A long time ago, there was a guy named... let's go with Sirus. Sirus was a young lad, easily impressionable and brimming with ideas. Sirus had a young friend named... let's go with Shaw. Shaw was brimming with life and enthusiasm, and infrequently - thought passionately - expressed her thoughts through a magical medium known as "fanfiction"

Sirus was amazed by such a thing. Who knew you could adopt ideas and create new ones with it!? But Sirus had a very, very big problem: he didn't have any idea how to start! Sirus brainstormed for even more ideas. What was he passionate about? Why, a new show he was watching, of course!

And thus, that young lad named Sirus wrote a fanfiction about one of his favorite TV shows: The Teen Titans.

Aaaaaaaand it wasn't that good.

Phantom Shadow

First Arc of Four:

Devildom

Chapter 1: Overloaded

I gazed at the molten rock surrounding the narrow corridor, to the mountainous black crystalline double doors blocking my path, to the middle-aged man sitting down on a rock a few yards from the edge of the door. I took a step toward the gargantuan doors, only to halt myself again. Then my mind went suddenly blank. It had been such a long journey just to get here, and I couldn't nudge myself to complete that final push.

Whoever said it's the journey and not the destination? Well, screw them.

"You have doubt," he says. I turn back to the man, walking over to a molten stone across from him, sat down, and heaved a sigh.

Was that really a question? I hate it when they do that.

Again, my gaze slowly drifted across the length of the corridor and to the stone protruding from the earth in the center of the path and to the gleaming metal resting atop its rough features.

"I've had that my entire life; it's been one giant cataclysm after another." I sighed and my face fell into my hands.

"Everyone has doubt. It's a simple fact of life." I raised my head a few inches from my palms.

"Well, then why ask a question if you already know the answer?" I ask as I turn to the man and getting my first good look at him for the first time.

He had the looks of a man that made you second-guess yourself about his age, but roughly about his thiries to fourties. He had a sharp, pointed nose etched into his features that matched his cheekbones, though they were developing a sunken look to them. His black eyebrows completed the crop of midnight black hair was atop his head, matching my own; the mess it was kept in proving he had seen better days. He had the collar of his red and black robe turned up just like the bad guys in the 1960's film noir movies. But I doubted that this man was about to attach some cement shoes to Buggsy when I saw the crucifix necklace around his neck. There was also a pair of black medieval style boots on his feet and a pair of matching black gloves. Hung around his neck was a silver-white coif that was kept down, revealing a small cross earing on his left lobe. In all observations, he resembled a monk, with a little creepy Goth thrown into the mix.

"That wasn't a question."

Damn, at least my question was answered.

"I guess... I'm just... trying to remember why I'm hear." I said. "And don't respond with any of that philosophical crap." A ghost of a smile crossed his lips.

"As you wish then, but my point is still valid."

"Well I'm sorry Ezekiel, my mind is gone."

A confused look replaced the one on his face. I sweatdropped. "Err, just ignore that last comment." He nodded at me and heaved a sigh.

Crap. Here comes a speech.

"When a person has faced trials and tribulations in his or her life, it's man's nature to stand where they are and reflect on what they have done, or proceed unquestionedly forward. Driven by the curiosity imprinted into my soul, I indeed proceeded forward. But at the end of the road, I looked back and saw the chance to help others, whether it be in life or death. It was then I sacrificed my very existence." The man tilted his head to the side slightly. "I myself have faced obstacles in the past, but I made a choice to remain here, though I had the opportunity to do something much greater with my life. I'm here because I choose to be." For a brief moment, I saw longing and regret in his eyes. "There... have been several times... when I have wondered if I made the right choice when I decided to remain here, but I made the choice... and I can't go back."

I smirked slightly. "And now here we both are, trapped between the sins of time and our own choices." My head perked up with a start. "I think I know why I came here."

"Can you tell me?"

"Feh, sure why not," I once again looked at the titanic doors. "I came here to protect. Protect the ones I care about."

"A noble cause."

"Indeed it is..." I said my voice drifting off into the black void of the catacombs of my mind and that of the rocky and barren tunnel. The man noticed my change in demeanor.

"Is there a person in general for which you came here?"

"I though I told you to cut the philosophical cr–"

"A person who you are willing to give your life to protect is no small feat, something I am sad to say is lacking here." I stared opened-mouthed at him for a second, still pondering his words. It wasn't something that I haven't heard before. Why do people keep lecturing other people on this!? It's irritating!

Bah, he was still right, though.

"It's true, but I think it's true for you, too, if you are who I think you are" I said, followed by a smirk from the man.

" Yes, once upon a time, I had a love. But, are the ones you are trying to protect your only reason you are here?"

"Can you stop being right about everything?" At this statement he let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark.

"I am sorry. One of my greatest assets is to listen, even to what is not being spoken." He said, letting off another small chuckle. "But why do wish to begin helping your friends here?"

Now it was my turn to laugh. "Begin? Oh, no no no no no. This certainly is not where it started." My head drifted upward to the black abyss above my head, listening to the waning roars and shrieks of the levels above me. The sounds sent a shiver down the back of my neck. That feeling, along with the screams, was a something I wish I wasn't used to.

