Hello! Welcome to Walk On Water Or Drown. This is a military AU centered around our favorite titans and what they'd be like in the American military. This will be updated once a week on Sundays, give or take.
Quick disclaimer, I don't work in the military or have expertise. Don't take this as what the actual American military/armed forces is like. This is purely fiction. I do not own the Teen Titans at all. Without further adieu, enjoy!
Being called into Commander Adams' office was either really good, or really bad. Richard Grayson kept that in his mind as he walked down the long corridor to the plain door that had a simple 'Adams, Harley' imprinted on it. His trainer, Bruce Wayne, had a similar door. They all seemed to look the same in the Navy SEALS headquarters. Richard took a deep breath before knocking on the solid wood door. "Enter." A voice carried from the room.
You wouldn't know it from the plain door, but Commander Adams' office was as high tech as they come. A large, high definition television hung behind a large, mahogany desk on which sat a large, touch screen desktop computer that probably had more memory than all the computers and phones in the facility. "Sit down, Grayson." Adams spoke as he typed. Richard took a seat in the black leather chair. It was comfortable, but made noise every time he moved. He patiently awaited Adams to be finished with what he was doing. After another minute, Adams stopped typing and looked Richard dead in the eye. "I've been observing you very carefully, Grayson." He took a sip of coffee. Black. "Wayne came and spoke to me about you getting your own squad, and I think it's high time that happened."
Richard, internally jumping for joy, kept his exterior collected. "I am deeply honored, Commander." Copy-pasted replies were traditional when speaking to authority, and Adams was a traditional man.
"Great." Adams inputted a code onto his computer. "Let me introduce you to your team." The TV behind him flickered to life and a slideshow began playing. "Your first squad member is from Harlem, New York. Worked his way up after an accident in high school caused his leg and arm to require amputation. He's a techie and specially engineered his prosthetics to act as normal limbs and much more." A man appeared on the screen. He was a muscular, black man whose arm and leg were obvious prosthetics. "Victor Stone. Codename: Cyborg. Age: 27. His specialties include vanguard combat, his technologically enhanced limbs, and a PhD in engineering and mechanics. Basically, if you want something made, repaired or enhanced, he's your man." A video played, showing Victor holding his own against 20 armed men.
"Your next squad member is a foreigner." Adams stopped the video of Victor. "She's from Haiti. Moved to America at age 22. She's our best female fighter." A tall woman appeared on the screen. She had extremely tan skin and long, red hair. Her eyes were vibrant green and she had very defined muscles. "Koraline Anderson. Codename: Starfire. Age: 26. Her specialties include vanguard combat, short ranged weaponry and superior strength." A video played of her clearing the Navy's hardest obstacle course without so much as breaking a sweat.
"Your next one is one we were suspicious of for a while, but all background checks have proven the she is trustworthy, along with her previous experience and vigilante work. She's from Russia. Siberia, to be exact. Moved here at age 8 after family unrest led to her being smuggled out of Russia." A shorter woman appeared. She was pale, deathly pale. She had short, spiked black hair that had purple and white dye along the bangs, as well as bright blue eyes that were very enrapturing. "Rachel Roth. Codename: Raven. Age: 26. Her specialties are mostly rearguard combat. She's an explosives expert and our best sniper. She'll also serve as your team's emergency doctor, being a former surgeon." A video played of Rachel aiming down the barrel of a sniper, hitting multiple moving targets with perfect accuracy.
"And last but not least.." Adams clicked to the next slide. "He's from Africa, specifically South Africa. Parents were scientists and died when he was 8, which led him to be moved back here by a vigilante group known as the Doom Patrol." A short man appeared on the screen. He had rusty brown hair and dark green eyes. He was skinny, but he still had build. "Garfield Logan. Codename: Changeling. Age: 24. His specialties are rearguard combat. He's an expert sleuth and probably the best stealth soldier we've seen. He's not bad with a gun, but he prefers blunt weaponry such as knifes and mallets." A video showed him taking out multiple targets on a combat course with just two knives on his own.
The slideshow concluded as Adams turned to face Richard again. "So, what are your thoughts?"
Richard cleared his throat. "They seem to be the best of the best, why are you asking me to lead them?"
Adams looked Richard dead in the eye. "Because I think you're the only one who can handle them." Richard didn't have time to ask about that before a door off to the side opened. Out walked the four soldiers he had just seen on the slideshow. Only Rachel seemed to notice Richard in the room. "So, are you our new leader?" She asked in a monotonous tone. She was more condescending than she had seemed in the slideshow, and her eyes seemed to be looking right through Richard, seeing everything he had to hide.
"New?" Richard asked, confused. Adams simply waved the issue away and exited the office, leaving Richard to talk to his new squad.
Victor and Koraline were talking animatedly about nothing in particular, and still hadn't noticed Richard. The same could be said about Garfield, who was desperately trying to get Rachel's attention. "C'mon, Rae!" Garfield spoke. He had a childish voice for an adult. "I'll get you to smile eventually. You'll see!" Rachel rolled her eyes, muttered something about "Ra-chel" and let her bangs fall in front of her right eye.
Koraline seemed to finally notice Richard. "Oh, you are our new leader!" She exclaimed, rushing in front of him. Richard stood, as to be at eye level with the woman. Well, almost eye level. She was a lot taller than she seemed in the slideshow. Her voice was very cheerful, too. "It's very nice to meet you!" She shook Richard's hand exuberantly.
Victor walked up to Richard after Koraline finished her greeting. "So, you're Richard!" He said. His voice was deep and he was much less intimidating than he seemed in the slideshow. "I'm Victor, I'm the smart one." He started to point out each of the squad members. "That's Gar, he's the funny one. That's Rachel, she's the serious one. That's Kory, she's the nice one. So, which one are you?"
Richard gulped. All the eyes were on him now. "Uh," he thought for a moment. "The cool one?"
Victor waited a minute before laughing. Koraline smiled brightly while Garfield gave Richard a thumbs up. Rachel simply gave him a nod of acceptance, her face unchanging. Victor gave Richard a pat on the back. "We're gonna get along just fine!"