(A/N) Hey there Teen Titan fans!. This is the first chapter of my very first story, Shock and Awe, which has now been beta read! Chapters 2, 3 & 4 are also completely finished, with the 5th on the way, and 6 already in the works.

If anyone should appear out of character , it's not on purpose, I'm trying to stay as true to the characters as possible. This is more of an intro chapter, it does serve the plot of course, but the story really heats up in the next chapters. So before you cast this aside completely after reading just this chapter, I do believe it gets better. Though that could be writers bias speaking...;)

Critiques are always welcomed and appreciated. So drop a review if you've got the time, otherwise, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Teen Titan's or anything/anyone else who might appear in this story, including any characters pertaining to the Batman side of the DCAU...ah ah, no hints...

Writing Style is as follows:

'Thoughts'

"Dialog"

Everything else



Chapter One: Blood for Their Troubles

The tower's common room doors hissed open, revealing the five beleaguered and weary teen heroes as they meandered into the room, heads hung and arms lax at their sides from sleep deprivation. Raven was the first to reach the couch in the center of the large room; she fell backwards into it, letting her pale legs hang over the armrest. Starfire went to the dining room table and took a seat as Robin and Cyborg made it into the kitchen, leaving Beast Boy leaning against the common room's door frame. Starfire rested her head on the table, using her arms as a pillow as Robin took a seat next to her, coffee cup in hand, the smell of the fresh brew wafting through the whole room. Cyborg had opened the fridge and began to rummage for a late night snack.

The Titans had started their day a tad early, being woken by the tower's 'trouble alarm' at 3:00am, causing a general foul mood to spread through the team. The alarm was for one of three bank robberies they would have to deal with that day, along with two burning buildings, three minor wannabe villains and several cats stuck in trees. All in all, they had been called out the entire day and now at a little past midnight they had finally been able to return to their home, a little worse for wear.

Cyborg finally broke the silence that had overtaken the room, startling Beast Boy from his near comatose state.

"Y'all want anything to eat? I could whip somethin' up real quick." He looked around the room at his shabby looking teammates waiting for their answer.

"Nah, man," Beast Boy said as he put his hand against the door frame to keep himself from falling. "I'm gonna head to bed before I pass out. G'night guys." He received a goodnight from Cyborg and three groans from the others as he made his way out through the door and into the hall that would lead him to his room.

Cyborg glanced over at Robin who was nursing his coffee and the now snoring alien girl by his side. Deciding they were pretty much good, he picked a pan from a compartment under the stove and looked over to the couch, only able to see the empath's pale legs hanging over the armrest as the back of the couch hid the rest of her body from view.

"How 'bout you Rae, want me to make ya anything?" he asked the young sorceress as he started making his own meal.

"Tea," Was Ravens only verbal reply, she lifted her hand into the air and pointed at the cupboard which held her herbal teas.

"Sure," the metal man said as he started her tea kettle on the stove. "You can head to your room if ya want, I'll bring your tea when it's done," he offered his groggy friend.

"That's okay" Raven said as she swung her legs off the armrest of the couch and sat up. "I'll just read a little until it's done. Thanks though." Cyborg gave her a nod as she picked up the book she had left on the coffee table in front of the large couch and continued where she had left off.

Robin pushed his chair back and stood.

"I'm gonna get her to bed," he said as he gently picked the sleeping alien girl up from her seat and held her in his arms. Cyborg smirked.

"Uh huh, I bet you will," He said with a laugh as Robin walked past the kitchen, the Boy Wonder blushed slightly while shooting his metallic teammate a glare.

Then through clenched teeth corrected his previous statement, "HER bed…" Robin made his way through the door and into the hall, Cyborg calling after him still laughing.

"Whatever you say man!"


A few minutes before, Beast Boy had made it to his door after a quick pit stop to the bathroom. He typed in his door's access code and slowly entered his dark and VERY cluttered room. He barely made it into his room as the door quickly closed and a hand shot out from the darkness behind him, going around his head and covering his mouth. A shocked Beast Boy let out a muffled yell against the offending hand and before he could change into anything or even face his attacker, he felt a blinding and indescribable pain cascade through his body. First on his right side near his hip and then across his lower back, causing him to close his eyes and throw his head back in anguish, the attacker's hand still firmly planted over his mouth smothered his pained screams.