"It most certainly didn't start with me, but I sure intend for it to end with me..."

It was over. At long last, it was over. The weary Titans, beaten, battered and bruised, made their way slowly down Jump City's main street. But the benefits of having all of the Brotherhood of evil in cryogenic stasis and saving the empire of anime in the east was worth it. They all walked down the main street, enjoying the fresh air of the summer day. Starfire took a deep breath.

"It is a beautiful day!" She said, spinning on the spot, her arms wide. The rest of them smiled, even Raven managed to crack a smirk. They had only recently gotten back from Paris last month, sparing a few minutes to capture Dr. Light and throw him in jail. There is still no rest for the weary; the Titans soon hauled their carcasses to Japan to stop Brushogun, who after all had been trying to help them. But it was time to at least try to have a littler R&R.

"It sure is Star." Robin said to her, taking her hand in his own. Starfire returned the gesture. Beastboy and Cyborg only rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, now can we please just get back to the tower, I haven't had this much gunk in my systems since Beastboy was inside me." Cyborg said, slapping said green elf on the back. He fell forward but caught himself.

"Dude! I saved your life!" Beast Boy pouted, giving Cyborg a poke in his titanium chest. He batted his hand away.

"Yo, man! I don't want any more of you on me or in me, grass stain, so don't touch my perfect image."

"Heh, perfect image? I've seen trash cans better dressed." Cyborg's eyes just about popped out of their socket and servo.

"Okay grass stain, now you're going to get it!" He tackled Beast Boy to the ground. The pair rolled around on the pavement and hard earth, kicking up dust. The victor soon turned out to be Cyborg. "Booyah! I told you not to mess with me grass stain!"

THUMP

"Huh?" Cyborg spoke. He then saw himself staring into the eyes of the werebeast from when Beast Boy was poisoned; he just gripped the sides of Cyborg with a meaty, clawed hand.

"Oh boy." Was his only words as he was tossed like a rag doll into a nearby alley. He collided into the wall with a 'thud' and fell down into the apartment's garbage pick-up site, spilling one of the can's contents. He gave a small groan as he picked himself up, only to stumble on one of the cans.

"See, I told you ya can't tell the difference!" Cyborg gave him the evil eye. Some would believe that Robin would admonish them for their childishness, or Starfire try to do her best to get the two to stop wrestling, but the moment was actually broken by a small chuckle from Raven.

"At least you're getting a little better." Beast Boy only starred, but only a moment too long. Cyborg had gathered himself and was ready for round two.

"Grrrr, why you little–" He dived at him, giving a battle cry like a madman. "AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!"

"DUUUUDE! Beast Boy screamed at the tin man in terror. But he didn't get too far; just a mere foot away from his target, Cyborg was surrounded in a cloak of black energy.

"Awww, man, Raven. Why do you have to spoil the fun?" Cyborg whined to the demoness. She directed a hand of telepathic energy at the mess on the side of the street. The mess from the recent disturbance slowly made itself back into their respective cans and bags.

"Because I can. Now don't make me put the two of you into a corner." She let Cyborg fall to the pavement and continued on her path to her home. The remaining four stared for a moment before they kicked themselves out of their stupor. Now it was Starfire's turn to chip in her two cents into the conversation. She sighed and said, "I believe it is time to go home." And then she floated off down the evening sun. The remaining three nodded and followed her down the barren street.

"You have some very peculiar friends." The man said as I took a breath.

"You have no idea." I replied. The man let off a slight smile, seemingly taking off a few years to his old and edged face.

"Can you tell me what happened next?" He was startled slightly when it was my turn to let out a bark-like laugh.

"There's no need to be so civilized here, I'll tell you. Just give me a little time." I settled back down onto the rock. "Their home, in fact, lies within the San Francisco Bay. They had so much excitement within the past month, they really wanted to just have time to relax."

"They just wanted a normal day?"

"Indeed they did, and they earned it. But no one can ever have everything they want."

It truly was a normal day for the Titan's. Beast Boy and Cyborg were now fighting and laughing about another video game they picked up before they returned to the tower, Raven was reading another horror story from Edger Allen Poe, Robin was playing the game, and Starfire had a confused look on her face. She had just recently developed a habit from Beast Boy to tilt her head to one side or another whenever she felt this way. Several years had passed since her first contact to Earth and she had made excellent progress of assimilating to Terran culture. Her four friends "pitching in" for the majority of her help. She always did have trouble with emotions and so called 'smack talk' to the villains of Jump City.

'Emotions... yes they are still a very fickle thing to me." She said, recalling her adventures on the hostile alien world. They had proceeded to an Earthern communications satellite to help fix a malfunction. She still remembered those words Robin spoke: "She's not my girlfriend!" and, "Give me space!" There was also her experience in the caves she had with Robin. The moments of dread, panic, fear, and finally hope. To another girl, those next words may have been a feeling of pity, but every time she thought of that moment, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest and the temperature rising in her face. Phrases that she heard for this where 'smitten' or 'pierced by cupid's arrow' Robin could tell her what they meant after he was finished with the game that she asked him to play. She always thought that dancing was a very interesting recreational activity and just couldn't help but smiling at the scene unfolding before her. It was a feat in itself that she convinced Robin to play one of her games.

