Descrip: A regular human proves that you don't need powers to be a hero, but also on the scene is a new evil mastermind, and the beginnings of a villainous plot.
Disclaimer: I do NOT OWN any of the copyrighted characters, places, or other intellectual property related to the Teen Titans TV show. I recognize this, and assure those owners that I am merely a fan of their material wanting to write my own story in their wonderful universe.
Preamble: This chapter begins a year or so after episode #65 of the television show, "Teen Titans". I'm assuming the Titans are all now 18-19 (approximately). They have kept the old title for now, but are considering a change. As for physical changes, they've all finished puberty, you do the math :P
"Duuuude! No way!" shouted a very disappointed green skinned boy. His jaw practically hit the ground as his eyes stared at the screen. "Your not supposed to be good at video games!"
"Just because I never play them doesn't mean I can't win." Quietly replied a smug girl who set down her controller and began to walk away. "By the way, remember that bet, that's three week's dishes and you can't talk for the rest of today." With her ending comment the girl smirked and let the door to the Titan's central room smoothly hiss shut behind her. The green boy just kept staring at the TV as though any second now it might tell him he hadn't just had his butt handed to him virtually by the reclusive Raven.
"Dude……… there's just no wa-"
"No talking Beastboy." Chimed Raven as she phased magically through the door for a moment.
"Hmmph."
A klaxon began to sound accompanied by red flashing lights throughout Titans Tower, bringing all of it's five occupants rushing into the central situation room.
"Looks like serious trouble team," the leader of the Titans voiced once he had had a moment to read over the various screens, "Seems like Cinderblock broke out of jail, and they think he had help. First we take the big guy down, and then find out who let him out."
----
The teens leapt out of the T-Car to see Cinderblock making a beeline for the state college, leaving a trail of total destruction and chaos in his wake.
"Titans go!"
The five heroes immediately launched their assault. First Raven swung down the lampposts on either side of the street near to Cinderblock and used them to take out his legs. Landing face-first the monster roared out in surprise. As he began to push himself back up, Beastboy shifted from a gracefully soaring falcon to a hippo and landed right on his back. Shifting into a leopard he jumped clear of the counter-attacking fist. Planting one foot on the ground Cinderblock made a sudden leaping dash forward, ignoring his attackers to continue towards his goal.
"I don't think so! Azerath, metrion, zinthos!" Spinning wildly, two cars went slamming into back of the running monster, sending him face first into the pavement, his face grinding his momentum down to a halt. Growling in anger he rolled over and swung a fist up towards a downwards-flying Robin, meeting his steel-reinforced boot with a powerful punch. The Titan's leader went soaring back the way he came, colliding with Starfire, who had sent him flying down, and causing the both of them to crash into the side of a building. Starfire recovered quickly and floated back to the ground to set Robin back down. Leaping upwards into flight she yelled towards the monster when she began to throw her starbolts at him, even as he tried to take another run at his intended target. Unfazed by the barrage the beast kept running, only to be tripped up by a massive anaconda wrapping its green coils around his legs. Bringing a fist down towards the snake's head with a roar, it instead met with pavement as Beastboy shifted back to human form and dove away.
As Cinderblock attempted to stand once more he discovered Cyborg wrapped tightly around his leg.
"You ain't goin nowhere big guy!" cried the half-man, obviously intent on keeping his word. Piping that ripped up through the street suddenly encircled the monster's other leg.
"Nowhere but back to jail." Was the quiet proclamation by the one whose magic was keeping the monster's other leg in place.
"Starfire, now!" shouted Robin, who scrambled up the back of the monster as it attempted vainly to struggle free of those who were trapping it's legs. Starfire began to launch a flurry of distracting starbolts at Cinderblock's chest as Robin prepared a gadget. Slamming it into the back of the titanic square head he was hanging off of, Robin leapt back down to the street and took off running. Joining him Cyborg and Beastboy booked it as well, Raven following slowly as she focused on maintaining the trap around the monster's leg. Starfire continue to launch her green blasts at Cinderblock whose attention was focused entirely on fending that assault off. Suddenly the device attached to his head exploded powerfully, creating a massive cloud of dust and debris around the monster. The Titans looked at it with victorious grins, but were surprised to see a merely blackened Cinderblock come rushing out from the cloud, locked onto his target.