A figure spun around to face the changeling, pushing him back against the door roughly and causing even more pain to the green hero. Beast Boy slid down the door, his back leaving a gruesome blood trail as he finally sat on the ground, legs splayed out in front of him as he tried to catch his breath. He gingerly moved a hand to his aching side, electric pain shot through his body as his fingers made contact.

He pulled his hand away and brought it in front of his face, shock consumed him as he saw his hand completely covered in blood. His eyes went wide as he realized what his assailant had done; he'd been stabbed. As the smell of his own blood started overwhelming his senses, he began to try and yell for help, but the pain was so intense only a small squeak escaped his lips.

Hearing this, the figure knelt down in front of the frantic teen and put an index finger up to his faceplate before he spoke in an all too familiar voice that made the changeling's ragged breath catch in his throat.

"Shh now, Beast Boy, no use wasting what energy you have left if you want to have a chance at survival." The maniacal voice said with a chuckle.

The figure reached a hand up and removed its face plate, revealing a small video screen that appeared to be black, but soon a face came into view. The masked man chuckled again as a wide eyed Beast Boy mouthed his name, a mixture of horror and anger painted across his face.

"That is, if your friends can find you in time without encountering any…accidents of their own along the way. Your outcome is looking a little grim, I must say," Slade continued, smirking under his mask at the agony he knew the changeling was experiencing. "I bet you can't even change forms through all that pain, let alone move. Your throat must be closing up a bit or else I'm sure you would have yelled for help by now."

Beast Boy closed his eyes as he clenched his teeth, trying to think of a way out of this, but his mind wasn't clear.

His thoughts were frantic and scattered, the pain keeping him from moving or even speaking. He felt an ever growing dampness creeping across the floor beneath him. The smell of his blood grew stronger as his wounds emptied his body of the precious fluid, his already tired body becoming weaker by the second. 'Damn it!' Beast Boy screamed to himself, 'why couldn't the common room be closer?! They'll never hear any of this…' Slade let out another laugh, which Beast Boy was quickly growing tired of.

"What do you want with me?" Beast Boy asked in a horse voice as he glared at the small screen, which was growing exceedingly difficult. His vision blurred terribly, causing the monitor to fade in and out nauseatingly, much like the rest of his room.

Slade smirked under his mask as he replied, "Amusing you would think this pertains only to you. No my green friend, your misfortune is only part of a much larger message. And trust me, you are only the first of many to come." Beast Boy only glared venomously at the screen, either not able to say anything or simply not wanting to.

"Well, I'm afraid I must cut our little reunion short, Beast Boy. So much to do and so little time to do it in. Taking over an entire city and destroying its precious team of heroes can be terribly trying on ones well being." Slade's robot seemed to leer as it moved a little closer to Beast Boy's face, Slade's one eye narrowed as he finished his train of thought. "I do hope you can recover. The pain I have planned for your future will be far worse. And that is a very pleasing thought…."

With that said the screen went black once more as the Sladebot replaced its mask, stood and ran towards Beast Boy's open window, leaping out into the darkness outside Titans Tower.

Beast Boy watched the Sladebot escape, leaving him alone in the now abysmally suffocating space he called a room. The night's cold air filled the room, numbing him as his body shook from the shock. He still sat leaning against his door, a sizeable pool of blood now formed around him, leaving him too weak to get up or even yell for help. The throbbing pain didn't make the situation any better, keeping him from thinking clearly and making it hard for him to breathe. He let his head rest against the door and tried to slow his thinking.

Oh god I'm gonna die, he thought desperately. His breathing was slowing and he was starting to lose his consciousness. No! Snap out of it! Stay awake! He mentally berated himself, the changeling tried to move again but no avail. Alright, think…you can't move, you can't yell…there's got to be an answer. He had never thought so logically in his life. Think…Think…wait, that's it! Think! I can't yell to anyone for help, but I can still think! Beast Boy tightly closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. His plan was a long shot, but it just might work. If anyone could hear him, she could.


