The calm day in Jump City came to an end. The sun was setting. The once bright day began its transformation into a night illuminated only by colors of black and orange that could be seen beneath the dark clouds that began to descend.
…
Inside Titans Tower, home of now legendary young heroes, alarms began to sound. All the rooms in the T-shaped tower were illuminated in black and red lights that blinked on and off with each blare.
The Tower and its rooms were empty. For its inhabitants had already left, moving fast across the water toward the city that resided under a now completely cloud-covered sky.
…
Slade, dressed as always in his commando suit and orange and black mask, strode to the edge of the rooftop.
From the tallest building in the city, he looked down upon two of his creations presiding on the rooftops below; large, black globe-shaped machines that rested upon an equally dark rectangular base. The control consoles attached to the devices had many button and lights, but no clear identifying symbols or features regarding its use or purpose.
Lightning struck and Slade looked into the sky. His visible eye narrowed as lightning struck again. Far away, on a distant rooftop, he saw five silhouettes.
Slade nodded to himself. It seems the time has finally come.
The large man slowly backed up into the shadows as his commandos fanned out onto the surrounding buildings.
…
The thunderstorm was loud, drowning out almost all sound. What sound could be heard was only audible between the loud bursts of thunder that occurred following the bright flashes of white lightning.
The commandos aimed their blasters at the five silhouettes.
Lightning flashed again and the silhouettes were gone.
The commandos didn't move.
Thunder rumbled again followed by silence.
The group of commandos on one of the roofs nearest to the unidentified intruders turned, forming a circle.
As lightning flashed again, only two words could be heard over the storm.
"Titans, go!"
Two yellow and black discs descended from above, exploding and engulfing the commandos in smoke.
The commandos turned, looking around for further threats.
A silver staff flew from the smoke, swiping the legs out from under two of the nine commandos and sending them to the ground face-first. Two more commandos went down a second later. The other commandos formed a circle and fired their blasters as the smoke began to clear.
With a whoosh, the commando's adversary flipped to the outside of the circle, swiping at the robots. The staff knocked aside one of the blasters, causing it's shot to go into a nearby commando.
As the commando with the blaster turned, the staff swiped once again, aiming the blaster over the commando's shoulder as the weapon went off, causing yet another robot to go down. The commando holding the blaster barely had time to process what happened before the staff brought it to the ground as well.
The remaining two commandos raised their weapons at the young man holding the silver staff. The young man's free hand flashed and two red birdarangs flew forward and sliced the blasters in half before the young man jumped and kicked out with both legs, sending the commandos off the roof.
…
With a small spin of his weapon, Robin retracted the staff and looked around him at the surrounding buildings. "Slade!" he called.
…
On an adjoining rooftop, more of Slade's robotic commandos looked at the young leader of the Teen Titans on the roof below.
In unison, they raised their blasters and aimed downward.
Lightning flashed again and the commandos turned toward the cry of a bird.
Far above, a green hawk began to descend. The lightning flashed again and the bird turned into a green and black striped tiger.
The tiger roared, tackling a commando to the ground before transforming into a large T-Rex that began to spin its tail, clearing the roof within seconds.
…
Beast Boy resumed his human form and looked around. "Huh… That was easy."
Suddenly, the commandos jumped through the windows of surrounding buildings and landed on Beast Boy's roof, leveling their weapons.
Beast Boy let out a small, surprised squeal.
The commandos started to pull the triggers on their collective blasters.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
The shots were blocked by a shield of black magic.
Seconds later, the black barrier shifted and wrapped itself around the surrounding rain for a moment before funneling and shooting the contained liquid outward in a jet of water that blew everyone, including Beast Boy, over the roof's edge.
Beast Boy quickly turned into an octopus, using his tentacles to latch onto the side of the building and pull himself back up.
Beast Boy resumed his human form and shook his head. "Dude! That was close!"
"Your welcome," Raven said dryly as she slowly lowered herself from the air and onto the roof.
Before Beast Boy could reply, a set of laser blasts pinged off the roof around them as more commandos fired from above.
Raven quickly put up a small shield around herself as Beast Boy turned into a fly, hoping to dodge the increasing laser blasts.
A set of green orbs shot through the clouds and exploded along the side of the building that the commandos occupied. As lightning flashed again, there was a flash of pink, purple, and red. The blur of color flew into the building as long rays of light flew from the blur's tip, blowing away what was left of the robot forces.
…
Starfire flew out the other side of the building as her eyes turned from a bright green to their normal shade. "My friends! You are unharmed?"
"Thanks!" Beast Boy replied, holding up a thumb. He looked at Raven. "See? That's how you save the da—"
"Starfire, look out!" Raven shouted.
Starfire turned and yelped, diving low to avoid a black and orange dropship that was shaped like an 'S'. As Beast Boy turned into a hare to dodge more blasts and Raven put up another shield, a blue, circular light appeared on a rooftop far above.