"We need to stop him from reaching the college, we don't know what Cinderblock plans to do, but it can't be good!" shouted Robin as he took off running after the swiftly moving villain, with the other four Titans following suit.
---
Inside the college a grey-haired professor was lecturing to a clearly apathetic audience, when suddenly a massive stone fist came crashing down next to him. With a shriek of fear the elderly man ran as fast as his thin legs would carry him, his class collectively blinking in surprise before crying out and making mad dashes for the exits. A second fist entered through the newly created skylight, and tore the hall open. Cinderblock stepped inside as the 300 odd students scrambled to get out. Strangely the monster looked around the front of the lecture hall, apparently seeking something specific. Just as it seemed to catch sight of it, a series of powerful green bolts struck his back causing him to stumble a little. Ignoring the rapid succession of blasts striking him, Cinderblock purposefully reached for something on the large podium the professor had recently vacated, and scooped it up. Turning back he swung out, knocking aside an T-Rex just before it slammed into him. Turning back, the monster began to stride up the sloped lecture hall seating towards the exits most students had vacated. There was one individual still in those seats however, a black haired boy in an equally black t-shirt who was carrying an injured classmate over his shoulder. He was moving as fast as he was able, but the young man who he was carrying was rather well padded around the waist. Looking back he could see that the cement foot of the villain was preparing to land in the space he was occupying.
Just as he firmly shut his eyes and resigned himself to a messy end, the young man discovered that a crimson haired girl was under the monstrous foot with him, amazingly holding it up.
"Make haste, for I cannot hold this burden forever!" shouted the alien girl, and with a grin and thankful nod the boy with the black mane moved as fast as he could.
What Starfire claimed was true, and as Cinderblock pushed all of his weight down upon her she began to quiver and sink down. Just as she was about to be crushed, a powerful sonic blast pounded the monster and it began to fall down the stairs. Crashing down back to the floor of the hall, Cinderblock grunted with each bounce, and finally groaned as he hit bottom. Trying to rise again he was greeted by a face-full of elephant, a blow that finally knocked him out.
As the Titans dusted themselves off and waited for the police to arrive to take away the escaped criminal, Starfire suddenly looked back up the stairs. Flying up there and looking around, she looked disappointed.
"What's up Star?" asked Cyborg as he joined her, curious as to what had grabbed the girl's attention.
"There was a boy with black hair…he was aiding an injured peer out of this room, but I cannot seem to find him now. It is my hope that he made it out safely."
"Oh that kid whose butt you saved back there? I'm sure he's all right." Cyborg patted her on the shoulder and smiled reassuringly. Starfire smiled back, but privately still felt a pang of concern.
"Hey dudes, check this out!"
The Titans all gathered around the fallen villain's opened hand, and their attention was wholly focused on the object inside it. It appeared to be a stone tablet, not even a foot long by a half-foot wide. On it was engraved closely spaced lines of tiny text.
"Looks alien to me..." said Raven.
"Yeah, but what do they say! Star?" eagerly asked Beastboy.
"Something about… a crystal… and a great danger… and power?." Reaching down to pick up the tablet, Starfire's delicate hands had barely touched the cold stone when a bright flash from elsewhere in the room blinded the teens.
"Thank you but I'll be taking that, as well as my good little retriever." The Titan's visions were wholly whited out, but all of them could clearly hear the voice. The voice was gravely and sounded as though it belonged to an older man. Suddenly they were thrown to the ground by a powerful blast. A thrumming and a bang followed by the stink of ozone signalled the mysterious stranger's disappearance. The Titans were unaware of it until their vision cleared, but when it did, the unseen visitor, the tablet, and Cinderblock were all gone.
