade arm at you. XD

 

lilac-lily510: Glad you liked it. ^^ I'll have some more written in no time.

 

Goth_chick: ^^ Yay! I like knowing the fic's awesome. Heh, we'll your idea for the triangle thing sounds like fun, so we'll see what happens. Thanks for reading m'friend.

 

Mirielle: Dude, I love summer break. `specially if it leads to new people reading this, err, “long” story. Is long an understatement? XD Well it's nice to hear the characterizations are good. I try my best to keep the Titans IC, but you know, sometimes mistakes happen. And I know what you mean. Once “The End” airs most of the canonical value of this story will go right out the window. Oh well. Well, I'm glad you hear you like the way I write Slade. As he's one of my favorites, it's good to know I've managed to keep him good. You do raise a lot of good points about CyxJinx, and actually I agree with you. (I'm a CyxJinx fan too ^^) although since the love triangle won, that's what will happen. And I'm glad it won, since love triangles can always be spiffy. XD Thanks for reading dude, I'll have more written soon.

 

Valecia92: Well I'm glad to hear you liked it. ^^ I am sorry about the whole Trials/Trails thing. I've gone back and replaced those chapters with the correct version, I think, but I can't remember for sure. Actually I do plan on pursuing my dream of becoming a published author, just as soon as I get some good original ideas. I mean, I have some original ideas now, but I don't want to write them yet. I'd rather wait till college/after college so I can take some writing classes in college and improve my skills some more. Anyway, thanks for reading.

 

Skeet: Actually I forget if Slade has mourned the death of his son. Hmm. I'll have to go back and re-read some of the early chapters. Although . . . you've just given me an idea. THANK YOU! ^^

 

Willow: XD. Well I'm happy to hear you liked the BB tongue line. Actually I liked that one too . . . I must say Willow, you drive an interesting point in a CyxTerra relationship. I'm afraid it's not going to happen, since it would take a LOT to make it realistic and plus the majority of the votes went to the love triangle, but it does have an interesting aspect to it. Perhaps in another fic. Who knows. Anyway, thanks for reading m'friend.

 

WHOCARES: Yeah, it does suck to be Slade, eh? Poor guy. Always getting beaten by those pesky heroes. … wait, what am I saying!? Hehehe. Thanks for reading.

 

Flames of the Sun: I know it'll be a while before you see this, but I'm glad you liked the story enough to give it a chance even after it's become so bloody long. Thanks for reading, and here's hoping you still like it by the time you get to this chapter.

 

AstaOmega11: Wow, that is a long time. XD But hey, you actually read it all! That's awesome! Thank you. ^^ I'll write some more soon, and I promise it won't take as long to read. Heheh. Anyway, thanks for reading dude. GS out.

 

GizmoBunny: Excellent. I like hearing that stuff's awesome. I hope you enjoyed this one, and I'm sorry you don't like either of the Cyborg couples; but I'm hoping you'll still read anyway. Thanks for reading m'friend, chapter thirty seven is on the way.