The Experiment
Chapter 1 - You're Not My Weapons!
Kayin slowly felt his way through the darkened corridor, stubbing his toe on the occasional loose rock.
"When is this trial supposed to start?" he grumbled.
Walking further, he moved out of the corridor and into an expansive lighted area. He stopped when he heard a soft 'click'. A loud scraping sound started. A door was opening! Then, he saw it. In the doorway stood a large, mechanical thing, roughly 6 feet tall and resembling a cross between a spider and a cricket. At last! An enemy! Grinning, he opened his personal dimension portal and held out his hand to draw the appropriate weapon, but instead of the satisfying 'slap' of his palm against the weapon, he heard a high-pitched scream…
The Titans had just finished breakfast and were in the common room, indulging in their favorite habits, when Raven suddenly sat bolt upright.
Starfire was the first to notice and asked, "Raven, what is the ma…"
A wide-eyed Raven interrupted her, saying simply, "Something strange is about to happen."
As if on cue, a portal opened near Cyborg. Instinctively, he moved away from it, dragging Bumblebee along with him.
He started to say, "What in the name of…?", but it came out "EEERRRAAAGGGHHHH!" as he and Bumblebee were pulled through the portal. Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire and Robin were also sucked in as they moved forward to help Cyborg.
After falling through the multicolored portal for what seemed like forever, they all popped out, their screams stopping abruptly upon landing in a disheveled pile at Kayin's feet.
Kayin, now in a panic, screamed, "Who are you? Explain your presence! You're NOT one of my weapons! I need a weapon!". However, what the Titans heard was "Jina lako nani? Unatoka wapi! Ninya ne SI changu silaha! Ninahitaji silaha!"
Seeing and recognizing the puzzlement on the Titans' faces, Kayin quickly turned away to face his mechanical antagonist.
He charged, screaming, "Uko tu mosi! (You are only the first!) Nitangoja bila silaha! (I will stop you without weapons!)".
The giant insect reared up on two hind legs and gained another 5 feet of height. Looking down at Kayin and making a disturbing chattering sound, he moved in to attack.
Robin, the first to recover from their inter-dimensional journey, started to scream, "Titans, GO!", until he realized that he had no idea of what they was doing in this place, how they got there or who the enemy is.
When he lowered his hand, Cyborg asked, "Aren't we going to help him?"
Robin replied, "No."
Cyborg shot back, "Why not? He's obviously in trouble and needs help fighting that whatever it is! On top of that, he's probably the reason we're here!"
Robin calmly said, "You're right on two counts. He is in trouble. He is probably the reason we are here. But it doesn't look as though he needs any help to fight that thing. And he may be the reason we're here, but you saw the look on his face, didn't you? He was as surprised as we were to see us pop out of that hole in space."
Raven added, "I sensed that he was surprised by us, not the portal. He was probably expecting something else."
The Titans watched in silence as the lone warrior fought the mechanical beast. They heard him chant a single word, then strike at a part of the monster.
"Magoti (Knees)."
Kayin deftly maneuvered into position and then struck the creature directly on its left kneecap with an open palm, breaking it and causing the creature to stumble and fall on its left side. Shrieking in pain (or whatever the mechanical equivalent is), the beast tried to maneuver itself to stand on its center set of legs and resume the attack. But before it could stand, Kayin had used the creature's prone form as a pommel horse and vaulted across to its exposed midsection.
The warrior then said "Matumbo (Stomach)" and struck the insectoid's stomach with a closed fist, causing a gaping hole that a thick dark fluid rushed from. The beast then started flailing madly, trying to hit Kayin before he was able to jump out of its reach, to no avail.
Kayin then said "Shingo (Neck)". Screaming "Salimu roho! (Give the ghost!)", he charged the creature, running towards it with arms outstretched. Avoiding the sharp pincers, he reached under its neck with one arm to brace its head, and then slammed his other arm onto the beast's neck with all the force he could muster, separating the neck from the rest of the body. The green glow in the head's eyes slowly faded as the decapitated monster clattered to the rocky floor, deactivated. Kayin threw the head at the carcass then turned to face the Titans.
