Bonjour, mi compatriots! It is I, Titangirl, back with another story, which, by the way, shall precede the third chapter of The Day of the Martyr by about a day (it needs to be touched up some). But fear not, it shall be in tonight. So, enjoy the first chapter of Cataclysm.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure that if I owned DC Comics, I could get that pair of 1989 Vintage Joker Converse, but sadly, I cannot. I do not own the Titans East, the Teen Titans, or any Justice League member.

It has been two years.

It seems like longer, doesn't it? I mean, the days go by so quickly, and all I can think to myself is "where has time gone?" but when you really think about it, it seems as if I've been with this group of idiotic, immature imbeciles for all of my life.

Which, of course, is silly, because it's only been two years.

Two years! At the risk of sounding cliché, it seems like I first met them yesterday. I met Aqualad first, contacted quickly through a makeshift receiver patched into a local signal, but I met him first nonetheless. Then Speedy came swinging in on a crimson arrow, closely followed by the unexpected entrance of the Mas y Menos, the Spanish rascals who sneak into my room about once a week.

It's funny to think about how it's only been two years. I mean, really, I can recall every detail of our first mission together, before we were even the Titans East. Before we even considered working together, when we were all just thrown into a group and forced to be partners.

Personally, I blame Batman. I know, you're thinking, "How the hell can you blame Batman?" It's 'cause he's the Caped Crusader, right? Psh, he's a psychotic nitwit, thinking it was a good idea to let us stay together, especially after the little mishap with the Justice League space station.

Ah, you have no idea what I'm going on about. All right, sit back and I'll tell you the story. And no I am not making it up! Really!

Alright, so it started two years ago…

"Do you always smell like fish?" she muttered to the boy beside her. They had stopped at a small diner just outside of Steel City, which was about as far east as Bumblebee was willing to go. Yeah, they had to catch Brother Blood, but a girl had standards! Steel City? The place was worse than Gotham, which was really saying something. Thought both were dark, damp, and dangerous, Steel beat out Gotham by a mile in the first two categories. Not the third, of course. No city could compare their villains to the likes of Gotham's.

The boy sitting beside her glared from the corner of his eye before smiling sweetly at the waitress and ordering water and a salad. Bumblebee ordered a hamburger and a soda and then rolled her eyes at the superpowered teen. "A salad and water?" she mocked, the slight upturn of her lips proving that she was joking, not attempting to be rude. Aqualad seemed to catch this, for he smiled and said, "It's an Atlantian thing. You wouldn't understand." She held back a laugh. The pompous way that he had said that statement was just overwhelming.

Their food had just arrived when Bumblebee's newly activated communicator flickered to life, a series of beeps issuing from it. Grabbing the piece of technology, she flipped it open, only to see the face of the guy she had thought about several times since she had left Titans Tower.

Cyborg.

"Well, hey there, Sparky. Can I help you?" she asked, reverting to a more natural drawl. He rolled his eyes and said, "Well, actually…"

Sadly, the mechanical man was cut off by a spiky-haired boy shoving his face into view of Cyborg's arm communicator.

"Bumblebee, Aqualad," the face barked, and Bumblebee held back a sigh. "Get into Steel City now! The HIVE has been sighted!"

Aqualad was already standing. Bumblebee sighed and followed him, throwing some money on the table, hoping that she had given enough for a tip. Snapping shut her dimming communicator, Bumblebee followed Aqualad out of the small diner.

When they arrived in Steel City, Bumblebee was unhappy already. The damp city made her hair frizz, and she did not enjoy feeling so vulnerable. Steel City had a different brand of criminal – the unsuperpowered, macho man, mob type. And Bumblebee had to admit that she was a bit afraid – Jump City she could handle, probably even Gotham, but not Steel. Never Steel.

"Cyborg sent the coordinates," Aqualad muttered to the insect-themed heroine, who just nodded, tightlipped. They made their way to a museum, the darkness creeping upon them, and by the time they made it to the museum, it was completely black out, forcing an ominous feeling upon Bumblebee. The HIVE had been spotted earlier in the day, and this was the only thing of value in a city such as Steel. There were many, many policemen and guards on watch at this gallery.