The lady named Cassidy at the front desk of the video store said that the Dance Dance Revolution Universe was a fairly good game to play. She made an inquiry as to why there were two dances in the title. She didn't respond at first and she followed her gaze. She saw other Earthlings where similar outfits before, so she didn't see anything wrong with a purple pair of cut off shorts to match her boots, the same green hat from her transformation, and a denim jacket along with a handkerchief around her neck.

"Hello? I must inquire why there are two of the dances in the title of game videos?" She still didn't get a respond. Cassidy finally shook off her thoughts of the girl's clothing. "I'm sorry, Miss..."

"Starfire."

"Yes, that'll be 41.99. (ALRIGHT! So I'm making up a few things as I go.)" Cassidy said, in awe that one of the Titans was in her shop.

"Yes, here," she pulled out two twenties and a ten and handed them to the lady.

"I am informed that I should say 'keep the change'," Star said. The other teenager put the game into a bag and handed Star her receipt. She took the bag in her hands and pulled into flight. Cassidy still stared at Starfire. Star suddenly felt her face turning crimson, another habit she got whenever someone stared at her. She flew through the door and the teen finally looked away, then taking a double-take at the flying red head's shorts showing Winnie the Pooh saying 'Buzz off'.

"...she need's to get the hell out of that tower more.

Star had some trouble understanding the instructions that the game gave her so she went to her most reliable source of information, which was, again, Robin. She scoured the tower in search for him and eventually found him in the common room flipping through the channels

"Robin? May I ask for your assistance?" She chirped when she found him. "Sure Star, what is it?" Robin said as he put down the remote. "I wish to participate in this form of recreation," She spoke, holding up Dance Dance Revolution Universe for him to see. "But I do not understand its concepts of play. Can you show me?" She asked innocently. She quickly tried to put on the 'puppy face' that Beast Boy makes always used to try to make Raven crack a smile. She foretold that Robin may not help her due to embarrassment and something Cyborg calls 'nacho' or something. Robin greatly valued him pride and on occasion it made him 'pig-headed'. She tried out the innocent routine and waited for its results.

"Well... uh... Star... I could... but..." Star just stared curiously at the Boy Wonder. She tilled her head to the side in order to look more cute. Robin flushed at the antic. "What is wrong Robin? You will not show me? I desire help in order to play."

"C'mon Robin," Cyborg teased. "Show us how to play!" Starfire looked from Cyborg to Robin, as the color of his face was turning more and more like her hair.

"Guys, Star," he nodded toward her. He was wringing his hands together behind his back and the redness was creeping up to his mask. "Please, there is no way that I can even dance."

"But you where doing the proverbial 'grooving' at the Soto's warehouse when my sister Blackfire came to Earth to run from the law

"Yes Robin, lets see you get your grove on or whatever you say," Everyone turned their heads to this statement. It wasn't Beast Boy or Cyborg, it was Raven. Robin pouted, "Not you to..."

"Sorry Robin, majority rules."

Now Star didn't know which was redder.

Robin was staring at the floor, hoping to curl up and die rather than start dancing in front of his friends. With shaking hands, he reached out to take ahold of the game in his hands. Starfire giggled with glee and tore off the plastic. The next ten minutes where now Robin's most spiteful times of his life. The EyeToy catching all of his movements and some radical movements of the other male Titans mocking him behind his back. The Boy Wonder got passed a few plateaus and then stepped away from the game.

"ALRIGHT! He shouted at the two immature teens. They reduced their mocking laughter to a low chuckle. Robin was seething slightly and blushing plenty more. He thrust a shaking finger towards their direction, "You two..." he said. "And you..." he pointed to Star, "You all will..." His hand was shaking so bad that he lowered it and his face to the floor. "I'll be in the gym." He spoke and he made a slow trudge to the double doors.

"AH HAAAAA Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" The boys laughed at the top of their lungs, Raven just smirked, and Starfire just stared on at the retreating form. She slowly levitated off of the plush couch and left the room through the door.

She followed Robin's muscular frame down the darkened hallway. She increased her speed in order to catch up to him and put a delicate hand on his shoulder.

"Robin..." she said gently. He gave a small sigh.

"Star, I just-" RRRIII RRRIII RRRIII! blared the alarm throughout the halls of the building. Robin turned to her again, his fearless demeanor returned, "Lets go." And started a dash back to the common room. Starfire soon followed suit.

Cyborg turned his head as Robin burst through the door. "What's the alert?!" There was no answer from Cyborg's frozen face. Then, "It's impossible man. Overload is back, but we put him on ice back in Paris with the rest of the Brotherhood." He got up and fully faced Robin. How could he'd've gotten out?: It's impossible with all the security measures that we put up at that place!" Robin held up his hand

"Cyborg, calm down. He got out somehow, but we'll have to get him back again. We'll just have to check the security there again. Where was last seen headed?"

"Give you two guesses were he was last." Robin couldn't help but give a small smirk.

