Teen Titans- Fear and Loathing in Jump City
By
Gabriel Kayne
DISCLAIMER! I Own Nothing Except OCs (unless someone already thought them up without me knowing)!
Prologue….. GO!
Our story begins outside of a spaceship floating through the stars above Earth. As the view zooms into the inside of the vessel, loud screams of rage and banging metal are heard, while two humanoid beings holding spear-like weapons are walking towards it, uneasy. A door in front of them opens, and two more are seen greeting the duo.
"Do you think the door will hold?" one of them asks anxiously in his native language.
"It must." A second one says.
"The alien will be delivered on schedule. Lord Tro-Garr has commanded it." A third states.
"And if this thing gets loose?" a fourth asks anxiously.
"Then Zorg help us all." The second one says, before the noise stops and the glass in the metal door cracks a bit. Suddenly, two glowing green eyes are seen in the darkness of the cell, and the four fish-like beings back away nervously. Immediately afterwards, the door burst forwards, and a young orange-skinned woman in strange garb and shackles steps out of the shadows, yelling in a foreign language furiously, and rushes towards the group.
Meanwhile, in another part of the ship, a young man in tattered and torn clothing which shows off his wiry frame is kneeling on the ground, his arms stretched to the sides due to chains attached to walls in the room, and a collar around his neck with a chain going to the floor, his white hair hiding his face. Another fish-like alien is standing in front of him, a smirk on his face and a red-hot piece of metal in his hand.
"Zuuland'r, you do realize that you will not be able to keep this up, right? You will eventually break, and when that happens, I WILL have what I want. I have all the time in the…" the alien starts, when suddenly an alarm sounds, and explosions are heard throughout the ship.
"Actually, it seems as though your time is up. Have a nice day, guppy." The prisoner replies sarcastically, suddenly breaking his chains off of the walls and ripping off his collar. He then punches the creature through the hull of the ship, and follows him through the opening, waving goodbye to the security cameras.
'Hmm, I wonder where Koriand'r got off to. Maybe that planet? Might as well go check it out.' He thinks to himself, flying through space, finally landing in an alleyway behind a young cloaked figure. The young figure immediately is on guard, and Zuuland'r steps out of the shadows, his hands raised up in defense. As he walks forward, his face becomes more visible. He has an average facial structure, for his people, but the thing that truly sets him apart from the rest of his race, is his white eyes, lacking any iris or pupils, giving him a look of blindness. 'Maybe I should try to communicate with the locals. I just hope I don't have to learn a new language. It's always so awkward, being unable to explain beforehand.'
"Who are you? And why do I sense some uneasiness coming from-." She asks, causing him to become even more uncomfortable. He then gives her as quick a kiss as possible.
"There. I'm sorry. You have no idea how awkward this gets. Long story short, my people can instantly learn any language by using lip-to-lip contact. Anyways, my name is Zuuland'r. In your language it roughly translates to Warfire. Have you seen a young woman, about my age? Shackles on her arms? Short tempered?" he says, just before he hears a loud explosion from a little ways away. "Never mind. I believe that's her. Sorry for that exchange of lip contact, by the way. I should probably go calm her down. She's a pretty bubbly girl, most of the time. But getting imprisoned for no reason will tend to leave you on edge, usually. Bye, ummm…" he says, not knowing what to call the girl.
"Raven. And you're lucky I don't use emotions, or I would be extremely pissed."
"Thank you. Bye, friend Raven." He says, smiling amicably. He then flies towards the noise, where three young men are fighting the young woman in the middle of a street.
"Zuuland'r, what are you doing here? I thought you were gone! You said you didn't want to come back home ever again!" The girl says upon seeing him.
"Koriand'r, calm down. I will talk to these guys and try to get those things off of you. Once this is over with, I will explain everything, alright? Just wait, please." He says to her, causing her to nod in compliance and slump down.
"Who are you? What do you two want?" the second-shortest of the three demands upon his arrival.
