Fan Fiction ❯ The Missing Titan ❯ Divide and Conquer: Act I ( Chapter 1 )

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Spider-Man, and I do not own the episodes either.

 

Divide and Conquer

 

An overhead view of a prison at night. Smoke pours from behind the outer wall and the shattered front entrance, as well as from a spot on the bridge that leads to the complex. If these clues are not enough to indicate that something very bad is going on, the blaring klaxons and sirens settle the point decisively. Zoom in very slowly and cut to inside the entrance; three guards run in through it. Each has a number emblazoned on his shoulder-1, 3, and 8.

 

Guard 1: Code Red! Cellblock Nine! Move out!

 

 

The other two follow orders and he brings up the rear. They run in a short distance and then slow to a walk, weapons ready.

 

 

Guard 1: Main yard secure.

 

 

Something very large is thrown down in front of them to roll a little bit.

 

 

Guard 3: There he is! (They advance)

 

Guard 8: He'll free the criminals! (They level their weapons)

 

Guard 1: Fire!

 

 

Their target has already bashed a large hole through the wall of the cellblock and is on the way in-he threw part of the torn-out section at them. Seen from the back, this creature is at least ten feet tall, very blocky, and appears to be built entirely out of concrete. The villain is known to the city as Cinderblock. Laser blasts from the guards strike the edges of the hole he has made, while a few connect with his back and others fly past. He turns to them, revealing an equally blocky face with small red eyes. The shots are having no discernible effect on him. Voicing a grating roar, he raises one massive foot and stomps the ground; this produces a long fissure that throws debris and dust into the three guards' faces to spoil their aim.

Cut to inside the cellblock, he moves in and stops upon hearing the next words.

 

 

Beast Boy: (from o.c.) You know, Cinderblock, normally the bad guys break `out' of jail.

 

Robin: (from o.c.) And I can think of six good reasons why you don't want to break in.

 

 

Cut to Robin; he leaps across the floor and lands in a crouch.

 

 

Robin: (voice over) One!

 

 

Now Starfire swoops and lands, looking sidelong at the camera from over her shoulder.

 

 

Starfire: (voice over) Two!

 

 

Beast Boy, as a tiger, lunges in. When he comes down, he has taken human form except for his head and one arm; he quickly restores these as well.

 

 

Beast Boy: (voice over) Three!

 

 

Next, Raven drops in and gets ready to cast a spell.

 

 

Raven: (voice over) Four!

 

 

Then Cyborg jumps in.

 

 

Cyborg: (voice over) Five!

 

 

Finally, Spider-Man hangs upside-down with a web-line and lands on the floor in a crouching position, like a spider.

 

 

Spider-Man: (voice over) And lucky number six!

 

 

The Titans stand ready for battle now.

 

 

Robin: No matter how you do the math, it all adds up to you going down. So, are you going to go quietly… (Pan to Cyborg)

 

Cyborg: …or is this gonna get loud? (Cinderblock roars and barrels straight toward them)

 

Spider-Man: I guess the second part is more of a logical choice for him.

 

Robin: Titans! Go!

 

 

They charge; Beast Boy becomes a hawk to fly behind Raven and Starfire, and Spider-Man shot out his web line to the ceiling and swung toward their assailant. Yelling, the six heroes and the one oversized villain hurtle toward one another. Freeze frame and snap to black.

 

 

(Cue theme music)

 

 

Cinderblock continuing his rush and the Titans do likewise. After a few seconds, the view shifts to letterbox. Silhouettes of the two sides charge ahead, after which the view returns to full screen and Robin lands a solid kick that staggers the foe. As he staggers backwards, Spider-Man jumps down in front of Cinderblock and shot out both of his web lines in an attempt to tie up the giant brute by wrapping both of Cinderblock's arms on his sides. Unfortunately, the stone-monster was able to break free and launched a giant fist towards Spider-Man.

 

 

Spider-Man: Whoops.

 

 

 

But Spider-Man's Spider sense predicted the upcoming attack and leaped out of the way using his quick reflexes that allowed Cinderblock to hit the ground instead, but not before Spider-Man delivered a cartwheel kick on Cinderblock's head. After that hard kick, Cinderblock was caught with a double dose of starbolts in the back, courtesy of Starfire. Now Cyborg aims a right hook; even though Cinderblock stops it, he is still driven back by the impact.