Back in the common room, Cyborg was just finishing his late night snack as he sat at the kitchen table. The machine half of his mind was running through the day's events and cataloging the new list of criminals that the team had come in contact with into the tower's computer system. The human half of his mind was just enjoying the snack and the quiet that had settled into the room.

Raven had long since finished her tea and had gained her second wind. She was far to engrossed in her book to go to bed now. Besides, she only had a couple more chapters left till the end. It was then, as she sat there with her book in her face, taking in every word the parchment had to offer, that a strange sound in the back of her head began to distract her.

After a few moments of listening to the offending sound she lowered her book and began to listen more carefully. 'Who is that?' She thought to herself. It could just be one of her emotions making a comment about the book she was reading, that happened every now and then. No, this definitely wasn't an emotion. It sounded faint, but she could hear it was a male voice.

Before she could wonder why a male voice would be in her head, it grew louder, though it was still unintelligible it sounded familiar. Very familiar in fact. She closed her eyes, now very interested in what the voice was saying. Then it seemed to go silent for a long moment…not knowing if she should keep listening or go back to reading, she just sat, waiting. Then it came back, this time with a very disturbing message.

'Help me,' it said almost in a whisper. Her eyes shot wide open, that sounded just like…but it couldn't be. 'Help me,' the voice said a little louder, the urgency she hadn't heard before suddenly became evident.

She began to breathe a little faster, that had to be him. His voice was unmistakable to her. She'd lived with that voice around her for years, she'd grown accustom to it. The corny jokes meant to make her laugh or crack a rare smile that failed miserably, the constant bickering with Cyborg over meat vs. tofu. The yells of victory and moans of defeat over video games won and lost. Every kind word he said to her and every time he tried to get her to open up. She didn't know why all of this was going through her mind, it was as though his life was flashing before her eyes. 'Wait… but that would mean'-

'HELP ME!' the voice screamed, the sound of it blaring through her head.

"BEAST BOY!" Raven screamed, as much of a scream as she could with her normally monotone voice. She jumped up from the couch, letting her book fall to the floor.

Her scream startled her bionic teammate. He spun around quickly, letting the plate he had been washing at the sink fall from his hand and crash to the floor. "Wha-" he began to ask, but cut himself off as Raven ran past the kitchen and through the common room doors at breakneck speed, "Oh crap!" he said in a slightly surprised and urgent tone, quickly jumping over the counter in front of him, he ran as fast as his metal body could carry him through the doors leading out into the hall, he caught sight of her just a little bit ahead of him and he sprinted to keep pace with her. "What's going on Rae? What's the matter?" he asked in an urgent and concerned tone as they quickly passed Starfire and Robin's rooms.

"No time! Beast Boy!" was all she said as they approached their green teammate's room.

They came to a stop in front of his door and Raven began quickly typing on the doors access panel. When nothing happened, she turned to Cyborg who was just watching his dark friend wig out. "What's his door's code?!" she asked him.

He could see from her expression that she was frantic, several light bulbs which lit the hallway exploded and everything went dark as her emotions ran rampant. He moved in front of the panel and raised his hand to type; he was becoming a little freaked out too.

"It's-" he never got the chance to finish. A deafening explosion threw them both several feet through the air and away from Beast Boy's door.

Only a few yards from the changeling's doorway, the hallway unceremoniously erupted in a huge fireball, sending chunks of wall and other debris flying through the air. As the fireball drew closer to the two Titans who now lay next to each other, Raven had the presence of mind to throw a bubble of black energy around Cyborg and herself, letting the destructive flames and debris pass over them harmlessly. She lowered the shield and they both shakily stood, supporting each other as they did so.

The whole top floor of the Titan's tower was filled with smoke. Raven and Cyborg coughed as they tried to see through the dense haze. Cyborg engaged his robotic eye to cut through the smoke. He scanned the area where the blast had come from and saw piles of rubble littering the hallway as well as several small fires here and there. His human eye widened in shock as he saw a jagged hole cut out of the tower where Robin's room had once been. Raven walked up next to him, an equally astonished look adorning her normally stoic features. He glanced dazedly at her, muttering the only words his mind could form.

"Oh man…"


(A/N) And so ends chapter one. Hope you liked it.

Until next time my fellow reading enthusiasts , which if you're going on to the next chapter will be like, right now...wow right? Anyone? Okay then...