---
Robin was a little less focused than usual as he sat at a computer terminal trying to dig up something on where Cinderblock could have gone. He grunted as he found he could get nowhere, and began to look around as he stretched in the chair. His team were all feeling the effects of the failed mission. Beastboy was chowing done on a pile of tofu burgers, but just didn't have the same enthusiasm he usually did. Cyborg was next to him, also stuffing his face but with a gloom dominating his actions. Robin sighed and shook his head, and looked across the other half of the room. He could see an equally melancholy Starfire staring blankly out the living room's main window at the ocean, her mind obviously elsewhere. Feeling a twinge of some emotion he didn't like, but couldn't quite identify, Robin looked away. He didn't have to wonder who she was thinking about, but rather than dwell on it, he turned his thoughts to the last Titan. Raven was cloistered in her room, researching intently to discover what she could about the runed tablet their mysterious villain had sent Cinderblock after. Robin wanted to get them all brainstorming, trying to figure things out, but he could see morale was so low that it might not be such a good idea.
But then something occurred to him, a way to raise at least one of the Titan's spirits, and hopefully the others. Though he wasn't thrilled about it, Robin realized that finding the black-maned student that Starfire had saved might help get the Titans going.
Getting up from his chair, Robin walked towards the door, pausing beside Starfire and taking a moment to reassuringly rest his hand on her shoulder. She looked up and him and smiled weakly, gently squeezing his hand with her own. He smiled back with equal enthusiasm, and headed out.
---
After a few hours of searching and consulting the administration of the college, Robin found his quarry's home. He looked up with a cocked eyebrow at the run down apartment building. Half the bricks were either the wrong colour, or missing, it looked like it had been built in the 50's but nobody had bothered with maintenance since. With a shrug he let himself into the lobby. Walking up two floors of creaking stairs he winced, half worried he might go tumbling down through them at any moment. Turning down the hallway, a rat squeaked and sped off into a hole in the wall when it saw him. He made a disgusted face and continued walking down the hallway. He consulted a scrap of paper, and looked up at the dirty door number of the young man's room. Knocking tentatively, Robin slid the paper into a pocket on his utility belt.
The young man he was seeking greeted him with a laid back smile. The youth's hair was fairly long, very curly, black, and resembling a lions mane. The whole mess was still wet and being towelled off vigorously. He was wearing only a pair of well fitting jeans, with no shirt and standing around barefoot. His pale grey eyes held both vivid life and something hidden.
"Hey can I, uh, help you?"
Robin had to clear his throat. Not really sure what to say, he paused for a long time. The apartment's occupant just looked at him with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Finally Robin spoke.
"Hi, I'm Robin. You were in the lecture hall that was attacked earlier today right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, we need your help. Cinderblock wa-"
"I heard on the news, teleported away by some mysterious and unseen villain."
"Right…well it seems he was sent to collect an alien tablet, I was hoping you could give us some more information. Your professor was hospitalized following Cinderblock's rampage into the college, and the way you saved that other guy's life, well you came off as a good guy."
Robin was replied to with silence, and wasn't sure what the other young man would do.
"All right, c'mon in, I'll go find my notes and see what I can remember." With that the slightly reluctant sounding and shirtless young man left Robin at the door and headed back inside the apartment. Robin cautiously followed, and was confronted with a surprise. Considering the condition of the rest of the building, this apartment was a haven. Though the furniture wasn't that new or pristine, the place was clean and ordered. The Titan walked in further, shutting the door behind him.
"Go ahead and take a seat, there's pop in the fridge if you're thirsty." A notebook came flying out of the bedroom where the voice was emanating from, and Robin caught it expertly. He immediately opened it and began to read as he walked into the tiny kitchen. Taking a can from the fridge he leaned up against a counter and furrowed his eyebrows.
After a few minutes the apartment's tenant joined Robin in the kitchen, now wearing a tight black t-shirt, he reached into the fridge and got himself a can. After opening it and taking a good swig he smiled slightly.
"Any questions?"
"Is this thing for real?"
