Disclaimer: H doesn't own the Teen Titans or any characters copy-written by DC Comics. This includes Superboy, although H has twisted and changed parts of Suberboy's past.

Warning: The following story may contain scenes that have mild language, suggestive dialogue, intense situations, and a surplus of textual violence. The story will also contain frequently shifting points of view; this may cause problems for the motion sick or the dyslectic. Anyone who is too young to or does not wish to read such a story should leave now. Also, in Teen Titans continuity, this takes place before season 4, but a sufficient time after season 3, and yes, it will be taking a much different path. For the rest of you normal and non-Communist people, have fun.

Project One: Devil-May-Care

The Seed of Conflict, Session One

The wind tugged at my cape, air rushing past me at a rate fast enough to compare to my pulse. The wheels of my vehicle tugged at the ground beneath, gripping onto it, trying to push it back only to be denied and propelled forward in a joint effort between the tires and the very earth itself. I was rushing along the earth with wings of the air soaring about my cape. It was an exhilarating feeling, only adding to the excitement from the imminent confrontation with the criminals. The blood rushed through my veins and my heart beat quickly as if a fire was burning deep within it, setting all of my limbs ablaze with nervous and excited flames of anticipation for the coming conflict. I approached a turn, and took it, speeding towards the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. A few feet off the road to my right was more of the bay. The water that surrounded half of the city was present here as well and the mist came up onto shore and cooled my tense body. I was soon witness to the screech of my own brakes as I un-mounted my R-Cycle. I pulled off my helmet and set it with the machine, then I stood in silence; waited for the rest of the Titans to converge on my point.

My wait was not a long one as a large green crow landed beside me followed closely by an alien girl, followed closely by a speeding T-Car. It rushed up at us and as it grew dangerously close it showed no sign of slowing down...

"Uh, Cyborg's gonna stop." Beast Boy reasurred the nervous... namely himself.

The T-Car drew closer.

"Right?"

Closer.

"R-Right? CYBORG STOP!"

SCREEECH!

...only to stop on a dime a few feet in front of us. A cloaked hero along with a mechanical half man stepped out.

The changed crow stated with aggravation obvious in his tone, "Dude! What the hell were you thinking you big dumb hunk of scrap metal! If you had any balls left I'd kick them!"

Cyborg just looked at the changeling with a blank stare, "What're bitchin' about?"

"You nearly ran us over, numb nuts, that's what I'm bitchin' about!" Beast Boy yelled.

"Hey! The T-Car isn't just a regular car, it's my car, my baby, you shouldn't worry about it." Cyborg responded to Beast Boy.

"Boys…" Raven droned.

"Please, do not fight! We are here to subdue the intruders and reassure the peace back into undisturbance."

"What?"

"BB, she means kick the bad guys butts and restore order. Duh."

"Oh, I knew that!"

"Boys… and aliens."

"Quiet." I stated with a slight air of authority while squinting behind my eyemask, and the bickering stopped, albeit begrudgingly.

I walked forward a step and gazed at the warehouse, then turned around and addressed the other Titans. "Does everyone know what they're doing?"

"Cyborg, Beast Boy and I are moving in through the west entrance." Raven answered.

"Then we take out any hostile enemies and secure any stray metantrium." Cyborg added.

"Then, you and I shall come into the house of ware by way of the front entrance, also looking for the metantrium and kicking the butt of the villains." Starfire recited in my direction.

"Good, and remember, if anyone needs help, call out for the backup." I replied.

"Oh dude!" the changeling giggled, "It is so cool having backup! Hey! Robin you should call him and be like, 'Gah help, a tentacle monster has Star and I've taken eight bullets!' And while he's freaking out and going to you guys, we'll call and be like 'OMGuuush! We're being eaten alive by Canadians! Help!' And he won't have any damn clue what to do! Ha ha!"

Raven, Cyborg and I were glaring daggers at the shape shifter.

"Please, what is this monster of tentacles? It sounds most amusing!" the alien girl said bouncily.

Beast Boy snickered under his breath. I gave him a Boy Wondrous smack upside the head.

"Good job Beast Boy, you've inadvertently made Starfire sound like a whore again!" Raven exclaimed.

Cyborg laughed, Beast Boy snickerd, Starfire began asking about what she had done, Raven was on the verge of breaking her calm.

Man, we were out of it.

"Titans!" I roared, "Can we please just act professional! I know the beat has been easy lately but this is serious! Now, lets move!" I commanded as everyone left besides Starfire. She and I approached the front entrance masked in silence. I paused.

"What is it Robin?" the fiery girl asked curiously, green eyes peering at me.

"I better make sure we do have our backup." I said cautiously, whipping out my communicator.