Starfire looked at the source as lightning flashed one last time, illuminating silver and blue as the light descended from the rooftop. The blue light touched the dropship, causing a large explosion. The ship crashed on the rooftop in front of Raven and Beast Boy as a wave of smoke emanated from the wreckage.
Out of the smoke walked a tall man made of metal and flesh.
…
"Booya," Cyborg said smugly with a small smile as the end of his right arm reverted from a sonic cannon into a hand. He looked around. "Where's Robin?"
A yellow line shot above them, hooking onto the roof's railing. A second later, Robin flipped up onto the roof and landed in front of his team as the group formed a 'V' with the young Titan at the point.
…
Slade moved out of the shadows of the tallest building in the city. Finally.
…
When there's trouble, you know who to call…
TEEN TITANS!
From their tower, they can see it all…
TEEN TITANS!
When there's evil on the attack,
you can rest knowing they got your back.
'Cause when the world need heroes on patrol…
TEEN TITANS GO!
With their superpowers, they unite…
TEEN TITANS!
Never met a villain that they liked…
TEEN TITANS!
They've got the bad guys on the run.
They never stop 'till the job gets done.
'Cause when the world is losin' all control…
TEEN TITANS GO!
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!
GO!
TEEN TITANS!
…
"This doesn't change anything. If I ever see you again—"
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
– Robin and Slade. Season 4: Episode 12 "The End – Part II."
…
"TITANS DUSK"
The Titans looked around for further threats.
After a few seconds of silence, Beast Boy let out a breath of relief. "Whew. Looks like that's all of them. Slade must be running out of—"
"Pleeaase stop talking," Raven pleaded quietly.
The rain around them stopped, leaving the surrounding area completely silent.
"This is just the beginning," Robin said, scanning the other rooftops. "Slade's never given up this easily. Why would he start now?"
"Don't forget," Cyborg said. "We still don't know why Slade himself sent us the location."
"I too agree," Starfire said. "This makes me feel… uneasy."
Raven turned and looked around.
"Raven?" Robin asked. "What's wrong?"
Raven turned back to the team. "I don't know… I sense—"
There was a series of loud beeps and a couple of parallel rooftops below them lit up, revealing two machines.
Cyborg raised his right arm and scanned the devices.
"Any idea what those are supposed to be?" Beast Boy asked, pointing.
"Not a clue," Cyborg answered, turning to Robin. "My scanner can't make heads or tails."
"We have to get a closer look," Robin decided, turning to his team. "Raven, Cyborg. See what you can do about the machines. Beast Boy, Starfire, keep them covered."
"What are you going to do?" Cyborg asked.
Robin turned toward the large, suited figure standing above them on the tallest building in the city. "I'm going to keep a promise."
As the Titans separated, Robin raised his grapple gun again, using it to leap onto the building to meet Slade.
"Robin," Slade said, his hands clasped behind his back. "I feared that you had forgotten about our last meeting."
"You know how this is going to end," Robin replied, cracking his knuckles. "You're going to jail."
Slade grunted. "I must say, I was hoping for something a little more… original."
Robin let out a battle cry and leapt into the air, aiming a kick at Slade's head.
…
Cyborg landed on one of the parallel rooftops containing a machine, firing his sonic cannon and blowing two robotic commandos off the roof.
Raven landed on the other rooftop, using her powers to deflect laser blasts back to their sources as three commandos fell. She turned to her own machine. "This looks… complicated."
"Ya think?" Cyborg exclaimed looking at the screen, buttons, and wiring on and around the device. "I don't even know how I would take this thing apart, let alone figure out what it is."
Above them, multiple dropships containing more commandos swooped down.
…
Robin unleashed a flurry of punches that Slade easily blocked.
Slade spun around in a low kick that Robin dodged flawlessly. Slade's second, follow-up kick hit its mark on Robin's chest, moving the young Titan back a step. As Slade started forward, Robin slid below a punch and used the momentum to flank his enemy. Slade spun around again to backhand Robin but only succeeded in hitting air.
"Your skills have improved," Slade commented, standing tall. "I'm proud to say I've had a part in that."
"What are you planning, Slade?" Robin demanded, unwilling to play Slade's mind games. "And where have you been since Trigon. Why surface now?"
"All plans will be revealed in good time," Slade replied, slowly circling the young Titan. "As for your other two questions, it's amazing how easy it is to plan while the only heroes that pose a potential threat are dealing with a collection of disorganized criminals with no real endgame aside from destroying their enemies and taking over the world."
"You used the Brotherhood of Evil as a distraction," Robin said, starting to circle as well. "You've been planning this since you got your body back."
"I've been planning this longer than you can possibly imagine," Slade answered. "And yes, I knew from the beginning that the Brotherhood of Evil would fall."