"Alright. Sun and uranium."

"Last one right on the mark."

'Titans! Lets move!" Everyone dashed to the doors to a fairly sized alcove on the left wall. Cyborg pointed out long ago about the frustratingly common disturbances that sprang up while the Titans were trying to enjoy their peace and quiet. He then came up with the idea of an inertia-dampening elevator to reach the bottom floor. Its unique design allowed the elevator to siphon off some of the effects of a free falling drop, giving them precious time. Each microcircuit was specially designed by Cyborg himself, with a little help of Robin's former mentors' never-ending checkbook. The doors opened up with a swish to allow the Titans access to the lower garage. The titanium doors opened up to reveal the sun's wrath of a bright summer day. Robin gave a small flip in the air and onto his motorcycle, making sure his helmet fits snugly onto his head. Cyborg gave his arm a twitch and a set of keys flew out of his forearm and into his palm. He jumped into the drivers seat and the car roared to life. Beast Boy morphed his body into a raven and with a beat of his wings, soared out the door with the two female Titans at his side. His feathered head peered about to scan for the other two Titans. A streak of red and blue burst from the Tower and down the narrow cement path.

"Cyborg, bring up the bridge!"

"Alright man!" He flipped a switch on the dashboard. Ahead of the two, a bridge rose from the depths of the bay that spanned to the mainland. There was an underground passageway 50 yards away from the garage that led right under the bay. They used the tunnel as a standard way to get across the bay, but they raised the bridge in emergency cases. Tire tracks blazed across the bridge and to the other side, three Titans following onwards as well.

Jump City is one of the most bustling manufacturing and industrial centers of in the country. Enormous factories and warehouses pumped out the next generation technology used in almost everyone's home. The Southern districts were almost entirely devoted to these factories.

The Eastern districts used up most of the coastlines for storage and the fishing enterprises. Some of the sea food delicacies can be found at these areas and can fetch a substantial price for many restaurants and anglers. Warehouses in these parts can be seen stocked full of fish, waiting to be packaged up to who knows where. Other corporations either bought or leased the rights for some of the warehouses to store their surplus.

The Southeast district is the urban slums of the city. Rundown apartments dot the zone in a few places along with impoverished stores. There was a very high unemployment rate and numerous homeless. The Titans were the symbol of the city, they were frequently disliked and booed out of the area after their job is finished. People here generally felt the resentment at them because they felt neglected by the rest of society.

The district in the North was the residential and recreational part of the city. Most of the apartment complexes stood around 15 stories tall, the tallest and most extravagant being the SkyLark Hotel and Suites. At 55 stories tall, it contained pools on five different levels, the largest being on the ground floor; to appease kids and nerds of all ages, the 54th floor contained an extensive electronic center and an arcade (Hell yeah. Brackets may become common from now on to explain more of the story because I'm pathetic and hopeless), a food court below it along with a small market plaza; and an artistic and gymnastic center a floor below that, and there's still many other. But this is only one of the many leisure activities that a person can partake in. The four parks are a family favorite when they need to relax.

The Last district in the West is the construction and mining center of Jump City. It's where 21 of the cities profit comes from. Quantities of diamonds and other valuable mineral ores, combined with its other resources, makes this city the 6th richest in the country. But in order to power all of the buildings and manufacturing, the governor set aside land to build to power plants 19 miles apart from each other. The first was a giant solar collector plant, but not just any plant. This plant used a set of three synchronized satellites to collect and store solar energy and converted it to an energy beam to be set back to a solar collector grid on the Earth. Each satellite was positioned in orbit so that energy could be directed down, even while it's night. The other power plant was an underground nuclear reactor. The core was encased in a natural lead ore deposit, reinforced by steel walls and girders. It's considered the safest nuclear plant in the world, but not at the moment...

Robin's bike rocketed down the streets of the barren desert, his friends closely by his side. Only one thought was racing through his mind, 'Why?'. All of the villains that the Brain recruited were still cryofrozen. The thought gave him an idea. He tapped at a few of the controls on R-Cycle's dashboard and a miniature LCD screen rose up.

'Idiot, should have done this first' he though. There was only static at first before the screen fizzled into existence. At the other end of the line was a middle aged man sitting behind a dark mahogany desk with stacks of papers littered everywhere. The man looked up from one of the documents he had been pondering over.

"What can I do for you, Robin?" Mayor Robinson jovially inquired in surprise.

"Do you know of the situation at the power plant?"

"I've been getting reports just a few minutes–"

"Good, I don't see how this is possible. I need you to check with the French authorities and see if the containment on the cryoprison has been breached in anyway, any suspicious activity whatsoever." The Mayor leaned back in his overly ergonomically friendly chair.

"It's already been done Robin." The Boy Wonder smiled. "Don't know what I'd do without you, Mayor."

"Well, here's hoping that we don't find out anytime soon. You got some work to do."

"Over and Out." The screen crackled before going blank and slid back into its proper compartment. He looked upward toward the barren highway, seeing some of the security towers of the nearby power plant.