Beast Boy dives in and rakes his talons across the concrete body time after time, forcing Cinderblock to run to another corner. Raven puts herself in his path and levitates a section of the floor, tilting it up until it stands vertical. She raises out of the way an instant before he crashes through his improvised barrier, and then flies away as Robin, Cyborg, Spider-Man, and Starfire rush him.

One giant backhand leaves only Starfire and Spider-Man still in motion as his Spider sense predicted another upcoming attack and ducked under Cinderblock's swinging arm; the other two have been knocked away. As Spider-Man got close enough to Cinderblock, he delivered an uppercut punch on Cinderblock's chin plus a double kick on his chest that made him lose his balance a little bit, but Cinderblock grabbed Spider-Man's one leg before bug-eyes could flip away from him after that kick.

 

 

Spider-Man: Uh oh.

 

 

 

Cinderblock threw Spider-Man to the far side of the wall, but thanks to Spider-Man's quick reflexes and agility, he was able regain his balance and cling on the wall before he crashed into it.

 

Spider-Man: (Wiping a sweat off of his forehead) Whew! Good thing I landed on my hands and feet.

 

 

 

Starfire flew over in front of Cinderblock and throws a couple of star-bolts, but is then grabbed in those two enormous hands and pulled in with a little gasp for a face-to-face look at Cinderblock. A smile comes over her face.

 

 

Starfire: I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am stronger than I look.

 

 

She proves it by breaking his hold and delivering a high kick that drives him back against the wall. A cry from Beast Boy-hawk is heard, and he swoops in again; in an instant, he has hit the ground and transformed into a tyrannosaurus rex. Cinderblock stands back before his thundering charge and knocks him back with a single left hook.

 

 

Raven: Azerath, Metrion,-

 

She cuts off the incantation with a sharp, shocked gasp as she discovers Beast Boy's shadow falling over her and sees him dropping from above. Overhead view; his panicked yell is accompanied by the shadow's change to human form. He falls on her like a ton of bricks and is the first to get up, shaking his head to clear it. Raven stands a moment later and grits her teeth in anger before getting herself under control. A lock of hair falls over her face.

 

 

Beast Boy: (Sheepishly) Heh…watch out for falling dinosaurs? (She gives him a hard glance and blows the hair aside) I'm gonna leave you alone now.

 

 

He bugs out. Cinderblock chuckles to himself and starts to cross the area, but Robin jumps onto his neck and tries to put him in a headlock. Stumbling about at random, the stone behemoth tears a girder loose from the wall. A chunk of concrete from the floor goes with it.

 

 

Robin: Thrashing only makes me hold tighter!

 

 

Cinderblock raises the girder for a swing back over his shoulder to hit Robin, but misses when the boy-wonder jumps away just in time; he only clocks himself in the head. Cyborg looks at another girder.

 

 

Cyborg: Now there's an idea.

 

 

He rips it free and charges. He and Cinderblock, in silhouette, swing at each other, the entire screen flashing blue every time their makeshift clubs collide. Cyborg steadily gains ground on the enemy. They struggle at close quarters, and Cinderblock pushes Cyborg back in preparation for a mighty swing. It connects, sending the Titan and his girder skidding across the floor. Starfire floats down from above; Cinderblock gets ready to let her have it, but the quick flash of a star-bolt causes the steel to heat and soften in his hands. He grunts in surprise, and she laughs as Raven looks on and Spider-Man jumps down right next to her.

 

 

Spider-Man: Give it up, Blockhead! There is nowhere else to run to.

 

 

Cinderblock grunts and runs off down the corridor, heading deeper into the prison.

 

 

Spider-Man: (Eyes widened in surprise) Well, except for that direction. Dang! I wouldn't of think that he would runaway from a fight.

 

 

Raven roll her eyes in annoyance of her teammate's skepticism; either that or he's just joking like he always do. Cyborg is still flat on his back, but gets up with a helping hand from Robin and dusts himself off.

 

 

Robin: Want to give this guy the Sonic Boom? (Cyborg smiles and converts his arm to Sonic Cannon Mode)

 

Cyborg: I got the Sonic if you got the Boom.