Robin leapt forward again with a series of punches and kicks.
Slade barely moved, merely choosing to block skillfully as he continued speaking. "Even if the Brotherhood of Evil succeeded in defeating your precious team, they would have soon met their demise from within. When villains run out of heroes to fight, they turn on each other."
"You would know," Robin replied, executing a series of kicks that Slade was barely able to dodge. "You've never had much luck with apprentices or alliances yourself. Even after all has been said and done, you still have no legacy."
Slade dodged another punch and grunted, unleashing a fury of blows.
…
Starfire landed on another dropship and shot green rays from her eyes, demolishing all the commandos on board. Growling, she grabbed a control panel and yanked it out of its socket, tossing the large piece of metal into a second dropship.
…
Beast Boy jumped into the air and transformed into a kangaroo, kicking the driver of the dropship he was currently fighting on. The driver flew into a control panel, causing a large spark of electricity as the ship proceeded to fall straight down into the roof of a building.
Beast Boy turned into a snail as the dropship hit the roof and he used his shell to bounce safely to the ground.
…
Robin leaned back as Slade attempted to land another punch.
Slade followed up his attack with a downward kick. Robin spun out of the way before placing one leg on Slade's knee. Robin pushed off with the planted leg and kicked out with the other. Slade blocked the blow with his palm, pushed Robin back, and ran forward, swinging his right arm.
Robin ducked under the blow, swinging with his left, then right fists. The blows hit their marks, colliding with Slade's mask. Robin jumped into the air and lashed out with a spin-kick, sending the large man flying backwards.
Slade hit the ground and back-rolled to his feet before reaching into his belt and grabbing a staff that he quickly extended. The long, black weapon was tipped with a metal, orange 'S'.
Robin took out his own silver staff and extended it.
"I must admit, Robin," Slade said, holding the staff at his side. "You truly have become great adversary. Without my… consistent guidance, I feared that you would remain inferior."
"Try su-perior," Robin said, moving forward.
"Not yet, Robin," Slade said calmly, moving forward again. "Not yet."
There was a loud clang as the staffs connected.
…
Cyborg grunted in anger. "Nothing! Not one part of this makes sense. I can't even find the 'on' button."
"I'd rather find the 'off' button," Raven said from the other rooftop. "But this feels… strange."
"What kind of 'strange'?" Cyborg asked.
"Yeah," Beast Boy chimed in through their Communicators. "Your 'strange' and 'normal' are a tad bit different than ours."
Raven ignored the comment.
Starfire landed behind Cyborg to blast another commando. "This is getting tiresome," she said irritably. "Why has Slade brought such an army?"
Suddenly, both the machines started to whir and beep.
…
Robin grunted as Slade's staff connected with his left ribcage before the young Titan was kicked off his feet.
Robin rolled back quickly as the 'S' on the end of Slade's staff collided with the roof a fraction of a second later.
Slade took a step back, flourishing his staff.
Robin eyed the large man suspiciously before rushing forward and unleashing a flurry of blows as he called out to his teammates. "Titans, status."
"These things just activated!" Cyborg answered frantically. "I still don't know how to shut them down."
Robin ducked under another blow from Slade.
"Same thing here," Raven added. "Slade's commandos are…"
"What?" Robin asked, locking his staff with Slade's, creating a cross with the weapons.
"They're running?" Beast Boy said skeptically. He then spoke with excitement. "They're running!"
"Now is not the time for…" Robin grunted as he pushed Slade back. "Jokes, Beast Boy."
"It is not a joke," Starfire said in awe. "They are… leaving."
"What?" Robin asked again, tilting his head.
Slade seized the momentary distraction and charged forward, swinging his staff and hooking end of Robin's own staff in the metal 'S'. Robin grunted in surprise as Slade twisted both weapons, breaking the Titan's staff in half.
Slade lashed out with a foot and kicked Robin backward and into the railing of the roof.
"Still too easily distracted," Slade commented as Robin slowly stood. The commando grunted. "Distracted by your pride. Distracted by your… friends."
"No…" Robin said as he reached behind his belt and grabbed one of his mini-staffs with his left hand. "I fight for my friends. And I'm not a slave to you either… not now… not ever!"
"Really?" Slade admonished. "The mask that I had planted in your tower seemed to make you exactly that."
"That wasn't real," Robin argued.
"No," Slade admitted. "But that didn't stop you from believing what you saw that stormy night."
"I saw a desperate criminal playing the last card he had," Robin grunted as he stood tall. "I. Am not. Your. Slave."
Slade's eye narrowed as he swung his staff. "You will always be enslaved to me!"
Robin used his mini-staff to block the blow before side-stepping away from the edge of the roof.
"You have come every time that I've called!" Slade continued, swinging yet again.
"Every time I've threatened your precious city!"
Swing. Clang.