"You tell me. I figured our professor was just making it all up, trying to trick us, but after what happened today, I'm not so sure."
"I have to get back to the Tower and talk with the other Titans…. Do you… well… that is… want to come along?" Robin forced himself to offer the invitation, in spite of darker emotions telling him not to.
"Sure, always wanted to check out your base up close and personal, I've only ever gotten to see it from my window." He gestured at the said pane of glass and Robin smiled wryly at the perfect view of the bay, as well as the Titans tower. "The place isn't that great, but the view is killer."
Before Robin could reply his communicator rang.
"Robin here, what's up?"
"Cinderblock's back, and it looks like he's after something new."
"I'm on it." Robin shut off the communicator and turned to the young man. "Looks like the visit to the Tower will have to wait."
"Can I come with you? An extra set of eyes in a fight can be pric-"
"No way. You'd just get in the way."
"I just want to hel-"
"No, and I'm not going to change my mind. Come by Titan's Tower tomorrow and we can discuss the tablet." Robin turned and rushed out of the building, and as he did he missed that the youth gritting his teeth, bitterness in his eyes.
---
Robin arrived on the scene to discover the massive Cinderblock tearing his way through downtown, making a beeline this time for the museum. The other Titans were already trying to take the beast of a villain down. Starfire shot over Cinderblock's head and spun around to launch a rapid volley of starbolts down at him, not intended to really harm him, only drive him back. As the monster stumbled back with a roar of surprise, a powerful blow to the back of his right leg sent him sprawling, followed by a token "BOOYAH!" from his second attacker.
Rolling over and pushing himself up, Cinderblock went rolling into a nearby building in response to a powerful blow to his temple from one of Robin's skilful kicks. Now really angry he reached into the lobby of the hotel he had just crashed into, and threw everything he could grab towards Robin. Couches, lamps, tables, luggage went soaring at the Titan, only to be stopped midway by fields of black coloured magicks. Floating up to Robin, Raven grunted and threw the debris back at Cinderblock, who was pounded by it, pushing him up against the building. A quick follow up blast from Cyborg and slam from a Rhinoceros sent the roaring monster deeper into the building.
The dust obscured him for a few moments as the Titans regrouped together, only to dash apart with cries of surprise as girders were thrown towards them from the inside the cloud. With a primal roar of anger Cinderblock came rushing out. Beastboy shifted to a Gorilla, ready to try and stop the charge, but was sent flying back into his half-metal friend, the two of the sprawling painfully into the road. Grabbing a car Cinderblock whipped it up at Starfire, who, grabbing it's fender, spun it around 180 degrees and threw it right back. The grey giant fell to the ground once again, and as he tried to stand was struck around the face by a series of small explosives. Unfazed Cinderblock threw himself bodily forward, shoulder first. His blow connected with a surprised Raven who had been preparing another attack, sending her flying bodily into a car. Robin leapt off of the side of a parked bus to attack Cinderblock with another powerhouse kick, but the monster met him with a fist the size of a cow, launching the masked Titan through a window into the building across the street.
Angered by his attacks on her friends, Starfire let out a cry and started launching an assault of starbolts, flying directly at Cinderblock. He shrugged off the bolts and swatted her like a fly down into the pavement, her body leaving a crater in the ground several inches deep, knocking her out.
"Why dontcha pick on someone your own size?" shouted Beastboy as he came charging, shifting into an elephant. Letting out an animal war cry, his attack was met by Cinderblock head on, the villain gripping the green beast's tusks and stopping him completely. The green beast was tossed aside, tumbling along the ground as he morphed back into humanoid form. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon, but Cinderblock began to calmly walk towards him anyways, unaffected. Grunting in frustration Cyborg decided to take the fight to close range, and took off running. Leaping up the mechanical man came soaring down fist ready, and was caught very off guard when Cinderblock brought both of his hands together to assault the Titan with a powerful clap. Cyborg fell to the ground temporarily dazed from the powerful attack.
