Fan Fiction ❯ The Missing Titan ❯ Act II ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Spider-Man, I'm not even rich.

 

 

Divide and Conquer: Act Two

 

 

The exterior of Titans Tower, it is now the next day. Ringing is heard over a telephone line, followed by the click of the call being answered.

 

 

Cyborg: (On answering machine) This is Cyborg. I'm either in the gym, playing Gamestation—(Zoom in slowly)—or kicking bad-guy butt. Leave a message. (Beep)

 

 

Cut to the operations center. Starfire is at the kitchen counter, Spider-Man is sitting on a semicircle couch looking at his photos that were developed, Raven is looking at a bank of monitors, and Beast Boy paces with a cell phone in hand—he made the call. Robin stands at the windows.

 

 

Beast Boy: Hello? Cy? Pick up! (Pause) Come on, Cy, pick up! (Close-up of Raven; he paces behind her) I know you're there. The phone's built in your arm!

 

 

In this shot, Starfire is now mixing something in a bowl. Raven reaches up to press a key. Now Beast Boy hangs up disgustedly. Cut to an extreme close-up of Starfire, who holds up a spoonful of glop from her bowl.

 

 

Starfire: Taste.

 

 

Pull back; she is holding it out to Beast Boy, and she shoves it into his mouth without warning. It sends him into convulsions, which end with him on all fours and trying to keep from vomiting. Finally, he spits out the mess and scrubs frantically at his tongue to remove the last fragments.

 

 

Beast Boy: What is that? Cream of toenails?

 

Starfire: Pudding of Sadness. (Taking a spoonful) It is what the people of my planet eat when bad things happen.

 

 

She eats it and is suddenly on the verge of blowing her own chow; after a monster effort, she gets it down and ends up having a fit as well. Raven continues checking the monitors as Starfire brings her the bowl.

 

 

Starfire: Try. The displeasing taste will ease your troubled mind. (Raven turns to her)

 

Raven: My mind is never troubled. People come, people go. It's pointless to be upset about Cyborg.

 

 

Her hair flies wildly about her face and all the monitors crack—a sudden flare-up of her powers, caused by the fact that she actually is upset about his absence. She does not notice the damage, as she looking directly at Starfire's wide-eyed expression.

 

 

Raven: What?

 

 

Cut to Spider-Man sitting on the couch separating the good pictures from the “this is so embarrassing” pictures. Starfire flies over Spider-Man and sat right next to him and holding up her bowl in front of her now startled and scared friend.

 

 

Starfire: How about you, my arachnid friend? Will you partake on the displeasing taste of my pudding?

 

Spider-Man: (Startled and afraid) Uh…actually, Star. As much as I would looove to eat your poi-…I mean, your pudding. I'm kind of allergic to cultural-foods that are from another world. I'm terribly, and I do mean terribly sorry, but the Doctor knows what's best for me. You don't want me to get really, really, really, sick now, do you?

 

Starfire: (Disappointed) Oh. (Made a huge smile) Alright!

 

 

She flew off from the couch and towards Robin; not knowing that her Spider friend was sighing in relief and clenching his heart to calm the rush.

 

 

Spider-Man: (Muttered) That was too close.

 

 

Robin's silhouette, against the sunlight through the top-floor windows, looks morosely out over Jump City as Starfire's flies to him with her horrid concoction. She holds the bowl out to him.

 

 

Starfire: Here, Robin. You must need this most of all since…well… (She lets it hang)

 

Robin: I'm fine.

 

 

He turns away; his silhouette retreats from hers.

 

 

Robin: Who knows? Maybe we're better off without him.

 

 

She lowers her bowl and gazes after him with obvious concern as Spider-Man walked right next to Starfire while placing his hand on her shoulder in a caring way.

 

 

Spider-Man: Don't worry, Star. Robin and Cyborg will both come around, eventually. They just need time to cool off from each other.

 

Starfire: (Looking at her friend over her shoulder) I hope you are right, friend Spider-Man.

 

 

In the gym, Robin is punching something with great vigor. Pull back to reveal the target as a heavy bag. He delivers a final roundhouse kick and slumps over, winded. Looking up, he sees his and Cyborg's weight benches—the latter equipped with the sort of giant barbells only that Titan could lift.

In the kitchen, Beast Boy hoists a stack of dirty plates onto the counter by the sink. Many others are already piled up there. Spider-Man, right next to the changeling, manages to help his friend putting up the rest of the dishes on the sink.

 

 

Spider-Man: (Looking around the kitchen in wide-eyed) Is like a freaking Mount Everest here.

 

Beast Boy: Yeah. Hey! Whose turn to do dishes?