"Every time I've threatened your worthless friends!"
Clang.
"I have brought you to me time…"
Clang.
Robin's Communicator fell to the ground as took a step back.
"And time…"
Clang.
Slade moved forward.
"And time again!"
Clang. Clang. Clang. Robin's mini-staff cracked slightly under the mighty blows and he pivoted again, spinning to meet Slade in the middle of the roof.
"You are enslaved to my will!" Slade said loudly as the wind picked up. With each word he swung again. "I. Will. Always. Be. Your. Master!"
"No!" Robin shouted.
Robin brought his mini-staff around, intentionally hooking it into the metal 'S' on Slade's staff. Robin tugged the weapons toward him before quickly swinging down with his broken staff.
Slade's own weapon cracked in half on impact.
Robin spun and lashed out with his mini-staff. Slade stepped back to dodge the blow. Robin spun once again, this time swinging his broken staff at Slade's head. Slade took another step back to dodge but was unprepared when Robin flipped the weapon and extended the second half.
Robin's now full-length staff connected with Slade's helmet, throwing his mortal enemy off his feet and toward the far edge of the roof.
…
"Robin!" Starfire called again. "Robin, why do you not answer me?"
"His Communicator seems to be down…" Cyborg said, glancing at his arm. "Again."
Beast Boy exchanged glances with Raven before he turned into a hawk and started to fly above the buildings. He squawked in surprise before landing next to Cyborg.
"Uh, guys?" Beast Boy asked, pointing into the sky. "That's not supposed to happen, is it?"
As the four Titans looked up, they saw that the large clouds in the sky had begun to separate, forming a full, half-mile wide circular void. The new hole in the sky revealed…
"Nothing?" Starfire said with her eyes wide. "No stars? No clouds? Even on Tamaran, this has never been seen."
"This doesn't make any sense," Cyborg confirmed. He looked over at Raven, who was staring intently at the void in the sky. "Ray, you okay?"
"Something's wrong…" Raven said cryptically.
…
Robin grabbed his Communicator and strode forward as Slade grunted again and rose to a knee.
"Why are you here," Robin asked again. "What's your plan?"
Slade slowly stood. "You have proven that your abilities have improved in every aspect," he said, ignoring Robin's question. "But it won't help you. Not this time."
"You're stalling," Robin said, standing over Slade. "You've never gone down this easily. And even if you did, you would have run by now. What is your plan, Slade?"
Slade looked above Robin at the sky as he spoke. "Robin, dear boy, you are about to find out."
…
"Woah!" Cyborg said as both the machines sent two beams of white light into the void above.
"That's new…" Beast Boy commented.
"That's bad," Raven corrected dryly.
Starfire didn't say a word.
…
Robin turned as the void in the sky turned to a bright white before fading and the empty hole was replaced by stars. Beyond the perimeter of the void, the clouds from the recent storm remained.
Robin turned again to find that Slade had disappeared. Running to the edge of the roof, Robin spotted his foe on the street below. After a grunt of frustration, Robin looked at the sky again. He turned away from Slade and once again ran to the other end of the roof.
Robin grappled onto the railing and jumped over the edge, using the rope to guide him safely down to his friends. He was immediately greeted with a hug from Starfire. Robin quickly returned the hug.
"Where's Slade?" Cyborg asked.
"We'll have to deal with him later," Robin replied. He looked at the sky. "What is this?"
"Whatever it is, it's not like anything I've ever seen," Cyborg said.
"Raven?" Robin asked.
Before Raven could answer, a series of green and red lights filled the starry void.
After a moment of observation, the heroes realized that the lights were attached to a large red and brown spacecraft. The ship was mostly circular, with three spikes on either side, two spikes surrounding the back, glowing red thrusters, and two spikes stretching out in front of the ship.
The cylindrical center of the ship led to a circular control center located on the front end of the spacecraft. The control center also contained three spikes along its perimeter. On the bottom was a large set of circular doors. Surrounding the doors were four large black and red turrets.
"That's not a void…" Robin said.
"It's a portal!" Cyborg completed.
They fell silent as the command ship's doors opened and multiple rectangular dropships of black and green descended through the portal. The blueish-green scaled aliens on the dropships supported yellow and black armor, red eyes, yellow fins and wings, as well as long, three-pronged spears. The center prongs of the spears lit up red as they spotted the young Titans below.
Beast Boy's jaw dropped. "Please tell me those aren't…"
"Aww man!" Cyborg exclaimed. "You gotta be kidding me!"
"Gordanians!" Robin shouted.
"Greeeaaat…" Raven said sarcastically.
Starfire flew up to the nearest dropship as the five Gordanians on board turned to her.
"Titans, get ready!" Robin said, pulling out his staff again.
"Excuse me," Starfire called. "I am sorry that we have opened up a portal into your home without asking permission but— Ahh!"