There was a bright flash behind the warrior as the remains dissolved into a shimmering mass of dust.
As he walked toward the group, they finally got a chance to see, really see, what Kayin looked like. He was tall, olive skinned and fit, but not overly muscular. His black uniform was emblazoned with a red crest that had what looked like a snake in the center.
His face…well, his face seemed different for each person that looked at him.
Starfire saw a mask, Bumble Bee saw a red patch over one eye, Raven saw pointed ears, Robin saw bright green eyes, Beast Boy saw purple hair and Cyborg, well…Cyborg only saw what his electronic eyes saw, which was nothing special, just a non-descript man in a black suit…. with large brown eyes.
Starfire had a far-away look in her eyes when she said "Magnificent".
Robin gave her a sideways glance and asked in a low growl, "What did you say?"
Starfire then said (a little nervously, I might add), "A magnificent…. fighter! Yes, a magnificent fighter. It did not take him long to defeat the large bug! You were correct in believing that such a fine man would not need our help, friend Robin!" Starfire then gave Robin her brightest smile as a single bead of sweat formed on her forehead and raced down the side of her face.
Bumble Bee just sighed loudly and smiled, earning her a hard glance from Cyborg.
Something then exploded behind them, and Raven quickly pulled up her hood. A sad look flashed across Beast Boy's face and his ears drooped a little, but he said nothing.
Kayin stood before the Titans, pointed at himself and said, "Kayin", then pointed at Robin and waited.
Robin first introduced the Titans as a group, spreading his arms and saying "Teen Titans". He then pointed to each of them in turn, stating their names. He then turned to Raven, saying, "Do you have a spell that you can use to help us understand each other?"
Raven, staring at Kayin, said nothing.
Beast Boy nudged her, causing another small explosion, and said "Rae, spell, talking?"
She glared at Beast Boy, growling "Don't call me Rae", then, "Yes, hold on a moment." Raven held her arms out and chanted, "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos." Black light slid over all for a moment.
Cyborg asked, "What did you say your name is, again?"
The warrior answered, "Landon."
Beast Boy thought it strange that Landon's name was not the same in both languages.
Raven rolled her eyes and explained, "Names mean different things in different languages. For instance, Garfield, means battlefield or triangle field in Old English. The Greek name Aristotle and the Jewish name Nir also mean battlefield."
Beast Boy, embarrassed, shot back, "Ok, you're so smart, what's his name mean?"
Raven replied, "Landon means 'long-awaited'."
Beast Boy, defeated, said, "Alright, you win…now and forever I am the stupid one! Are you satisfied?"
Raven grinned slightly and said, "No."
Beast Boy replied, "Well I am. I finally got you to smile.", and quickly moved away before Raven could come back with a retort or fling him into the nearest wall.
Landon, watching this exchange, smiled briefly and turned his attention to Robin and Starfire, who were moving forward.
Robin said, "Good to meet you, Landon."
Starfire volunteered, "Your fighting style is most impressive. Do you think you could teach me a little of your art of fighting?"
Robin sighed inwardly, thinking, "She's never asked me to show her anything. I'm not that impressive, I suppose."
He was astonished and cheered by Landon's answer, though, when he said, "No, I cannot. We don't know each other well enough, and you'll probably be back where you came from before we do."
Confused, Starfire turned away and moved back to the rest of the group, wondering out loud, "But we are both warriors. What more is there to know?" Beast Boy snickered a bit and walked away whistling when he felt Starfire's glare on the back of his head.
When Cyborg noticed that Bumble Bee was still gazing at Landon (slightly drooling, I might add), he tried to get her attention by asking, "Hey, how about them Mets, eh?"
Bumble Bee slowly tore her eyes away from Landon long enough to say (after wiping the drool from her mouth), "Sparky, you know I hate baseball!"
Cyborg then asked, without thinking, "Then why did you go to the game with me last week?"
Bumble Bee replied, also without thinking, "I didn't have anything better to do, and I felt…. sorry…. for…. Oh, God, I'm sorry! That didn't come out rig…."
Turning away, Cyborg interrupted her with, "Too late…. Look at the bright side. At least you don't have to worry yourself with 'The Tin Man's' feelings any longer."