 

Spider-Man: (Narrowing his eyes at Beast Boy) Don't look at me! I stayed up until 2:00 in a freaking morning to finish a size like this.

 

Beast Boy: Well, there is no way I'm doing them this time. I did the dishes two days ago!

 

Spider-Man: Well whoopee-do! So whose turn is it, you sour-puss!?

 

Robin: (from o.c.) Cyborg.

 

 

The two Titans cried out briefly in surprise like monkeys at this. Robin goes to the sink and starts to wash a plate.

On the couch in the operations center; Robin is playing on the Gamestation system and blasting enemy aircraft out of the sky. The screen is projected onto the windows.

 

 

Robin: Come on, come on…I'm not scare to take…no! Yeah! Got it! Just one more and…yes!

 

 

Close-up of the screen, which flashes red and blue and shows the message “Cyborg—1,000,000.”

 

 

Robin: (from o.c.) New high score!

 

 

Cyborg's name is smashed away by Robin's and the score changes to 5,000,000. However, the Titan who set it is no longer elated by his achievement. Cut to the hall; he approaches the door of Cyborg's room. It opens to show the interior, and the camera starts to swivel slowly around. Bookcase with pictures and a base ball on top, computer desk with a football by the monitor, trophy case in one rear corner, and areas for self-repair and diagnostics. A large inclined table with a foot-stop at its lower end is in the other rear corner—what the missing Titan uses for a bed.

The camera comes full circle to Robin, who has taken a picture from the dresser and is looking at it. It is a picture of the pair, laughing and having a grand time. Pull back into the room.

 

 

Robin: (Softly) I'm sorry.

 

Spider-Man: (from o.c.) That was good. Now if only you can say that in front of his face. That will be dandy!

 

 

Cut to Spider-Man hanging upside-down with his web-line and lowering himself in front of the Boy-Wonder's face.

 

 

Robin: (Startled) AH!

 

Spider-Man: Well it's nice to see you too, Robin. So you finally admit it, huh? It didn't even last an entire day.

 

Robin: (Giving his friend a glare) What are you doing here!?

 

Spider-Man: (Making his eyes look innocent) What? I was just checking on you if you were okay. Man, you always get a sissy-fit for such small things.

 

Robin: (Taking a deep breath) Sorry. Is just that… (Sigh) When it comes to missions and stuff like that, I always get too seriously. Even a slightest error will make me so frustrated that we haven't done our best and I always go off at the wrong person.

 

Spider-Man: (Let's go of the web-line and lands on the floor with his feet) Well, maybe that's the problem. You kinda forget that were not Perfect, Military Commandoes. We're just teenagers, with super-powers of course, who make little mistakes, but that does not mean we don't get up and try again. Remember, I've learned from my mistakes, that is why I joined this team, to make them up; to help those in need and give it my best. That is what everyone in this team is doing; they are giving their best of what they got.

 

Robin: (Looking down at the picture he is holding) You're right. Maybe I better go and apologize to him.

 

 

An alarm interrupted the two Titan's conversation. Cut to Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven in the operations center, looking ahead at something with surprise. A map of Jump City projected on the window/screen, with a large flashing dot that slowly moves along. Robin and Spider-Man both ran in the room.

 

 

Robin: Cinderblock strikes again?

 

Beast Boy: You wish.

 

 

At the chemical factory; it is now night-time. Inside, jets of colored solutions shoot down from overhead nozzles and flow together in a pipeline that snakes across the factory floor. The mixture emerges from its other end and falls into a waiting barrel; pan from here to Plasmus at the free end of the conveyor on which it and others are resting. As the belt starts to move, he picks up each arriving barrel and guzzles it, growing a few feet taller after each of the first two. The third is hit with a star-bolt before he can finish it; the remaining chemicals spill out the broken end, and he lifts the barrel to his eye to peer through it.

His perspective, swiveling across the area; the five Titans are waiting for him.

 

 

Robin: That stuff can't be good for you.

 

Spider-Man: (Looks at Plasmus with a disgusting look on his face) That is the most disgusting thing that I have ever seen.

 

 

Back to Plasmus, who throws the barrel aside and belches.

 

 

Beast Boy: Nice one!

 

Spider-Man: (Giving Beast Boy a glare) Okay. I take that back.

 

 

He roars and shoots gobbets of sludge from his body toward the heroes, who scatter to avoid being hit. Robin jumps and flips like mad, just barely staying ahead of the barrage, and lands on a crate near a mixing tank.

 

 

Robin: Star! Let him have it!

 

 

She obliges with a star-bolt that blows a hole clear through the creature's chest.