"Nothing much, my friend. My name is Zuuland'r, and that is my sister, Koriand'r. May I ask your names?" he says, causing the three to lower their guard slightly, the green one most of all.
"Robin." The most colorful one says, suspicious of his intentions.
"Former Doom Patrol cadet Beast Boy, reporting for duty, sir." The shortest says.
"Cyborg. What's her problem?" the tall one asks.
"Wait for it…." He answers, waiting for something to happen. "Nothing? Okay. Despite what these guys may say, my sister isn't a prisoner; she's considered a trophy, a prize of battle. Me, on the other hand, I'm considered a threat to the Gordanian Empire, so they captured me in order to make a show of my public execution. At least, they think they captured me. I just was asleep one day and they shot me with a temporary paralyzing agent, so I woke up after a while and waited to see what would happen."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?"
"You don't. Truth is all a matter of perspective. You can decide whether to believe me or not, but unfortunately, we don't have enough time to debate philosophy. The Gordanians are probably going to send a message saying that they will leave you alone unless you interfere with them capturing us, so, unless you have anything useful to say, I suggest you help me get these shackles off of my sister. Agreed?"
"Fine. But I'm watching you." Robin replies.
"Good. Wise choice. I would have been more surprised if you trusted us immediately after I spoke to you." He responds, a smile on his lips. He then goes to his sister and breaks off the caps of the cuffs that covers her hands. Robin immediately takes out his lockpick and releases her hands from the cuffs.
"There, now will you mphf-!" Robin starts to speak, before Starfire locks lips with him.
"Well, now that that's over, I'm going to get some food. Is there anything good to eat here?" Warfire says, acting as though he were talking about the weather.
"Warfire, we need to leave. As for you, unless you wish to be destroyed, you will stay away from us." She says, flying away.
"Ok, well, I will see you all later. Bye!" Warfire says with a wave, following her.
"Well, they certainly know how to leave an impression." Cyborg says, snapping Robin out of his shock. Immediately afterwards, a giant hologram of one of the Gordanians appears above an island, stating the aforementioned information, as well as a thinly veiled threat.
"Soooo, does anyone want to go find those two?" Raven asks, having appeared to the group in the confusion.
"Who are- never mind. Let's go, we need to see if there is anything they haven't told us." Robin says, to which the others nod in agreement.
"So, anybody know where they could be?" Beast Boy asks the others.
"Well, they seem to be near. I can sense them, a little bit." Raven answers.
"I have scanners built into my arm, so we could follow that." Cyborg offers.
"Oooh! I know, I could track their scents!" Beast Boy exclaims, transforming into a green bloodhound and instantly changing back. "Got it. They're this way."
"Good. We need to find them as soon as possible." Robin says, following Beast Boy, who leads the group to a video store, which has a hole blasted into the side of the building. Inside of the place, noises like ravenous feeding can be heard.
"Sister, we have company. Possible allies, if we don't attack. And by we, I mean you." Warfire says, his back turned to the hole.
"I do not care, for I must eat this food."
"Your boyfriend is here."
"What is this 'boyfriend' you speak of?" She asks, confused.
"The colorful boy you kissed."
"I still do not understand."
"Never mind. Anyways, what do you four want?" Warfire asks the group.
"Well, we want to know why your sister destroyed half a city block, for starters." Cyborg says.
"Oh, that? Would you like to answer, or should I, sister?"
"I was trying to get the cuffs off of my hands."
"Well, that's true, but I think they want to know why you had to cause a lot of damage trying to do so."
"They wouldn't come off." She says matter-of-factly.
"I see. And why did you kiss me?"
"I do not understand. What is this 'kiss' of which you speak?"
"He means the language absorption thing."
"Oh. Our people have the ability to instantly learn foreign languages through the exchange of lip contact."
"I see. Now, next question-!" Robin starts to say before an energy blast hits the ground between the two groups.
"Seems as though our friends have found us. Shall we commence with the fight?" Warfire asks sarcastically, noticing the Gordanians surrounding them.
