The Other Guys

"Bumblebee! Watch out!"

The winged Titan ducked, narrowly avoiding the barrage of laser fire. She rolled on the floor, firing her stingers repeatedly, taking out several robots in the process. She did miss two of them, but before they could fire at her a second time an arrow flew across the warehouse and exploded, deploying an electrified net, which smothered the two droids with its paralyzing effect. They shuddered and began to smoke as they collapsed.

"Thanks Speedy!" She shouted as leaped back onto her feet and rejoined the battle.

Even though her team was hopelessly outnumbered, Karen Beecher, AKA Bumblebee, smiled. The Titans East were fighting with the precision of a well oiled machine. During their early days they were often accused of not working like a team and were often compared to Robin's own Titans on the West Coast. Back then she had been a good sport, taking the criticism in stride. But that was then and this was now. And her team was as good as, if not better than, Robin's Titans.

"Aqualad! On your left!" She shouted as she took out a pair of robots that were about to ambush the Atlantean.

Karen was pleased. They were methodically and systematically taking down the robots, which were trying to steal a shipment of Xenothium from a Wayne Tech warehouse in Steele City. That wasn't going to happen, not on her watch

"Speedy! Cuidado! A tu derecha!" Mas shouted. Speedy ducked, avoiding the droid to his right while firing off several shots which decimated an entire platoon of the warrior robots.

But Karen was also displeased. Just the other day Speedy dropped the latest copy of the tabloid called "Superhero Weekly" on her lap. From the scowl on his face she knew that she wasn't going to like what she was about to read in the gossip rag. It would probably be another libelous article about her alleged romance with Cyborg. As if! Why did everyone think they were supposed to be a couple? Just because they're both black? She didn't have anything against Sparky, other than the fact that he was a chauvinist and a sore loser who couldn't deal with the fact that maybe, just maybe, a girl could kick his sorry titanium butt. And who would want a boyfriend made of metal anyway? She had to wonder how he coped with being on the same team as Starfire and Raven. Plus he was a blowhard who was always sucking up to Robin and he often took out his frustrations on Beast Boy, who in her opinion was the only desirable guy on the West Coast team. What did Starfire see in Robin anyway?

"Mas, a tu izquierda!" She shouted as she punched out a few droids with her bare hands.

What the tabloid said was something else, something that had been stuck in her craw for years and was as irritating as ever. And it was right on the front page. Superimposed over side by side photos of the Robin's and her teams was the headline that remained seared into her mind:

"Will Titans East ever be as good as the originals?"

She howled in fury as she recalled the damned headline, punching her fist all the way through another android, not feeling the pain in her anger. Sometimes she felt like Rodney Dangerfield, where was the damn respect? And Robin didn't make things any easier with his blasted cocky attitude. The guy really though he was God's gift to superherodom.

"Titans! Let's end this now!" She bellowed as she became airborne.

But what really irritated Karen was how the wretched tabloid compared her team, individual by individual, with Robin's teammates. Aqualad was compared to Beast Boy and was the only one considered "better" and that was only because of his good looks! Mas y Menos were compared to Starfire and Cyborg and all the tabloid had to say was that they were useless when separated.

Speedy was compared to Robin and was found wanting as well, due to his lack of leadership skills and his allegedly "subpar hand to hand combat skills". Was Robin paying these guys off?

But what bothered Karen most of all was being compared to Raven. How could they compare Raven, an introvert who needed to spend more time in the sunlight, with her? All Raven ever did in battle was to throw stuff at the bad guys, and more often than not she missed them! And to add insult to injury, the tabloids said that Bumblebee needed to lose her wings and dump her creepy image if she wanted to be a babe like Raven. Like Raven?

"Creepy? I'm creepy? What the hell are they talking about? Raven is the creepy Titan! Why do they think she's so damn hot? Oh yeah, I forgot, she's the 'Mysterious Sorceress' who wears the revealing leotard and I'm the icky bug!" Karen howled as she sent several more robots to the scrap heap with a flurry of lightning fast kicks. "And I could kick Raven's gray butt any day!"

Karen regained her composure when she felt a calming hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Speedy's smiling face.

"Bumblebee, it's OK, we won." He reassured her. Every single android was now a smoldering heap.

"Not until we capture him." She replied as she pointed at the now trapped mastermind who stared at his destroyed robots in sheer amazement.

"You'll never capture me, Bumblebee. Robin never could, and neither will you." He taunted her as he dashed for the exit.

Karen nodded at the twins, who shot towards the fleeing criminal. He was fast himself and his reputation as a fighter preceded him. He took a lightning fast swing at the twin speedsters, who dodged his haymaker and ran around him several times in a blur before running back to Karen. Seeing his opportunity, the villain turned to run … and fell flat on his face. To his dismay his ankles were shackled tightly together.

"Why you little brats!" He bellowed as Speedy shot a fat tipped arrow at him, which exploded, dropping a heavy net, ensuring that escape would be impossible.

Bumblebee cracked a huge grin while her teammates high fived each other. Victory was always so sweet, but especially now.

"You are so busted, Slade!" She crowed triumphantly. "You should know better than to go against the Teen Titans."

She turned to the still grinning Speedy.

"Stick that in your tail pipe Robin." She whispered to him.

"You aren't the Titans, you're just wannabes that got lucky!" Slade hissed back at her.

Karen frowned. She heard this line before, from that loser Control Freak. But to hear Slade say it, for some reason it cut deep.

Soon the police arrived along with the local press and media. The reporters milled around, taking pictures of Slade, who as he was being dragged into the armored paddy wagon vowed revenge and promised Karen that she would regret ever being born. A television reporter, a Barbie doll named Adele Anderson, stuck a microphone into Karen's face.

"Bumblebee, congratulations on capturing Slade."

Karen grinned from ear to ear. Revenge was so sweet.

"Thanks Adele."

"So tell us, Bumblebee, how do you think Robin's team would have done things differently?"

Karen's smile vanished.

"It's hard to say, Adele, you see, they've never been able to capture Slade, unlike my team. So all I can say is they would have blown it, like they always do when it comes to Slade."

The bimbo reporter merely smiled back.

"I see. So tell us, is anything happening between you and Cyborg?

Karen sighed and walked away, ignoring the annoying woman who kept asking her about her personal love life, which didn't exist. It was then that she realized it didn't matter how good they were. It didn't matter that they captured Slade. In everyone's eyes they would always be … the other guys.