Starfire flew low to dodge several blue blasts from the Gordanian's weapons and shot off a few starbolts before rejoining the team and looking to Robin.
Robin hesitated only a moment before turning to his team. "Raven, Cyborg, Shut those portals down by any means necessary. Beast Boy, Starfire, and I will keep these guys busy."
They all ducked as one of dropships flew in low and fired at them. Raven put up a shield, protecting them from the blast as the dropship flew below the building.
"So…" Beast Boy said to Robin as Raven lowered the shield and Starfire took off after one of the dropships. "It seems they like us about as much now as they did the night we all met."
Robin glared at Beast Boy.
"Right," Beast Boy said with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "Bye."
As Beast Boy turned into a crow and took off, Robin ran to the edge of the roof and jumped, landing on the dropship that was passing below.
…
Miles away, Slade walked through the front door of the flash-freeze prison that had recently been built in Jump City.
The villain ignored the unconscious or groaning policemen dressed in their usual armored black and silver uniforms and helmets. Their incapacitation, along with the Titans inability to lend immediate assistance, left the prison completely unguarded.
As Slade reached the center of the compound, he entered a large room with a high ceiling. All along the blue walls were the standing and lying forms of sworn enemies of the Teen Titans.
Some, Slade knew by name. Others, he had never bothered to learn. All were still in the same position they had been frozen in since the final battle between the Brotherhood of Evil and the Teen Titans.
In the center of the room was a large glass container. Slade held his hands behind his back as his robot commandos started placing criminals from the walls inside the container. When they were finished, Slade's commandos all marched to his side and turned to him.
"Do it," Slade ordered.
One of the commandos walked to a nearby console and started turning knobs, flipping switches, and hitting buttons. As the doors to the container slid down, the lights inside became bright and a white mist began to form.
Ten seconds later, it was over.
Slade watched as the doors to the container slid open and mist spilled into the room, surrounding Slade and his commandos. A few seconds later, dozens of criminals ran out of the mist. Some were cheering. Some were silent. All were plotting vengeance against the Teen Titans and the world.
Slade remained where he was as the criminals flooded out of the prison. He knew, due to the portals keeping the Titans at bay, that most of the men, women, robots, and otherwise that he'd just freed would escape.
Although most criminals gave Slade a wide birth as they passed by, there were two who instantly moved to stand by his side.
As the mist finally cleared, Slade gazed at the surrounding walls and the four criminals still flash-frozen in place.
"I do not suffer the presence of those who are only interested in simple-minded world domination," Slade said to prisoners. He glanced at the flash-frozen form of General Immortus. "Nor do I give my time to those who give up so easily after a small disagreement in tactics regarding a plan years in the making."
As the prison was left empty, the power gave out, leaving The Brain, Monsieur Mallah, Madame Rouge, and General Immortus frozen and alone in the dark.
…
Robin jumped and kicked one of the last four Gordanians off the dropship before ducking behind a nearby chair for cover.
…
Cyborg gave his machine a blast from his sonic cannon before banging its still undented surface with a fist. "Any luck on your end?" he called to Raven.
"No," Raven answered as she tried to hack into the device.
"I just don't get how this thing keeps giving me attitude," Cyborg complained. "With all the electronics and wiring it should be pretty simple. It's like it's made of—"
"Magic!" Raven said with a gasp. She looked at the portal above. "Slade's been planning this since my father resurrected him. He must have used some of the powers he'd been given to figure how portals work and built the machines."
"It doesn't matter what it's made of," Robin said as he landed next to Cyborg followed by an unconscious Gordanian. Robin smashed a fist into his own palm. "We need it destroyed, now!"
Raven looked at the machine for a moment and raised a hand. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."
All at once, the screws, bolts, wires, and nails became outlined with black energy and popped off the machine. Raven threw the bits and pieces aside before easily removing a spherical metal plate, revealing a red, blue, orange, and black ball that was pulsing with energy.
"Starfire!" Raven called as the Tamaranian kicked a Gordanian off a now empty dropship.
Raven grabbed the portal generator's core with her magic and threw it high into the air. Starfire flew back as her eyes lit up, sending a ray of green light into the still vibrating core.
The following blast was enormous and would have obliterated the rooftop had Raven not contained the blast within a sphere of black energy.
"Nice job, ladies!" Cyborg exclaimed as Raven released the hold.
Suddenly, through the portal above, the Gordanian command ship fired down at them using its four turrets.
Raven reacted quickly, putting up another large shield over the two rooftops. However, this left her unable to take apart the second portal generator.
Cyborg returned his gaze the remaining machine.
Unable to reach the safety of Raven's shield, Beast Boy flew above them as a hummingbird, dodging more blasts from the remaining dropship and the turrets. Starfire started to swerve in midair, firing starbolts through the portal.