 

 

Their four teammates regroup and look off down the corridor.

 

 

Spider-Man: (Excited) Oh yeah! This is my favorite part.

 

 

Cut to Cinderblock, still heading farther in.

 

 

Cyborg: (from o.c.) Yo, Rockhead!

 

 

He stops and turns around to find Robin and Cyborg running straight at him. They peel off to opposite sides and go up the walls, and then jump toward each other as the Cannon warms up. Whatever they were planning goes badly wrong, however, as their feet get tangled up and they are left spinning out of control in midair.

 

 

Spider-Man: (Sweat dropped) Okay, that was not supposed to happen.

 

 

Finally, they fly apart and Cyborg crashes into the wall. His Cannon goes off, producing a blast of sound that engulfs Beast Boy and Starfire. Robin slams against the other wall; a disc in his hands slides away and detonates at Raven's and Spider-Man's feet.

Cinderblock is completely unscathed by the fireworks and clumps away, smashing straight through one wall after another in his path. Prisoners step out to look after the lumbering colossus, and then start to sprint out the same way he came in.

 

 

Various Prisoners: Hey, hey, look at this. Its freedom...Let's do it…Let's get outta here…Yeah!

 

 

Other voices are heard among these words. Cut to Robin, on his feet and rubbing his head; the commotion reaches him from around the corner, and soon a throng of escaping prisoners is coming straight at him. He whips out his fighting Staff and extends it to full length, and he, Raven, Spider-Man, Beast Boy, and Starfire get ready to throw down. Silhouettes of the five Titans and the prisoners against a red background. As the latter are caught by surprise, the former let them have it. Beast Boy resumes his T-rex form to scare the living bejesus out of them.

Close-up of a sign on a cell door. “Prisoner 385901—Absolute Silence!” Cinderblock's footsteps rumbles and his shadow appears over the sign. Inside the cell, which is extremely large, a cylindrical glass tank of liquid is suspended from the ceiling. Within it is the figure of a man, floating erect and clad only in a pair of underwear. The door is smashed off its hinges, and Cinderblock enters and approaches the tank. In close-up, the man is seen to be perhaps in his thirties, very thin, with a shaved head. He is asleep and snoring loudly.

Cinderblock rips the entire tank away from the ceiling-mounted apparatus that holds it; broken hoses spew liquid and gases about the cell. He then punches a hole in the floor and jumps through it to make his escape, pulling the tank after himself. Even though the container gets briefly stuck and has to be yanked forcibly through the hole, 385901 does not so much as stir in his sleep.

Wipe to just outside the entrance of the cellblock as two prisoners run out in a bid for freedom.

 

 

Prisoner 1: Let's go, let's go!

 

Prisoner 2: I think we're gonna make it!

 

Prisoner 1: Yeah!

 

 

Their perspective: they approach the smashed gate in the outer wall—which is promptly closed when the pieces fly back into the frame. Back to the prisoners, who stop in their tracks.

 

 

Prisoner 1, 2: Huh?

 

 

Snap to black, which revolves into a swirling vortex in front of the gate. It recedes to nothing as Raven floats in through the barrier—repaired by her telekinesis.

 

 

Raven: Think again.

 

 

Cut to the prisoners, who are now wrapped around with webbing and were yanked back into the prison complex with great strength only to meet face-to-face with Spider-Man.

 

 

Spider-Man: Nice try, though. Now give my regards to my fans at the slammer.

 

 

Wipe to the corridor, near the holes that Cinderblock smashed through the walls. Guards keep watch as the prisoners return to their cells, their arms shackled behind their backs. Plus, some of them were tied up in webbing that won't come off easily until a few hours. Pan from here to the Titans; Beast Boy is now a gorilla, but he quickly assumes human form.

 

 

Beast Boy: Jailbreak? I don't see any jailbreak.

 

Robin: None of us would have seen one if Cyborg hadn't messed up! (He looks away)

 

 

Each speaker's head grows a size when he speaks, and then shrinks back to normal.

 

 

Cyborg: Me? I messed up nothing! (with great force; Robin's cape blows back) You got in my way! (He looks away as well)

 

Robin: (Turning back) You were too far forward, and Cinderblock got away because of it!