S-S-S-S

I sat down on the rooftop, my back resting against an A/C unit. I let out an excited and nervous sigh. Sure I had busted up crime before. But that was just small stuff from my tiny hometown. Ever sense I came here the to the 'big city' its been missing any real action. From my position I glanced down at the city that stretched out wide in front of me. I saw Robin on the R-Cycle coming up quick, and my alien and shape shifting teammates flying to the rendezvous from their distant position in the evening sky. I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming breath. I opened them again and looked at my costume.

I have no idea were it came from! Clark just gave it to me before he threw me in with these psychos! It had red, fingerless gloves that came up to my elbows. There it met blue that traveled the rest of the way up my arms to my shoulders and then enveloped my lower torso down to my waist. My upper torso, being my shoulders, my collar bone and my neck were the same red as my gloves, just like my legs and boots were. And, of course, in the center of my chest were red met blue was that unmistakable symbol. I don't see why I had to wear it, I could have done just as well with another alias! But no, of course I have to wear the same dumb old-

"Superboy!" Robin's voice crackled through my communicator. "Superboy, we're ready, are you in position?"

My hands darted to my belt as I pulled out the communicator and responded, "Yep, I'm up on the roof and bored out of my mind. How're all you jerks down there doing?" I asked with a slightly sour tone.

Starfire and I are about to enter the building, the others have most likely done so already. I just wanted to make sure that you were ready in case one team bites off more than it can chew. Though I hope we don't have to use you so soon into your Titan career." Robin responded.

"Yeah, well that's the difference between you and me Robin. I will be sincerely piss mad if I don't get to throw some punches tonight! I've been here for a week and a half now and all I've done has been weight train and run that damnable thing you say is an obstacle course." I complained.

"Oh, don't worry Superboy, I'm sure you'll have your hands full soon enough. Remember, be prepared to respond to our calls! Robin out!"

"Sure thing Robin, Superboy out." I sighed.

Man, I just hated being called Superboy.

R-R-R-R

I was in back. It was the logical position considering my powers. Following that logical ideal was the rest of my team. Cyborg was at the head, for reasons obvious. Beast Boy was between the two of us, he would provide the secondary blow to the hostilities we would surely meet in this dimly lit stereotypical battleground. Cyborg was looking at a screen on his arm.

"Scans for metantrium are showing large amounts ahead, but… they're moving."

"Moving?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I can't quite make it out, there are about three large groups moving erratically around an area consisting of a few rooms."

"Maybe they're having a big metalmanzium orgy or something?"

"Shut up Beast Boy." Cyborg and I reflexively responded.

"Wha- oh so you two are both working against me now?"

"Beast Boy, please be silent, the element of surprise is something we should hold in high value." I said.

"Yea, what she said, plus you're just really annoying and I want you to shut up." the titanium Titan smirked at his green friend.

"Cy, I can't believe you're taking Raven's side!" the shape shifter complained to his comrade.

The android's glance and mine met each other, we wickeded wickedly.

"Uh, Cy? Raven? I don't like that look on your faces. Hey, Whu-"

Cyborg grabbed the changeling's arms as I prepared a black magic gag for his mouth.

R-R-R-R

Clink, clink, clink

The steady monotone of my boots meeting the cement floors echoed throughout our section of the humongous warehouse. Starfire floated just behind my person. She was a little close for comfort, human comfort that is. Needless to say that after the long time she's been with the Titans, I had gotten used to her 'odd social graces' by now.

"Hmm," Starfire started, "Robin? Why is it that we are always doing battle in one of the houses of ware?"

I stopped my walking down the long, dark section of building, "Starfire. Y'know, I don't know."

I had never noticed that before... huh, leave it to an alien.

We resumed our walking, not long later I was watching my communicator. It was showing me the same thing that Cyborg had seen earlier, although I was unaware of that fact.

"Robin, please, wh-what manner of trespassers are we going to be dealing with tonight?" Starfire inquired, an after taste of nervousness was evident in her voice.

"Don't know Starfire, I'm willing to bet it's a gang though."

"Why are you willing to gamble that Robin?"

"Well Starfire, metantrium is often used in bom-"

"Freeze!"

I twirled around to the source of the voice, wielding two bird-a-rangs in front of me. Starfire was facing them, hands and eyes aglow with green might.

The three or four figures in the dark let out a collective sigh. "Oh, it's just you Titans." said the voice. They stepped into the light so we could see them… security guards.

"You," I addressed the leader, "what happened here?"

"A-an ambush! We had nearly twenty guards when they attacked. Gang thugs a-and a few supervillains I think! We responded as best we could but we were out numbered and out gunned! Three of our men were downed in the initial strike, some of our m-men should be spread about the warehouse, but I have no idea as to how many."

Starfire's fair features set themselves into a detrimined scowl, and I'm suer my own scowl deepened into something relatively demonic.