With all the Titans down for the moment, Cinderblock strode slowly back over to the severely hurt Starfire, and meshing his fingers together to form a double-fist, raised his arms over his head, readying for a deadly blow to the Tamaranian.
"Hey! Gravel face! Leave her alone!" came a shout, followed by a fist-sized rock bouncing off of Cinderblock's head. Turning slowly and lowering his arms, the monster looked at his would be assaulter. Much to his obvious surprise it was no Titan who confronted him, but just some teenager with a mane of black hair. "Yeah you! C'mon, try attacking someone who's not helpless, or are you too chicken?" he shouted, grinning but with a hint of fear in his eyes as they occasional shifted to the injured girl embedded in the pavement. Responding just as the young man's calls urged him to, the villain began to turn and walk towards him. In spite of the crippling fear one might feel in such a situation, the teen stood his ground, going so far as to pick up another fist-sized piece of debris and throw it at approaching wall of stone. Over the last two steps Cinderblock lunged, his fist whipping out to strike the boy, the powerful blow landing loudly. With a cry of pain the mere human went soaring a good block, skidding to a stop on the road. But just as Cinderblock finished turning back towards the still unconscious Starfire, another rock bounced off his head. Looking back down the street the monster saw the now obviously pained boy standing, though not well. With a cough he cried out "Is that the best you can do? I barely got a bruise." Eyes tightening in anger Cinderblock strode a little more quickly back at the leather jacketed boy. Seeing that his gambit had worked, the mangy haired young man swallowed, hefting another rock and throwing it at his increasingly faster approaching attacker. It deflected again off it's thick hide, and another blow sent the teen flying back again, skidding to a stop on the road.
This time Cinderblock waited and watched the crumpled young man, and to his surprise he stood again, though very shakily. "You…. cough…. Really need to work on your right hook there punk…cough … I still have a couple limbs you haven't bruised." He smiled mockingly, but it was all bravado. As a third blow came flying at him, the boy in the black t-shirt had time to see a blue-cloaked figure lifting up a semi-truck with her magic's, readying to take down the monster. As the fist ploughed into the boy like a train, his whole world spun down into darkness.
---
"Is he gonna be okay Cyke?"
"Dunno, his vitals are weak, but they aren't getting worse anymore."
"I did what I could to take away his pain, but my magic can only do so much."
"Ooooh… I sincerely do hope his injuries are not mortal."
"Be quiet guys, I think he's waking up."
The Titans gathered around a hospital bed in their tower, all eyes on the battered young man who had probably saved at least one, if not all, of their lives. The black haired teen slowly forced his eyes open, blinking the world into focus. Everything ached, but judging by the sense of euphoria he felt, the worst of it was being alleviated by painkillers.
"Good to see your still with us, for the past few hours things haven't looked so good. You all right?" Robin asked with sincere concern, but the other Titans could tell he was holding something back, not that that was surprising with him.
"Yes. Well. No, not really, but I think I will be." Replied the well-drugged patient, looking up into the spiky-haired teen's mask. Suddenly he shifted himself to sit upright, eyes opening wider. "Starfire! Is she-"
"I am fine, thanks to you brave young man." Replied the slightly blushing Tamaranian girl, a reply that seemed to calm the heavily bandaged boy back down to a lying position.
"What he needs now is rest, I suggest we all let him get some." Raven was quiet as usual, but no less heard for her lack of volume. The Titans all nodded and gave one last look at the injured teen before turning to head out. Just before reaching the door Beastboy suddenly turned.
"Dude! We don't even know your name!"
"It's Dean, Dean Wilde."
---
Late that night, Raven wandered the hallways, unable to sleep. She glided into the primary room to find a lone Titan at a computer screen, still awake.
"Robin, you need to get some sleep. Staring at Dean's info for a couple more hours isn't going to help."
"Raven…if this is true, then whoever got their hands on this tablet might threaten everything and everyone we care about…"
"I was thinking the same thing." A moment of silence passed between them, and Robin turned to look at his fellow teammate.
"Doesn't it scare you? Even a little?"
His fellow Titan offered no reply.