"Let's do so."
"Ok. CUE THE MUSIC!" Warfire shouts, to which, for some reason, 'Black Betty' plays out of nowhere. He then fires off a blast of red energy from his right hand at a group of the fishmen, blowing them away while shouting "Secret Fisting Technique: A Thousand Years Of Death!" . Starfire and the rest take on a large company of the Gordanians, beating several of them.
"Come on! Don't make me put in some wasted effort, fishies! Fight me!" Warfire laughs, chasing another group around that is trying to flee from him.
"Is he alright?" Raven asks Starfire, to which she assures her he is.
"He's just a little up cooped. He has not had much of the fun since being captured. He must be having the blast, as I believe you humans say."
"Watch out! There's a pole there, guys! Didn't Innsmouth teach you anything?" Warfire shouts in the distance, before a loud clang can be heard. "What did I tell you? Always eat your sandwich before crossing the fjord! This is what happens when you don't listen!" he shouts, causing everyone else to sweatdrop.
"On the thought which is second, perhaps we should go after him. He might cause more of the mayhem than the Gordanians ever could." She says, before they hear a loud screeching crash and a voice shouting "Wheeeeee! That was fun! I wanna go again!" followed by a car horn and a cat yowling.
"Oh, dear. I believe he may have eaten the forbidden dish." Starfire says, causing everyone to turn to her.
"Oh my god, help us!" a distant Gordanian voice screams.
"What food is that?" Robin asks, worried.
"I believe it is called 'Tofu' in your language. Every time he eats certain foods, there are… strange side effects. Last time he ate Tofu, he turned into lightning and started hitting random passersby with a musical instrument, shouting 'El Kabong!'. It was… troublesome, to say the least."
"Dude, why doesn't he like tofu?!" Beast Boy asks, transforming into a kangaroo and kicking some of the Murlocks- I mean, Gordanians away.
"Actually, he loves it. That is why it is forbidden for him to eat it. If he hated it, there would be no need to forbid it."
"Uh, guys? The sounds are getting closer!" Cyborg shouts, getting everyone's attention.
"Get down, now!" Star shouts, running to some cover, the others following.
"El Kabong! Fear the wrath of the Acoustic Guitar of Justice!" Warfire shouts, a loud crash occurring, followed by thirty Gordanians flying through the air and falling down a mile away. "Welp, that was fun. Hi, I'm the card czar, and I have no idea what I'm doing. Now, a word from our sponsors."
"What is he doing?" Raven asks, to which a voice is heard screaming.
"Do you have a problem with rusty pipes? Lime buildup? Calcium? Well there's no need to worry anymore! Hi, Billy Mays- I mean, Warfire here, and I have the perfect deal for you!"
"What is he talking about?" A random Gordanian asks nervously.
"He is coming down from the side effects of the tofu. Just wait for him to glow, and do not make any sudden movements." Starfire says anxiously awaiting the backlash.
"I'm coming dooooooown!" he shouts, his voice reminiscent of a certain black genie psychopath, before glowing blue with lightning coming out of him. All of a sudden, all is silent, before an explosion occurs and the light returns to his body. "What? Did I miss something?" He asks, appearing behind the group of teens.
"It's over. Good. Now we must get rid of the Gordanians." Starfire says, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.
"Uh, Starfire? They're gone." Raven says, a cloud of dust where the big-mouth Billy bass- I mean, Gordanians used to be.
"Awww, I wanted to exchange recipes with them! Rude little trout." Warfire pouts childishly.
"Is he gonna be ok? Cuz I don't feel like seeing that happen again." Cyborg says.
"Well, as long as we don't allow him near the foods that give him adverse effects, we should be fine."
"I see. Well, hopefully we won't be seeing anymore of those-!" Robin starts to say, before Tro-Garr appears via hologram and says he will destroy the entire city.
"Maybe you should stop talking, friend Robin."
"Yes, that would be acceptable. Who's up for taking out their particle cannon via chaotic violence and explosions?" Warfire asks.