Supervillains, great just what we needed to see. Looks like the rookie will get his wish tonight.

S-S-S-S

From my vantage point atop the warehouse, the watery stretches of the bay flowed gently in the evening sun, glinting and sloshing about in a quite, tranquil sight. A gentle breeze graced my body with its coolness as the sun approached the horizon. The distant honk of horns and general urban life reached my ears in a phantom-like, disorienting, hypnotic fashion. The whole surreal scene was meant for a postcard. It was the kind of place that you always saw on TV; the final scene before the credits where the main character and their significant other for the season would hold and romanticize one another.

Talk about gay.

I paced back and forth, bored out of my skull. I began to wish I had brought my cd player, or maybe a deck of cards to pass the time. Of course, I didn't really have playing cards, hell I couldn't even play solitaire, but the tedious act of doing nothing had worn me beyond my last shred of patience. I needed something to do. I glanced around the rooftop. An a/c unit or two, some roof, and some more roof.

"Great." I moaned. I glanced down at the rocks by the bay. A grin of hope played across my lips. My head swiveled about looking for a sign of anyone looking. None were found. With a smirk my gaze returned to the shore.

VO-VOOSH

I stood at the same place I had a half-second before, with an armful of rocks. I set them down on the roof beneath me, and picked up a flat, smooth one. Turning to the glossy, shining bay I flicked my wrist. The stone traveled through the air like a miniature frisbee for a few moments before it hit the water and began skipping. I counted. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve… fourteen. I snorted, unimpressed. I bent down and rummaged around the rocks for a second or two before returning with a similar stone. I concentrated ever so slightly on my wrist and fingers, looked out at the dazzling, reflective bay. "Take this you-you big, stinking, wet… bay!" and I flicked my wrist again and the stone darted like a bullet towards the water and began to skip in a rapid fashion into the amber distance of the sunset. Still I counted. Nine, ten… fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… twenty three, twenty four… thirty, exactly. Or at least that's how many I counted before it went beyond my sight.

Too bad Clark isn't here, he could've kept track of that thing till it reached Belgium. They don't call him super for nothing, although I think it's gone to his head…

As I fell out of my thoughts I glanced down at the communicator on my belt. My brow furrowed as if glaring at it would somehow make Robin or the others call for help. Of course, it didn't, but that didn't stop me from trying. I was Superman's cousin after all.

And so, the epic staring contest between the communicator and I started.

With a sigh I rummaged around for another flat, smooth stone.

?-?-?-?

FLASH

"HA!" I yelled as I sent a blast of my power at another gang thug, sending him sprawling. As I turned my gaze I saw that creepy guy with a spider for a head and the even creepier biker thug taking on a few left over guards. The two were needed for… grunt purposes.

I just wish they had better hygiene.

My head pivoted once again and I saw my good old friend plowing some more gang thugs over with his massive brawn. I didn't bother to look for our other member, he would be in some dark corner waiting to steal what we came here for instead of straight up fighting for it. As long as he got the job done, I really didn't care how he got it. I turned my back as my three other teammates let out a large battle cry and demolished the last group of unfortunate soldiers.

Boys…

I glanced out the window. The sunset looked gorgeous reflecting off the bay. As I took our chunk of metantrium out of its satchel I smirked, "The money we make off you is going to be even more gorgeous, little one."

It was then that it caught my eye. The tiniest of disturbances. Something… on the water.

"Fang and Rancid found another group with some of the stuff, they already went to take it, but I don't trust them to get the job done on their own, we need to go." A gruff voice came from behind me. I ignored it for the moment.

I squinted, what was that, on the water?

My eyes widened in realization and I clenched my fist.

"Hope you're feeling frisky." my soft voice enunciated, "The Titans are here."

His teeth gritted and his eyes narrowed dangerously. A quiet growl formed in his throat, "Where are they?"

"One of them is on the roof of this building, I'm not sure which one, but it's probably the little green one. Go take care of him, I'll help the testosterone twins and make sure they don't get killed."

"Why would he be up on the roof though?" my loyal friend questioned. What a simple, lovable oaf.

"Probably as a surprise, backup maybe. Now hurry, before the Titans make their entrance to the fight and flush us and them out, and the goods along with it." My velvet voice purred strictly.

Only that green fool would be dumb enough to skip rocks so that someone might see them.

"Of coarse." The big oaf said with a nod of his head as he went on his way to the roof.

I grinned. There wasn't much in the world of villains besides money, fighting, and plotting. But, that oaf wasn't only useful and loyal, he was almost like a little br…

Wait, can't take time to think those thoughts, Rancid and Fang are probably half dead by now. I swear they're next to useless. I might as well have hired Dr. Light.

I turned towards the doorway, shot power into my boots and sprinted into the fray with unnatural speed.

FLASH!

STCHIIII!