Meanwhile, slightly bolstered, Robin took over the conversation. "Do you have any idea how we got here? Or how we can get back?"
"Back to where?" Landon asked.
"Back to Earth.", Robin replied.
Landon's eyes narrowed before he said, "This is Earth."
It got quiet enough to hear the sound of four more necks turning to look at Landon after this statement.
From Cyborg: "Where on Earth are we? The only thing I can tell from my sensors is that we're too deep underground for me to use GPS to determine our location."
From Landon: "On the United Continent."
From the Others: "What?!?"
After a bit of thoughtful silence, from Beast Boy: "Dude! What year is this?"
From a surprised Raven: "Very good question. Was that skill or luck?"
From a smirking Beast Boy: "You'll know as soon as Landon answers the question."
"The year is 12 UC." After letting that statement roll around in the Titans' heads for a moment, Landon finished the answer with, "Twelve years after the reformation of the world's land masses back into Pangea."
Beast Boy then pulled at a pair of non-existent suspenders and said with a smirk, "Skill. See, I got two questions answered at the same time. I think this IS our Earth, but WAY into the future. Our continents ARE drawing back together, but it would take probably millions of years for this to happen. And before you ask, I heard my parents talking about this a long time ago. They thought the continent was Atlantis before it broke up."
Landon replied, "You are correct and incorrect. The 'Reassembling' as it was called, was the result of a cataclysm that happened about 100 years ago. Most human accomplishments were lost and the knowledge of them destroyed. Most of the people and animals were killed. Where there were once billions, there are now a few hundred thousand remaining."
Cyborg asked, "What was the year of the cataclysm?"
"2024 BUC", said Landon.
Robin whispered, "This can't be our Earth, Beast Boy."
"Dude, why not?"
"Because they would have found a way to stop it."
Landon asked, "They?"
Starfire, Cyborg and Bumblebee simultaneously blurted, "The Justice League! Superman, Batman, you know…."
Landon's left eyebrow nearly disappeared into his hairline as he said, "Oh. No, there have never been people with those names or titles here, although my father has told me of some of the fantasies that have been written before the Cataclysm occurred. As a matter of fact, he told me that he used to write stories of his own. He didn't elaborate, though. All the more reason to find out how you got here and get you back where you came from." The warrior then turned and moved toward a panel a few meters away.
"Before you ask," he said, "You need to know that I am not the one to answer your questions. The people who can are waiting for me at the end of this obstacle course. I must prove myself worthy to be a colonist. Please follow and stay behind me. I don't know your capabilities and cannot protect you unless I know where you are."
And with that, he punched a few buttons on the panel and moved through the door, leaving the bewildered Titans with their fingers raised and mouths open.
After Raven lowered her hand and closed her mouth, she glanced over at Beast Boy and said, "What are you waiting for, lightning to strike twice? Close your mouth, he's gone, already."
Beast Boy retorted, "What is with you, Raven? How come every word that flies out of your mouth lately has to do with insulting me? You haven't said a kind word to me since yesterday morning!"
Raven thought for a while. When her eyes had shifted to a slightly reddish tinge, she glared at Beast Boy and growled, "Oh. Yesterday morning. The day your meddling caused me to shatter my favorite tea mug? The one with Mad Commodore Decker's face on it? That yesterday morning?"
Beast Boy shot back, "Oh, please! You're still not over that? I said I was sorry and you still threw me out the window so hard, if I couldn't shift and fly, I would have landed in the bay!
When Raven smirked a bit, he started screaming. "Oh, now the thought of me being hurt makes you smile? Well, no more happy time for you, Raaaaeeeee!"
And with that, Beast Boy turned on his heel and strode to the opposite wall, mumbling something to the effect of, "Cup was cracked anyway…crack made him look like he was wearing a freaking eye patch anyhow. Never even used that cup till yesterday."
His stride was slowed a little at this thought, "She really doesn't care much for me at all."
He stopped at the far wall and stared at the door that Landon had just passed through. Oooooh, Beast Boy was mad.
Raven started to worry a bit, but decided that Beast Boy would get over it, as usual. Not today.