"Well, I suppose I could team up again. Just this once." Robin says with a smirk, getting a nod from the others minus Warfire and Raven.
"I'm not the hero type. If you knew what I was…" she starts to say, before Robin interrupts.
"I know enough to say that you can be a great asset to us."
"Yeah, what Peter Pan said! By the way, has anyone seen my pants?" Warfire asks, drawing attention to him.
"Uh, Warfire, why are you not wearing any pants anymore?" Beast Boy asks, looking away from him, as are the others.
"No idea. Anybody got any spares?" He asks, to which a random storekeeper brings out some denim ones. "Thank you, old guy! Once I get some earth money, I will treat you to dinner!" he says, beaming in joy.
"No problem, young man. Just stop those guys and we'll be even." The man says.
"Deal! Now, let's kick their butts back to the black lagoon! Excelsior!"
"How does he know all these references? He's never been to earth, has he?" Beast Boy asks.
"He has developed his ability to translate languages to the point that he can absorb the cultural identity of whoever he has lip-based contact with. Even memories are at his disposal." Starfire says, causing Raven to pale drastically. Warfire notices, and shrugs, as if saying "Who cares what you will be? Doesn't matter to me."
"Thank you, Warfire."
"No worries. Your secret is not mine to tell. So until you want to tell the others, I will be quiet. Anyways, let's filet some fish!" Warfire shouts, getting some nods of agreement.
"Agreed."
Two minutes later…
"I got a better one. How about, 'let's make some sushi'?"
"Enough with the puns, Warfire. We have to focus." Robin says, massaging his forehead from the headache Warfire's jokes gave him.
"Whew, that dark energy gives me the creeps- I mean, it's cool." Beast Boy says before noticing Raven and giving her a thumbs up, the group having been transported aboard the ship.
"It's cool? It was ticklish! I hate being tickled! Starfire knows, right, sis?" Warfire says.
"Yes, he hates the tickling. He once destroyed half of our home when mother tried to tickle him as a young boy."
"I see. I will keep that in mind." Raven says while the others walk away, a little depressed at Beast Boy's earlier comment.
"Stop sulking. He doesn't know what he is talking about, friend Raven. Wanna know a secret? I may not look it, but I am quite the social pariah back on Tamaran. Even more so than you were on Azerath. Apart from my sisters and parents, and a few of the servants, I was treated as a leper. And everyone but Blackfire, Starfire and the nurse-maid feared me. All because I am unstable, which is the most dangerous thing for a Tamaranian to be. Almost all who have this lack of what you call humanity have destroyed everything they came across. Long story short, I left my world due to a self-imposed Exile, to protect those who mattered to me. Which helped me learn some control, by the way. I was captured because I was asleep after a long trial to gain stability, and those fishmen paid dearly for it, and many more will before the day is out. Anyways, my point is that we all have things that keep us awake at night. All you need to do to live with it, is to remember the things that make it worthwhile to fight. Come on, the others are waiting." He finishes, a noticeable lack of mirth visible on his face.
"Who are you, Warfire?" Raven thinks to herself, following him to the others.
A Few Moments Later, Throne room of The Gordanian Battle Cruiser…
"Lord Tro-Garr, the cannon is ready to fire!"
"Good, commence the firing sequence. These Earthlings will learn the folly of defying my wishes." A large Gordanian says, sitting on a throne in the center of the room.
Suddenly, an explosion occurs, blasting out the door to the area.
"I call dibs on the large murlock in the middle. Anybody have any questions?" Warfire asks, stepping out of the smoke, followed by the others.
"He's all yours. Be careful, Warfire." Robin says.
"You should be more worried for his sake. He will learn exactly why I am named Warfire." He replies seriously for the first time since arriving on Earth, anger etched into his face, the room going cold with tension. "Tro-Garr! You have committed myriad crimes against my people! However, I am only concerned with three of them! One!" he shouts, warping to the large alien in a flash of white energy.