Cyborg punched the machine with his fist in vain. "I can't break into this thing without Raven's help!"
"Everything can be broken," Robin argued. "How much would it take?"
"The power and impact needed would be enough to blow the roof and the top three floors!" Cyborg answered.
Raven grunted and fell to a knee as her shield was hit with a large barrage of blasts from the command ship.
"Is the building clear of civilians?" Robin asked.
Cyborg looked at his arm before answering. "Yes."
"Hurry…" Raven grunted, extending more power to her shield.
Starfire flew overhead again, throwing another few starbolts at the command ship as Beast Boy continued to fly around the final Gordanian dropship.
Starfire dodged another blast in midair. "I fear we cannot destroy the machine of portal-making without first stopping the commanding ship from firing through the portal."
Robin thought for a moment and took out three explosive discs, holding them in between his fingers.
Cyborg smiled slightly and turned his right arm into a sonic cannon.
Robin looked at the portal above. "Raven, lower the shield!"
Raven let out a breath and released the shield.
Cyborg immediately aimed his sonic cannon at the portal. "Sonic—"
"Boom!" Robin said as he threw the discs into the portal.
The ascendance of the discs was aided by Raven's magic, guiding them through the portal and directly into the path of Cyborg's sonic blast.
The resulting explosion did little to make the large Gordanian command ship retreat, but it successfully disabled the four turrets.
…
"Cy, Robin, Raven!" Beast Boy called from above as he landed on a nearby rooftop. "Heads up!"
Beast Boy turned into a small bat and flew high above the remaining dropship that Starfire was keeping at bay with her starbolts. As he neared the portal, Beast Boy morphed again, turning into a large whale and started freefalling down to the dropship.
Just before Beast Boy impacted with the dropship, Raven used her magic to create a small buffer underneath the large, green whale. The buffer held as the whale hit the dropship at full speed, driving it straight down into the portal generator. Just before the dropship impacted, Beast Boy turned into a pteranodon, using his cretaceous form to fly to safety.
As the entire roof around them exploded, the Titans leapt for the nearest roof. Robin used his grapple gun to land safely on the roof while Cyborg and Raven hopped down from a small circular platform that Raven had created using magic. A moment later, Beast Boy and Starfire landed next to them.
"Awww yeah!" Cyborg shouted as the smoke cleared and the portal disappeared.
Robin and Starfire exchanged small smiles as Beast Boy gave Cyborg a high five. Raven took a breath of relief.
"Teen Titans: one, Slade: zero!" Cyborg continued.
Beast Boy put his hand in his chin, thinking of all the times Slade had one-upped them. Just as he was about to speak his mind, a black hand of energy smacked him on the back of the head.
"Don't even think about it," Cyborg warned.
"I didn't say anything," Beast Boy argued.
Raven lowered her hood. "Maybe the next time you drop onto a solid, metal object from fifty feet above, you'll find yourself landing without a buffer."
"I didn't say anything!" Beast Boy repeated.
…
Starfire smiled and giggled softly as the banter continued. She stopped when she saw Robin striding to the edge of the roof, looking at the sky.
Robin stood still for a moment, placing a hand on the stone railing.
"Robin," Starfire said, joining him. "Are you not going to join us in the celebration of victory?"
Robin shook his head.
"It is okay that you did not defeat Slade," Starfire said. "We will find him again."
"I did defeat him," Robin said, breaking his silence. "But… it was too easy."
"You think that we were not victorious," Starfire guessed.
"Hellooooo!" Beast Boy said as the other three Titans joined them. "Did you not see how we just stopped an alien invasion?"
"Yeah," Cyborg said in agreement. "We won, Robin. You should lighten up."
Robin turned and looked at Raven.
Raven looked up at the sky for a moment. "Robin's right," she said. "Something's wrong. Slade wouldn't mess with magic unless—"
"Unless there's more to the plan," Robin confirmed.
Before anyone else could speak, there was a series of loud clunks and beeps from all around them. The Titans readied themselves for battle but froze when they saw the sources of the sounds.
Across the city and beyond, as far as the eye could see, beams of light appeared. A few seconds later, dozens of portals appeared in the sky, exposing the city and Earth to an infinite amount of dangers.
…
In the middle of the city, a young woman walked down the street with her boyfriend, happily grasping his hand.
Suddenly, the cloudy sky lit up and star-filled holes appeared. All around, people stopped and stared. Some even shrunk away from the beautiful anomalies that would, in time, consume the entire world.
There was a large explosion down the street that blew out the windows of a jewelry store where the young woman had just bought a small necklace in the shape of a lightning bolt. The necklace now rested over her own round, purple necklace.
A similar explosion occurred in the Cook's Electronics shop at the other end of the street. Out of the smoke, holding expensive electronic valuables, ran clones of the red and black clothed Billy Numerous. The villain was once again wearing a large division sign across each of his clone's chests.