"UUGHHH!" Grunted one of the security guards as he flew toward one of the walls in an electrical torrent. Two guards stared at their fallen comrade before trying to return fire with their laser rifles, but to no avail; the tiny tyrant created an electrical field that repelled the discharges.

"RAAUUGHH!" Came an electronical roar from the microchip behemoth. Overload flung his electromagnetic limbs forward.

ZZZZTT! A lightning cascade flew across the room in an arc and crashed into the remaining guards, knocking them into a rough unconsciousness. The monstrosity made a lurching walk into the room he was just momentarily delayed from entering. Inside was an Enterprise's worth of computers and other electronic gadgetry.

Overload made his way over to one of the terminals. Electricity arced from his being and into the terminal, corroding pathways and frying motherboards with surgical precision. Worming him way through the circuitry, he disabled the safety precautions. Back up security protocols emerged, preventing further access. The system, about to lock down, soon let in the visitor. After all, the visitor said that it was scheduled for a system check.

He looked up through the large plexiglass window and into the adjoining room. Strobe lights and sirens were going off in the massive room, massive pistons opening the semi truck sized sliding doors. A feminine mechanical voice echoed throughout the massive dome:

CAUTION TO ALL PERSONAL. CLEAR THE IMMEDIATE AREA. OPENING NUCLEAR CONTROL ROD BLAST DOORS. REPEAT, CLEAR THE IMMEDIATE AREA.

In a few moments, the scuttle revealing the Uranium control rods below. The microchip then supercharged his body, and surged forward, effectively phasing his way through the plexiglass wall and into the dome. More electrical components fried as he wormed his way through more electronics and firewalls. He then arced downward into the wide shaft and into the underground pit. The electromagnetic entity reformatted himself inside the reactor containment dome and then gazed about. The entire pit was roughly fifty feet in diameter, accompanying large steel catwalks branched across the cylindrical room that attached to large steel cranes and two monitoring stations. In the center of the room was an Olympic sized swimming pool with a large structure in the center.

Overload moved his form forward to one of the nearest control panels. Hot electrical energy curved from his body and into the circuitry, again rewriting security protocols.

Kur-Chunk!

Whirrr!

The large scaffold-ish structure rose from the pool, the control rods gaining heat as they meet the sterile air of the plant. Overload faltered only moments at the sight, his tiny, computer mind revering in the thought of the fallout to come; everything within at least 120 miles would be contaminated by radiation. The wind could assist in spreading the particles, so millions could suffer radiation poisoning. It would be a blow that America would never forget. His body was completely inorganic, immune to all ill effects.

He shook himself out of his daydream and set up another focused charge at the reactor core rods; all he had to do was create a surge of power, the rods will proceed back down, the security will fail to stop it, and then heat would skyrocket and melt the rods and the core will ignite. This was too easy.

"TITANS, GO"

Overload turned around, only to see the city's 5 protectors swarming in on him from all angles in the shaft; an emerald and auburn jet, a perigon falcon. A plume of demonic energy, the thunderous sonic energy of Cyborg, and the revered Boy Wonder swinging down on a grappling hook. All the Titans came down on him with an equal space between them, leaving no physical means of escape.

Plan B was in effect. He began to charge his body with energy in order to flow back up the shaft and trough the conduits. Raven sensed his tactic, and with smooth motion of her arm, she sent out a pulse of energy from herself, severing all the wires and electrical circuits.

Okay, now Plan C was in effect. His sub-sentience forced him to respond at eye blink speed and set an equally powerful burst of energy at the heroes, sending them flying off in every direction. Seizing this chance, he redirected the excess energy into the control rods, corroding them.

WARNING: POWER BUILD-UP IN CORE APPROACHING CRITICAL. BREACH IMMANENT.

"NO!" Robin shouted as he got off the floor. The entire system was under repair, so the overrides were more-or-less deactivated. He reached toward his utility belt and took ahold of one of the explosive disks, and with a well aimed throw, the disk implanted itself in the few inches of dry concrete above the pool.

BOOOM!

The disk let loose its destructive force and launched a large slab of concrete into the air, which happened to have Overload on it.

"Cyborg! We'll see if we can prevent this from going off, the rest of you, secure him!"

His team responded without another word. Cyborg hurried over to where the rods took a beating.

"Man, the rods are almost welded to the cylinders, the compensators are shocked, and the bleed-off vents to redirect excess power away from the core have been fused shut; he really did a number on this–"

"Never mind that, can you fix it!?"

"I can try. But I don't know. It takes a massive amount of energy to do what he just did, I don't know how he ever had this much power and precision."

"Never mind that now. We'll have to do our best, I'll see what I can do in the command center," Robin jerked a thumb in the direction of the shattered windows. "And see if I can get those doors closed."

Their eyes met and Cyborg nodded, understanding what that meant. Distracted by Overload, they would never be able to get out in time if the reactor goes into meltdown.

"Do what you can, man."

As soon as the order was given, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy all took to the air in their various ways. But gravity was taking effect too soon; the concrete slab was plummeting back to the ground. Starfire acted quick, wrenching one of the steel conduits from the side of the cylindrical pit. Raven phased herself and Beast Boy shrunk to a hummingbird as Star tightened her grip on the pole and swung it around her in a circle and it connected on the side of the slab, crushing it on impact.