 

 

An angry little spark pops up on his temple during the end of this and then winks out when his head deflates. Now the background goes red and the sight gag becomes more exaggerated, with the non-speaker shrinking a bit as he gets yelled at as well.

 

 

Cyborg: (Turning back) You saying this is my fault?

 

Robin: Want me to say it again?

 

 

Sparks fly between both pairs of eyes before Starfire pops up between them.

 

 

Starfire: Stop! No more mean talking!

 

 

They turn their backs on her and each other, and the normal background restores itself as Beast Boy speaks up.

 

 

Beast Boy: Yeah. If you two are gonna fight, we need time to sell tickets. (Cut to Spider-Man standing right next to Raven crossing his arms)

 

Spider-Man: (Muttered) Or have enough time to set up a battlefield. (His comment was answered by a hand slap in the back of his head from Raven) OW!

 

Raven: Cinderblock escaped. No amount of yelling will change that. So stop acting like idiots, and let's go home.

 

 

Cyborg and Robin throw each other a disdainful glance from over their shoulders.

 

 

Robin, Cyborg: Hmph!

 

 

Their respective exhalations are visible in the air. Now they stride away, leaving the other Titans nonplussed.

 

Spider-Man: (Puzzled look) That went well.

Robin: (Softly) Loser.

 

Cyborg: (Softly) Jerk.

 

Spider-Man: (Loudly) Here we go!

 

 

They whirl to face one another.

 

 

Robin, Cyborg: What did you say?!?

 

 

They go face to face. The background turns red again.

 

 

Robin: Do you have a problem, Tin Man?

 

Cyborg: Yeah! Its four feet tall and smells like cheap hair gel!

 

 

This hits him the wrong way. Cut to the others against the wall. They have become like scared infants, with the pair's shadows thrown across them as rough caricatures.

 

 

Robin: (from o.c.) Well, you're an oversized klutz and your feet smell like motor oil! (Beast Boy starts to cry as Spider-Man lifted his mask up to his nose and sucks on his thumb nervously)

 

Cyborg: (from o.c.) You're bossy, you're rude, you got no taste in music!

 

 

The sight gag ends as the camera shifts to frame all six again.

 

 

Robin: I don't even know why you're on this team!

 

Cyborg: That makes two of us! I QUIT!!

 

 

These two words leave the rest of the group staring wide-eyed in total shock. His silhouette stalks away from theirs against a blue field, and Robin hangs his head. Fade to black as the sound of machinery makes itself heard.

Fade in to a close-up of turning gears and dissolve to a series of other shots of heavy equipment hard at work—cams and pistons and crankshafts. Pan from the last view across a large enclosure illuminated chiefly by dim red light, then stop on a shadowy figure seated on a large chair atop a raised platform. No features can be seen except the glint of full-body armor and one eye, the left. An overhead fixture pours light down on the seat. In the harsh glare, the right side of the head and shoulder show a gray tint, while red-orange appears on the other side.

Cinderblock stumps into the light and places the tank containing 385901 on the floor. When the red-orange figure speaks, his tone is even and measured.

 

 

Red-orange figure: Cinderblock. I see your mission was a success. Good. We will proceed with phase two. Wake him.

 

 

The behemoth strains at the metal cap on the top end of the tank and manages to unscrew it, releasing thick clouds of vapor. When they clear, the occupants begins to stir from his slumber.

 

 

385901: (Through glass, startled) I'm…awake? I should never be awake! I'm only human when I'm sleeping!

 

Red-orange figure: But for what I have in mind, your human form is useless. (Leaning forward) I need Plasmus.

 

 

The man's form begins to swell and distort within the tank, causing the glass to bulge and finally shatter. What comes out is a mass of purplish slime that overwhelms the nearby Cinderblock, accompanied by more fumes from the liquid inside. When the view clears, the overhead light has gone out and the ooze has formed itself into a very large, roughly shaped humanoid with an extremely wide mouth and two tiny yellowish eyes—Plasmus, the form taken by 385901 whenever he is not asleep. The reason for the silence warning on his cell's door is now abundantly clear. Plasmus comes forward and lets off a screeching roar. Fade to black.