At least, there were supposed to be. Sadly, they were all conveniently knocked out, the hair on end signifying Jinx's presence. There was a little bad blood from the HIVE Academy – and sure to be more now – between Bumblebee and Jinx, so the hero was not looking forward to seeing the sorceress. She heard Aqualad sigh as he stepped around the unconscious guards and she followed suit. It was time for the fight, she knew, and as they entered the gallery, the foreboding feeling grew exponentially.

It was in several seconds that the brawl began – the monstrous Mammoth came out of the shadows, tackling Aqualad, as Gizmo followed him, lasers attacking the Atlantian from all angles. It was only a moment after that that Jinx attacked her, hatred for the betrayal of the HIVE burning in her eyes. Bumblebee fought back, hand to hand, even though she knew that that was Jinx's strong suit. She was determined to reach her stingers, but Jinx seemed to know her plan, for she blocked all of her advances. Backing up, Bumblebee felt Jinx slowly gaining the upper hand, so she thought fast. Dropping to the floor, six inches tall, she zoomed behind Jinx, flying high up into the air. She quickly changed back to her usual height, too high up for Jinx to hit her with her planned attack – a strike behind her. So, Bumblebee charged the pink-haired girl, whipping her off of her feet and slamming her into the wall.

Bumblebee stumbled back from the collision, and knew that Jinx was out cold. A trickle of blood came from Bumblebee's mouth – she felt weak. But, she knew that Aqualad needed her help, and fast. The boy was almost down, and Bumblebee wasn't surprised – Mammoth was very tough, and with Gizmo aiding him, it was almost as if there was a whole brain between them.

Removing her stingers from their holsters, she aimed. She had to get Mammoth out, but he lived up to his name – he was huge and therefore insulated beyond belief. So, she aimed for the smaller threat – Gizmo. Focusing, the electricity came surging through her stingers, streaking faster than light toward the small boy. He never knew what hit him.

Mammoth and Aqualad were still going at it – neither seemed to have noticed either Jinx or Gizmo's fall. Bumblebee was glad – Mammoth didn't know she was going to attack. Holstering her weapons, she got ready to pounce. Yeah, she was one hundred and ten pounds, but she had some fight in her. Using her wings to give her more life, she ran and jumped, landing on Mammoth's back, startling him, just a bit.

"What the hell!" he cried, noticing the heroine that was attempting to strangle him. Bumblebee knew that she had merely seconds before she was thrown off of the giant. She also knew that there was no way she could take him down from this position. Thankfully, Aqualad took notice of the obvious distraction and did the easiest thing to do – Aqualad punched Mammoth in the face. Now, normally this would have almost no impact on the hulking brute, but Aqualad wasn't a normal human. No, he was Atlantean and due to thousands of years of living in deep sea pressure, they had adapted and essentially been given superstrength. And everyone thought that Atlanteans were pushovers.

The HIVE Agent fell to the ground, out cold, a black eye already forming. Bumblebee smiled at her newfound friend – "Well, shark bait, it looks like we make a pretty good team."

And Aqualad, who was fond of smiling, let a lazy grin cross his face. It was obvious that they could be good friends, if they had the proper time. But, they still had to catch Brother Blood, and if the arrival of the HIVE in Steel City meant anything, it meant that Brother Blood wasn't too far behind. And they would be waiting for when he came.

Panic shot through Bumblebee's chest. What if he was already in the city? What if he was watching them, right then? Police sirens broke her out of her reverie – a reverie that seemed to have occurred at the same time as Aqualad's trip to dreamland. "We have to get out of here," Bumblebee muttered, jerking her head at the unmarked back door. Aqualad nodded, understanding. Most of the cops in Steel City were in the pocket of the mob. Who knew how many of them Brother Blood controlled?

They exited into a dark alley on the side of the building and a chill went up Bumblebee's spine. They were being watched, and she knew it. Glancing around, she saw no one, but she could tell that the Atlantean had gotten the same feeling. Squinting her eyes into the darkness, she was almost sure that she could see a pair of glowing red eyes. But, that was impossible. Who had red eyes? You've been watching one too many scary movies, girl.

It was dark and it was calm. At least, it was for now. But this was Steel City, and there was a game of cat and mouse being played. There was only one question one could wonder – who was the cat…and who was the mouse?

Thanks for reading the first chapter! I truly hoped you enjoyed it. If you have any constructive criticism, please feel free to leave a review. Adios, mis amigos!

Titangirl797