The force of the blow jolted Overload enough to send him flying off the slab and onto the upper floor. Just as he got to his feet, his three opponents were almost on top of him. Acting quickly, he jumped into the air and let loose a maelstrom of power, connecting with Starfire, who was unable to dodge the attack. Beastboy acted quickly, morphing into a squid. He wrapped a tentacle around one of the conduits to keep his balance and grabbed Star before she could fly off in some random direction.

Raven took advantage of the small opening.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

Other conduits that Beast Boy had not grappled onto were wrenched from the side of the wall and rocketed toward the air, enveloping Overload inside a cocoon of steel and wiring. Arms glowing with the midnight black energy, she brought her arms together, squeezing the lump of metal like an empty soda can.

Starfire had recovered from the blast and now aimed for the crushed ball, cocking back a fist to swing at Overload with all her Tameranian might. Just before she reached her target, she suddenly came to a halt, a look of confusion on her face, as she was still trying to get to Overload. The hairs on Beast Boy's neck were slowly raising, suddenly realizing what was about to come.

"Star! Get Away!" But she was too late.

Time seemed to slow down. Overload had magnetized the metal, creating a super dense magnetic field which the alien could not penetrate. He then focused all his energy in one final push, the pipes and conduits straining under all the strain. Beast Boy's increased vision allowed him to watch in horror as Star could not get away in time as the pent up energy found an escape and shrapnel found flew in all directions, impaling everything in sight. While unable to escape the concussion, Starfire managed to recover in time to charge her energies into her optic blasts. The metal vaporized under her gave, much to her relief. A stray particle grazed her cheek, enough to cause a slight wince but she gained her composure. She darted past the remaining debris and her fist now connected to Overload once more. Beast Boy's gave a small sigh of relief and redirected his attention to Raven... who ceased to move as debris came flying her direction.

"RAVEN, MOVE!" He bellowed as he reared up on his haunches and leaped toward Raven with all his might.

Raven did not obey the command. She just levitated, the same dazed look on her face, seeing something beyond the floors that the others could not see. A shadow fell over her small figure, but she still payed no attention to it. A particularly large chunk of debris was propelled toward her. Another shadow came into her vision, but she still payed it no mind. Beast Boy had transformed into a cheetah to take of the ground, then turning into a gorilla as he wrapped a burly arm around her waist. The hunk of metal just grazed his hairy back. Newton's laws kicked in and he sank to the cold metal deck of the platform.

Time normalized. Beast Boy returned to his original form and knelt by Raven's side, who was beginning to snap out of her trance. There was a loud crash behind him but he ignored it for the moment, trusting Starfire to be well and able to hold Overload off for a few moments. Concern crossed his mind; Overload was dishing out much more punishment then usual. But he had to make sure that his comrade was alright.

Raven propped herself up on her elbow, clutching her head and shaking off the last effects of whatever took ahold of her.

"Raven wha–" Beast Boy started, but stopped himself.

"I–I don't know. Something just... something's different. I don't know what happened."

She got to her feet and cleared her head, the phenomenon gone. Beast Boy still looked concerned, but he let it go for now, they had more pressing matters to deal with.

SWISH

THUMP!

Robin's boots hit the ground, retracted him grappling hook, and he bolted toward the command tower. He took a quick glance toward him right and saw the ensuing battle. He looked back at the tower; his team could take care of themselves well enough. He reached the base and fired the grappling hook around the top rung of the ladder.

CRACK!

"Son of a -!"

The zip line reached the top and he jumped up onto a small platform, stumbling slightly. He rubbed his knee cap where it connected with one of the ladder rungs. He hobbled across the few feet of the platform, shaking off the last ebbs of pain. Instead of going through the door and chancing that it way lead to somewhere else, he lessened the slack on the grappling hook and-

CRASH!

Flung it into the window that Overload hadn't broken, creating enough room to leap through. Robin surveyed the damage: Many of the computer controls were completely fried. He strolled over to one of the still working monitors and searched to see what he could find.

Crrrrk - "How is it?"

Cyborg's voice crackled over the Titan communicators. His finger strayed to one of the buttons on the device, activating him end of the intercom.

"Not good, most of the system's fried. But it looks like he didn't attempt to short circuit the emergency close. He didn't expect us to be aware of his presence, thinking that he was looked up in France. But I still think that the auto-close is still operational. How are things on your end?

"I'm making progress, like you said, he didn't expect us to rain in on his parade. I'm trying to remodulate the components in my sonic cannon to help."

"Can you shut it down?"

"...I think so, but no guarantees."

Robin didn't reply at first, the rumbling down below and the steady 'tac tac' of his gloved hands on the keyboard fading into the background. There was only one other option.

"Do what you can," was the order.

There was no reply. None was needed.

Flash!

And the remaining three Titans flew back once more. And the three groggily got right back on their feet, their opponent blazing like a light-blue star. He flexed his arms, gaining still more power, but mostly to intimidate his opponents. The air was alive with current, metal rattled and hairs were raised.

