Prologue

It was a calm day at the Tower. Well, as calm as it ever got - Beast Boy and Cyborg were roaring taunts back and forth as they played their favorite videogames, Raven was hidden deep in her room as per usual, and Starfire was making breakfast for Robin, who was deep in thought. Star turned to him as she pulled breakfast off the stove. "You seem very concerned, friend... Is there something you wish to speak about, Robin?"

Robin looked up at the Tamaranean. "It's... Slade, Star. You saw him, he's back... He's been back... An entirely different group of villains has attacked... And he's nowhere to be seen? You'd think Slade would want to get in on a plot like that..." Robin sighed. "He's never passed up an opportunity to take over the city before..."

Beast Boy poked his head in to the room, hearing the line about Slade. "Actually, Robin... I saw one of his 'bots just after we beat the Brotherhood... but I totally scrapped it... Sorry."

"And you didn't tell me because...?"

Beast Boy hung his head. He knew exactly why he hadn't told Robin, or any of the others - because it was connected to Terra... The girl he loved... The girl who didn't remember him. And he didn't want to tell. So instead he just shook his head. "Sorry, dude... Besides, it's totally scrapped now... and it was a while back... I think he's just... taking a break, or something."

Robin's expression darkened. "More like plotting. Slade doesn't know how to take a vacation..."

Suddenly, a frustrated roar came from the direction from the living room. "AHH! I was just about to beat my high - aahhh..."

The other Titans, Raven included, came from their respective rooms to investigate... And found themselves staring into the face of evil. Or, more accurately... The face of a complete nerd.

"Greetings, Titans!" Control Freak's voice boomed through the comm channel. "I have come to extend a challenge in the name of my dark master!" Robin's eyes widened a bit in surprise as a Slade mask filled their screen... Then narrowed again in annoyance as the camera zoomed out to reveal that it was, in fact, just Control Freak wearing a mask. Not funny... For a second, I thought it really was Slade...

"Like the mask?" Control Freak's voice was high with excitement. "I got it on Ebay. You guys are never gonna believe this! They found it in a volcano, and it was under the city, and - "

Beast Boy interrupted him quickly. "Um, we believe it. Can you... ya know... Get to the point?"

"Oh, right, right." Control Freak continued nonchalantly, although he hadn't just been almost school-girl like with his arch... nemesis... es. "Challenge! Come to the Jump City Convention Center... Where today, a large event is being held! An event full of various innocent bystanders! If you do not arrive quickly, I will be forced to take..." The screen darkened, Control Freak using an easily visible flashlight to make his face glow, "drastic - " The flashlight went out, and Control Freak spent several minutes shaking it while the Titans waited, the batteries eventually charging up properly, "drastic measures!"

"Gotcha. We'll... uh, we'll be there." Robin sighed, closing the comm channel. "Alright, team, let's take care of this... C'mon, we'll take the T-Car."


Jump City convention center... a gathering point, a hot-spot one might say, for the most impressive of nerds. The most devoted to their art. The most...

"Weird, yo." Cyborg glanced around, noticing the number of people in strange costumes.

"Don't make eye contact," Raven joked. She was used to getting odd looks herself - the cloak had a tendency to draw attention - and she doubted any of the other Titans were foreign to attention either. "If you can see them, they can see you."

Beast Boy laughed, realized what he was doing, and arched an eyebrow. "Rae, were you just... funny?"

"You'll never prove it," she muttered, floating into the crowd. "Let's find Control Freak and wrap this up."

Robin nodded. "I agree, guys. Split up, and let the rest of us know when you find him."

The Titans voiced their agreement, and soon each was in his own corner of the complex. Robin spotted someone who looked like Control Freak and moved in quickly, only to run into... "Starfire?" Robin arched an eyebrow. "I thought I told you to split up... Didn't you go the other way?" He analyzed the Titan again. "Did you get... taller?"

The cosplayer realized who she was looking at, and a shreik pierced the air. "Robin? KAWAII DESU!" She latched on, and Robin struggled to get free. "Look, Star... I like you, but... this isn't the time, okay? Seriously... and why are you speaking Japanese? And why did you just call me cute? And what does 'desu' even mean, anyway? Lemme go!" He pushed away, rushing after Control Freak, but he had already lost him. "Damn..." He looked back toward the cosplayer, quickly realizing her as a fake now that he had a bit of distance. I thought Star was acting really weird... no wonder.

On the other side of the room, Control Freak was laughing maniacally. "I knew this would work! They'll never find me in time... And when my bomb goes off, I'll destroy them all! It's a shame I have to sacrifice so many fellow fans... But confusion is guaranteed at TitanCon! And now, to make my escape!"

"Yo, dawg... That's wrong on so many levels." Cyborg grinned. "First off... blowing up a convention full of nerds? Show some love, man... Second off... you're still wearin' your Slade mask. Third off... nobody gets away from the Titans!" He leapt over the couple of cosplayers in the way between him and Control Freak, making sure to make himself visible. And then he screamed, "Titans, GO!"

And they went. The entire con was up in arms, cardboard Bird-A-Rangs and bouncy-ball Starbolts flying through the chaos as the Titans tried to regroup. Control Freak had managed to use the chaos to get away from Cyborg, and it didn't look like the team was gonna make it. Control Freak looked back, letting out a harsh laugh. "Victory is mine, Titans! Sayonara!" And then he dropped, a vicious right putting him down, a pink-haired girl looking down on him. The pimply-faced lad gazed up, his eye locking on the figure of Jinx. "Where... where'd you come from?"

"Your right side, dork." Jinx leaned in, poking him in the closed eyehole present in every one of Slade's masks. She looked up at the Titans. "'Sup, guys?"

Cyborg gave her a little wave from across the crowd. "Not much."

Control Freak looked around desperately, barely aware, and pulled out a detonator. "I've still got this!"

Jinx tossed a quick kick, knocking it flying, then launched a pink energy blast that caused the detonator to fall apart completely. "Not anymore. You want me to wrap this guy up for ya, Robin?"

The Boy Wonder looked at her and nodded, surprised. "Go for it..." The cops arrived, Robin having signalled for them earlier when they arrived, knowing that with Control Freak, the case wouldn't take long. Jinx tossed the trembling young man into the back of the car and looked back at the Titans. "So, uh... guys..." Jinx gave them a strange look. "Can I maybe... Stay a while?"

Cyborg nodded. "Sure! Although... it's gonna be a tight fit in the T-Car."

Jinx shrugged. "I'll make do."