"We're back!" the clones said in unison.
The young woman and her boyfriend exchanged looks of shock before exchanging small nods. A millisecond later, the young woman's boyfriend sped off in the direction of the pawn shop.
Now, in the young woman's hand, was a single red rose.
The young woman moved determinedly toward the jewelry store.
…
High on the rooftop of a Chang Industries skyscraper, a master thief ceased his lock-picking and looked at the portal that had just appeared overhead.
"That's interesting," the thief commented. He finished unlocking the rooftop door. "Perfect cover. I might be able to make a few more runs tonight."
…
Deep within the Jump City junkyards, a large pile of garbage parted as a cloaked being walked out of the darkness, scanning a hole in the sky for anomalies or threats.
…
A high school girl walked into her dorm room at the orphanage after a long night at the library to find her roommates staring out the windows at the sky.
The schoolgirl briefly looked out the window and saw many voids that allowed stars to penetrate the cloudy sky. The schoolgirl shrugged with disinterest as she always did with the world occurrences relating to heroes.
As her roommates continued to gawk at the windows, the schoolgirl moved to her still unmade bed. She grunted in irritation as she shook out the dirt covered pillow and flipped it over before laying down.
…
At midnight in Titans tower, Robin walked into the large living room to find a flurry of activity.
Every monitor, including the central television, was filled with maps containing multicolored lights as well as the screenshots of all available Honorary Titans. At each station, members of Robin's team were hard at work.
Starfire maintained and sorted through communications with the other Titans. Cyborg and Raven were each looking at scans of the portal generators and the portals themselves. Beast Boy, in the form of a squid, used his many tentacles to input any new updates and information into various control panels.
Bumblebee spoke through the loudspeaker attached to the television. "We'll do our best to figure out what's going on, Sparky," she was saying to Cyborg. "But we just had a major jailbreak here in Steel City."
"Slade's commandos?" Robin asked.
"Yup. But what's interesting is he didn't break out Brother Blood," Bumblebee said, sounding somewhat confused. There was a series of alarms on her end of the line. "Listen, I gotta go. It looks like Steamroller is at it again. Good luck."
The central monitor went blank as everyone turned to Robin.
"This has happened everywhere," Starfire said, the worry in her voice apparent. "All of our friends have seen these portals."
"Where exactly do these portals lead?" Robin asked Raven and Cyborg as they moved to join him at the center of the room. "What kind of trouble are we looking at?"
"They lead anywhere Slade wants them to," Raven explained. "These aren't just portals through space. They lead to other places. Other multiverses. Other dimensions. And, in turn, every portal leads—"
"Straight to us," Cyborg completed. "The Gordanians, the Drenthax, Cironiellian Chrysalis Eaters, the Shriekers we encountered on that space station a while back, aliens from the Citadel, even the Locrix if they're still around after we installed the Quantum Eradicator—"
"Any of them could come through the portals," Robin completed.
Cyborg nodded.
"Could you please stop with the lists?" Beast Boy begged, resuming his human form. He shook out his hands. "My fingers are starting to hurt."
"I do not like a lot of the things on these lists," Starfire added.
"Those are just the ones we know about for sure," Cyborg said. "Who knows what else is out there."
"And the escaped criminals?" Robin asked, folding his arms. "How many of them are out there now?"
The console behind Beast Boy lit up with updates before anyone could answer.
Raven moved to stand by Beast Boy. "Another flash-freeze prison break. More commandos," she said. "That makes four."
"This is getting out of hand," Cyborg said to Robin quietly.
Robin turned toward the door. "I need to write a briefing."
"Duude!" Beast Boy moaned. "What do you think I've been doing?"
"Make sure you take count of the criminals that haven't been broken out," Robin advised.
Beast Boy groaned dramatically before turning into a giant spider and continuing to type.
"Let me know if anything new happens," Robin said. He turned and walked into the hallway.
"Robin," Starfire called.
Robin slowed to a stop, not turning around.
Starfire stopped a few feet away. "If you are not briefing the other Titans, who are you writing a brief to?"
Robin lowered his voice. "Somebody I never thought I'd answer to again," he replied, not turning around. He continued walking without another word.
…
"It is never good when Robin goes into his room," Starfire commented as she returned to the team.
"It's never a good sign," Cyborg agreed. He placed his fist on the table in front of him. "I should've found something like this on the city-wide scan I ran when we returned from fighting the Brotherhood of Evil."
"Even if you had, it wouldn't have mattered," Raven said calmly. "This wasn't just technology, it was magic. Almost impossible to track. And Slade did his research."
"Yeah!" Beast Boy added dramatically. "And there is literally no place through those portals that have ever been nice to me or my 'do'…"
Starfire looked out the giant window in front of her.
Cyborg and Raven looked at Beast Boy sternly with furrowed eyebrows.