"RAUUGGHH!"

His mighty aura flickered for a brief second as he charged his energies up for one more attack. Beast Boy leapt into action at this small opening. He morphed into a woolly mammoth and stampeded toward his attacker. He lowered his head toward the side and swung as hard as he could. Overload flew backwards like a bullet, but not before he unleashed his attack.

He let off a torrent of energy at Beast Boy, strong enough to reverse his form's massive momentum. He let off a roar through his trunk as he has lifted off his feet and blasted right back toward his teammates. Raven was quick to act, throwing up a shield just in time to prevent herself and the still dazed Starfire from being crushed. The strain on her body was immense, but she managed to lift Beast Boy's form above and over the two, just before her mind dipped into blackness...

The pain of colliding with Raven's shield was equally immense, enough for him to revert back to human form. He landed on the cold, metal floor and rolled to a stop into one of the computer stations. And boy, did he hurt, everywhere. He detected a soft glow behind his lids and his eyes bolted open. He saw Overload leap into the air and land a few feet away. He scrambled to his feet, almost. Just as he propped himself up, pain burst through his mind and he flopped back toward the hard floor. His arm was broken.

Overload gathered his energy, attacking the Titan now in his weakened state. Beast Boy's eyes leveled off the ground and came to the small, red chip that was Overload. Pain was still racing through his mind. Just great, a concussion to add to a broken arm. It isn't helping that Overload kept on getting brighter and brighter as well. He attempted to focus his mind, preparing for one last attack, maybe to buy enough time to regroup with the others. That's when too many things happened at once.

There was a streak of black with some blue and Beast Boy's heart leapt at the sight of Raven... or someone else. Raven usually moves by levitation, but this person had just apparently jumped at Overload from behind him. The stranger's leap made a long, quick arc at Overload. The villain was astonished and surprised, his attack forgotten. The stranger reached for his hip and pulled out a katana with his right hand. He finally came down and made a downward slash through the air with his blade. Overload had only a microsecond to react, but still well within his computerized mind's capabilities. He redirected his attack upward, deflecting the stranger's attack. The stranger bounced off the shield and flipped backwards through the air, landing safely between the fallen hero and the semi-upright/hunchbacked villain.

"Who-who are you, you're not -" But he had no time to finish his sentence. The stranger once again leapt into the air, but this time it was a beeline toward's Overload, the katana now in both hands. Overload analyzed his opponent's attack, the katana held at his right, but the blade pointing toward his left, guarding himself. There was a second katana sheathed at his left hip, but he left that one alone for now. But his elbow was directed at his side, prepared to grab the blade in a moment's notice. Whoever he was, the stranger at least knew a little about what he was doing. And the hardened stare in his eyes told him he wasn't going to back down without a fight.

Overload put one foot behind him to brace himself and also jumped toward his opponent, energy crackling in his hands. The stranger suddenly changed his attack pattern in midair to a two-armed thrust, and Overload responded by preparing to attack right down the center. This stranger wasn't too smart, forgetting that metal conducts electricity. Just before they connected, the stranger changed his attack again, sort of. He lifted the hilt into the air and plunged the blade into the steel floor and pole-vaulted into the air over his head. Overload halted and brought his head up, hearing the scrape of steel. The stranger unsheathed his other sword.

'Pathetic human.' Overload thought. His body was made of electromagnetic currents, he would still be electrified. He deliberately was slow in turning around to protect himself. The stranger landed and brought his sword in a strong, horizontal arc, and still didn't halt his attack. He saw the hardness in his eyes again, two ice blue orbs glaring at him with unwavering tenacity. Concern floated through Overload's mind too late. As the sword connected with his side, a sensation that he considered to be pain flowed through his tiny mind.

"AAARRGHH!"

He finally launched the barrage of energy in his hand at the stranger with fury. Again, the stranger seemingly bounced off the very air itself, and he saw why: the stranger was cloaked in energy. At first, it resembled the hybrid girl's power. But it had a few subtle differences. His power had small ripples of red and purple bonded within the black. It wasn't quite the solid energy that Raven had, it seemingly danced with the very air itself, flowing outward from his very being. His sword was saturated with energy, explaining why he was unharmed by his body. He leapt backwards, avoiding another hasty swipe. He gave him a teasing smile, getting back into sword stance. His ice chips for eyes still not leaving Overload's 'face.'

"Pathetic, huh?" The stranger taunted in a baritone voice, the same sickening smile strewn across his face. Overload blanched, if he were human that is. The stranger gave a small chuckle and broke stance. Slowly, very slowly strolling over to Overload.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with." He taunted again, his sword loosely held in his right hand, scraping the cool metal surface. He started to sway from side to side, the sword now off the ground.

Playtime was over. It's on now. Instead of attacking him directly, he directed is attack into the metallic floor. Beast Boy screamed in agony. Paying so much attention to the newcomer and the ensuing battle, he didn't have enough time to escape before the floor become alive with current. Fortunately, the stranger acted quick. He leaped into the air above Overload. Again, he charged the energy into his hand and pushed himself against the air, being upside down in midair. Overload was having trouble following his movements. This guy wasn't as quick as Kid Flash, but he was fast. He was on the ground one second, the next he was right in his face. For just a moment, he was only smiling at him, the next, the sword was arcing at him in a downward/vertical arc. Overload arced backwards, having no time to prepare an attack. The golden hilt just barely missed him, then the blade arced past him.