"You have attacked my home world and waged war on its inhabitants." He says, punching him in the face, launching the warlord twenty feet away. "Two!" he continues warping again and slamming his elbow into the being's stomach. "You attacked me and took me prisoner, in clear defiance of the Treaty!" he warps again, picking the alien up by the back of the neck. "Three! You not only committed these unpardonable acts, but you also kidnapped my Sister, with the intent to enslave her on your planet! For these crimes, I hereby condemn you! Face your Judgment!" he roars bestially, lightning cracking in the sky above. He then punches the Gordanian in the kidney repeatedly, fury etched into his face, rage fueling his fists. He then warps back to the front of the tyrant and slams Tro-Garr on the floor, summoning white fire to his hands. "Feel my wrath, the wrath of WAR!" he roars, smashing the flames into the alien's chest, the flames covering and bleeding into the wretch.
"AAAAAAAaaaaahhhhhhh!" Tro-Garr screams in agony, Warfire walking away.
"Judgment complete." He says quietly, a calm expression on his face.
The other Gordanians, meanwhile, kneel down in fear, while the heroes look on in horror, especially Starfire.
"Brother… Why?"
"It is my duty as Arbiter of Tamaran to mete out punishment to those who commit the greatest crimes. And to me, no crime is greater than hurting my family. He's lucky I didn't kill him." He says, looking to the sky. "Mother… Father… Forgive me. Forgive me for not being stronger. For breaking my oath… I fear, however, that I will do this many times to come…." He thinks solemnly, before passing out on the floor.
"Warfire!" Raven and Starfire shout, running towards him.
The Next Week….
"We made a good team, didn't we?" Beast Boy asks, the group standing on the shore of the island that the Gordanians landed on.
"Yeah, we did. Listen, Cyborg and I came up with a little something for you guys in case we need to keep in contact." Robin says, handing out little yellow communicators to the three teens currently in front of him.
"Where's Warfire?" Raven asks, noticing that he is absent.
"Oh, he is currently meditating to clear his mind of turmoil. It is best if we leave him alone for now, friend Raven." Starfire answers.
"Is he going to be okay?" Robin asks.
"There is a price for using the power of the Arbiter. When one Judges another being, both the Condemned's crimes and the Arbiter's are brought to bear against him. That is his curse, and his duty. He has used this power four times before, and he has hated every time he had to do so. All that can be done for him is to wait."
"Dude, that sucks! How did he become Arbiter, anyways?" Beast Boy asks.
"He was born the Arbiter. It is not so much a title, as it is a definition of his very being. This is why many on Tamaran feared him." She replies, sadness evident in her expression.
"Hey, don't worry about me. It's worth being a monster to protect my sisters and friends. By the way, does anybody know where I can stay? I hate travelling a lot." Warfire asks, bags under his eyes and sweat on his brow.
"We could make a place here. The view is nice, after all." Robin suggests, looking at him in worry.
"Ok. And does anybody have money? I need clothes, in case you haven't noticed." He says, glancing at his rags and missing pants.
"Come with me, Warfire. I'll take you clothes shopping." Robin says, pulling out a wallet with a bunch of money in it.
"Thanks. So, what should we call ourselves?"
"Perhaps the Youths of Justice?" Starfire says.
"No, I was thinking the Teen Titans. Much catchier." Robin suggests, a smirk on his face.
"Yeah, I agree. Does anybody have any objections?" Warfire smiles, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"Uh, dude? Where did you get that sandwich?" Beast Boy asks.
"No idea. Want some?" he replies, holding out another one that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"That is just weird. But sure, why not?" Beast Boy says, reaching out and grabbing it.
"Yeah, eat it nice and slowly. Yes, just like that…" Warfire says creepily, causing Beast Boy to choke on the piece of sandwich he was chewing, before laughing his butt off. "Hahahaha! Your face! Priceless! But seriously, eat up. I'm going to go get some clothes. Robin, you coming?" he asks, reaching his hand out, while the group, minus Beast Boy, laughs raucously.