 

 

Starfire: (Gasping) Did I let him have too much? (Plasmus sucks in a huge breath; the hole fills in)

 

Beast Boy: I'm thinking not enough.

 

 

Its hand balled into a fist, one gooey arm extends itself toward Starfire, who shrieks as Raven plows her out of the way.

 

 

Robin: (Pulling a disc from his belt) Maybe he just needs to chill.

 

 

He scales the projectile at Plasmus; it freezes the long arm solid upon impact. The owner of the arm looks at it in surprise, then hearing a cried yell, he looks up to see Spider-Man soaring down with his web-line with his foot extended forward towards Plasmus and shatters the frozen arm completely.

 

 

Spider-Man: Hey, Robin!? Does this guy remind you of someone you know?

 

 

Spider-Man did not receive an answer as Plasmus launches another attack towards him and the other Titans. Robin jumps for cover, while Beast Boy turns into a pterodactyl and lifts off and Spider-Man was able to web-zip to the ceiling before the sludge could hit him. Starfire blazes away from above, driving Plasmus back a bit, and Beast Boy executes several punching strikes with his talons. The foe blocks these and retaliates by lashing out with many thick tentacles from the stump of his missing arm.

Both Titans cut and run to stay out of the mess. Starfire throws shots every which way to fend off the attack as Beast Boy does a few evasive maneuvers. Cut to Spider-Man as he lands on the floor from the ceiling and desperately looking around for something.

 

 

Spider-Man: Got to hit him something big and heavy. Come on! Something big and-(Spots something that he expected) BINGO!

 

 

He grabs a huge, steel pipe nearby and swung it at Plasmus as hard as he could with all of his strength. The impact connected to Plasmus' head that literally took his head off.

 

 

Spider-Man: How's that, you Clay-face wannabe?

 

 

His question was answered as Plasmus sprouted a new head and glares at the arachnid hero with those ferocious eyes. A question mark popped over Spider-Man's head.

 

 

Spider-Man: Why am I not surprised?

 

 

Spider-Man quickly threw the steel pipe straight at the Sludge-Monster, which then went through his torso from the front and went out the back and lands on the floor covered with Plasmus' sludge. The impact did not phased Plasmus as he advances towards Spider-Man.

 

 

Spider-Man: (Backing away) Uh, Raven; my favorite Dark Sorceress? Could you give me a hand, please!?

 

 

Cut to Raven as she rises into the air.

 

 

Raven: Gladly. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!

 

 

She levitates several barrels and launches them at Plasmus; as Spider-Man back-flipped away from the monster, they strike him in the chest, end first, and stick there. His arm now re-grown, he gathers his strength and sends them right back, forcing her to dive for cover. Robin comes charging towards Plasmus as Spider-Man was calling out to his Team-Leader after realizing what the Boy-Wonder is planning to do.

 

 

Spider-Man: Robin! Wait! Don't!

 

 

But it was too late as Robin leaps in for a flying kick only to get that leg stuck in the mire, followed by his other leg and one hand when he tries more blows. He struggles to get loose.

 

 

Robin: Come on! Let me go, you giant zit!

 

 

It only snarls and roars down at him before sending forth a huge jet of slime that carries him screaming along with it. The purple tide washes over Beast Boy—back to human form—as well. Dripping with it, Robin groans and gets up as Starfire and Spider-Man rushed over.

 

 

Starfire: Robin!

 

Robin: I'm okay…sort of.

 

Spider-Man: I tried to warn you, boss-man. Do you now see why I don't want to lay a punch or kick on this guy? Believe me; I learned my lesson when I tangled with Hydro-Man.

 

 

Robin did not answer back as he spits out a wad or two. Beast Boy, meanwhile, has made it partway to his feet; his eyes are watering profusely.

 

 

Beast Boy: And I thought Star's pudding tasted bad!

 

Spider-Man: (He cringed as he hears what Beast Boy is saying) EWW! You actually had it in your mouth!?

 

 

A fresh howl from Plasmus' direction refocuses the attention of all five Titans in a hurry. Cut to a fuzzy image of him that flickers as the camera pulls back a bit to show this as a giant monitor, with two silhouettes standing before it. One of them—large, muscular, armored—is the red-orange figure; the other is a shorter individual.

 

 

Red-orange figure: Disappointing.

 

 

Cinderblock's silhouette moves into the frame.

 

 

Red-orange figure: With one Titan missing, this is almost too easy. I was expecting more of a challenge. Cinderblock.

 

 

An overhead light shines down on him, enveloping the old man and part of Cinderblock. The latter can be seen holding some large piece of equipment.

 

 

Red-orange figure: Begin Phase: Three.