The stranger came out of his messed up/gravity defining somersault, landing on the ground, sort of. A platform of energy formed four inches off the ground beneath his feet at the last second; solid, but still flickered like smoke in the wind. He yanked Beast Boy off the ground, screaming one last time as his arm was jolted, sending more pain to his groggy brain.

"Sorry man, hold on for one second." He said. Overload had just caught up with his movements, sort of. He was rising from his half crouch at Beast Boy's side, energy now flowing out of him in a torrent. He turned his head to the side, his taunting smile gone, now replaced with a look of unending determination across his face. Fear crossed his computerized mind, unable to break contact with those cold, blue eyes. He took both hands and gripped the hilt of his katana. He moved at superhuman speed, gracefully moving in a zig-zag motion. Overload was still paralyzed at the cold glare he received. The stranger was soon right in his face, and then vanished, leaving only the fallen hero in his gaze. He slowly saw that the world was turning on its side. Overload let it, the realization of what happened still not registering. He looked down, and then it did. His torso was separated from the rest of his form and was now lying on the floor, a ghostly haze still flickering at the clean slash that was made at his waistline. His energy was seemingly gone and drained from him, passing through his body just as the katana had. His visual processors, starving for energy, were slowly fading into blackness. The stranger collected his other sword, and in a flash of blue light, was gone.

'Damn.'

A S.W.A.T. team ran down a wide corridor in a standard two-by-two cover formation. They soon came up to a large pair of security doors and stopped.

"Ouvrir les portes." One of the men said to another. The second man nodded, pulled out a key card from under his uniform, and slid it down a scanner. The electronic eye took a few seconds to register, and the red eye turned green.

"Accès biométrique de sécurité actuelle." Droned the computer. The second man removed his glove and placed his palm on a security pad that presented itself from the wall. The remaining two lifted their visors and stepped up to a pair of electronic eyes. Each of the men had their retinas scanned with a tiny blue light and stepped away as the security doors gave a metallic groan, and lifted to give access to the four men. They looked upward, past the newly repaired ceiling and to the several rows of frozen criminals. Awe struck each of the men simultaneously.

"Ce qui dans le monde?"

Beast Boy opened his eyes to his four comrades, then bolted upward, only to be forced back down.

"Stay still, you suffered some serious injuries." Raven stated in her usual calm voice. She was working on repairing his arm, her hands in a blue glow. He turned his head toward Robin.

"What about the reactor?"

Robin smiled and shook is head. "It's been taken care of, don't worry."

Cyborg gave his huge, comical grin, "Well all right!" Raven gave him an irritated glare and stood up, "That should do it for now, but it might still be tender for a while."

Beast Boy got off his back, sat, and surveyed the damage. A team of engineers could be seen at the command tower assessing the damage. There was another team of men, the security detail, that was carting off Overload in a hazmat container, taking all precautions that he couldn't absorb any more energy. Robin saw him look around.

"I'd say Beast Boy, you really did a number on Overload. And the computer terminals here only suffered minimal damage."

He didn't respond at first. "That's just it, I didn't stop him. Someone else was here." At this, Robin's face became serious.

"Did you see who it was?" He shook his head.

"No. He moved too fast. All I saw of whoever it was black and blue clothing."

Breaking the conversation, Robin's communicator gave a noise, signaling an incoming message. He pulled it out and flipped it open, four pairs of eyes now on him. On the other half of the screen was the Mayor.

"Yes mayor, what is it?"

"I just got word. Shutting down the reactor and stopping Overload, I'd say you fulfilled today's quota."

Robin tried to at least give a small smirk, "I'm afraid we can only take credit for the former. It appears we had help putting a stop to Overload."

"Well, I'd like to personally congratulate this helpful citizen."

Robin glanced at Beast Boy, who shrugged. "I believe you will have to wait until another time, mayor. Whoever it was, they appear to have left as soon as Overload was taken care of. Then security personnel on the road to here apparently didn't catch him either."

Mayor Robinson sighed, "Well, I guess I have no choice on that matter. The city still owes you a debt of gratitude anyway, Robin. Until next time." And the screen went black.

"You're sure?"

Beast Boy nodded, "No doubt, someone else was here."

Starfire was the one to break the silenced that followed, "I suggest that we head back to the tower." Robin waited one last second, analyzing the damage.

"All right, let's move out." The remaining Titans followed the orders, save for Starfire. She stood behind Robin for a moment, then walked up behind him and placed her arms around his shoulders.

"There is no more need to worry Robin. Everything is all right."

Robin placed a hand on her arms, "I'm not really worried Star, just... curious." He turned to look at her emerald eyes. "That is allowed, isn't it?"

Starfire smiled and tightened her arms into a hug and let go.

"I believe it is."

Time to sleep... all nighter... ... ...