"Except Tamaran," Beast Boy tried to add quickly, hoping he didn't hurt Starfire's feelings. "Sorry, Starfire."
"It is not you," Starfire said distantly, looking up at the sky. "It is… me. I think that it's time that I—"
Alarms started going off everywhere as both lights on each of their suits and those located on the computer started to blink red and black.
Raven ran to the central monitor and pressed a few buttons.
"More portals?" Cyborg guessed.
"And worse," Raven said.
"How much worse could it get?" Beast Boy asked.
Raven pressed another button. Three images appeared on the central computer.
The first was a picture of the large silver and black robot known as I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. The twenty-foot tall being was using his immense strength provided by his mechanical arms to throw a semi into a nearby gas station, causing a huge explosion that scattered all citizens and police forces.
The second image was that of the robotic warrior known as Atlas. The gold and red giant, sporting a new jet-black left leg in place of the one he'd lost during the final battle between the Titans and the Brotherhood of Evil, was currently tearing apart a MANU Advanced Robotics manufacturing plant.
The third, and most troublesome image, was an army of twenty Locrix coming through one of the portals over the city. Their large, white and black mechanical forms still sported circular red, 'X' shaped power cores on their chest. They immediately spilled out onto city streets.
Beast Boy practically ripped out his hair.
"You had to say something," Cyborg grumbled. "Didn't you?"
"We have to go," Raven said needlessly.
"We need Robin," Starfire said, gliding toward the door.
When Starfire reached Robin's room, she found the young hero standing over his laptop. Just as she entered, Starfire saw a small, black symbol in the shape of a bat disappear from the screen.
"Trouble," Robin said. It wasn't a question.
"Who was that?" Starfire asked.
"The League," Robin answered, grabbing his staffs, discs, grapple guns, and birdarangs.
"The League," Starfire repeated, glancing at the computer.
"I never thought it'd come this," Robin said solemnly. "But this is more than the Titans can handle alone."
"Robin, what does the League want?" Starfire inquired, following Robin out the door.
"Us," Robin answered.
"What does that mean?" Starfire asked as they entered an elevator.
"It means they want something I can't give," Robin said crisply. He shook his head, evidently noticing his tone. "We can't worry about it now. We have to get through tonight first."
…
Robin ducked under another large punch from I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. and rolled out of the way.
I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. laughed and tore a streetlight out of the ground, swinging it at Robin. Robin backflipped out of the way, landed on top of the horizontal pole, ran its length, and attempted to send a kick into I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R.'s central head monitor.
The machine quickly brought a large arm up and pushed Robin away. Robin, while still in midair, took out his grapple gun. Before hitting the ground, Robin aimed and grappled onto a still standing street pole. Using his momentum, he swung back around, throwing two explosive discs.
The disc's impacted, blowing I.N.S.T.A.G.A.T.O.R.'s black, lower stomach wide open. Robin, still airborne, released the grapple gun and launched a kick that threw I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. to the ground. As Robin backflipped from the impact of the kick, he threw two freeze discs into the new hole in the large machine's armor.
As the discs impacted, I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. had an electronic seizure, shaking as the cold gas released by the explosives spread through his core systems. A few seconds later, I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. fell to the ground, his head monitor slowly going dark.
Robin took a breath and looked at the destruction all around him before gazing at the dark sky that held the many portals.
…
Cyborg and Raven arrived in the center of the warehouse as Atlas ripped apart a large and expensive prototype fighting robot.
"Unworthy machines," Atlas spat. He turned, saw the Titans, and smiled. "Finally. The 'nothing's' I've been waiting for."
"Just surrender now and we won't have to whoop your butt from here to Star City," Cyborg advised, leveling his sonic cannon.
Atlas grunted. "These machines are nothing when it comes to fighting," he said, striding forward. "But they do have good, self-installing tech that proves useful when placed in the hands of a superior robot."
Atlas flipped forward and landed on a hand. As he turned, his jet-black, left leg transformed from a leg into a red laser that ripped through the floor, ceiling, and machinery all around them.
A large shelf behind Cyborg cracked in half and started to fall.
Raven leapt forward. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
The shelf froze momentarily, allowing Cyborg to dive out of the way.
Cyborg looked from the shelf to Atlas's leg. "Well, alrighty then…" the Titan said casually. "This could get complicated."
Atlas charged again.
…
Starfire let loose a series of starbolts that destroyed five of the Locrix.
As the Locrix reached into the sky with their large arms, their fingers stretched with fluidity to strike at the Tamaranian. Beast Boy charged down the street as a rhino, impaling two of the machines and scattering the entire force.
Starfire stopped firing and free-fell as she raised a fist that began to glow green.
…
Cyborg fired a shot from his sonic cannon. The blast impacted with one of Atlas's hands.
Atlas screamed in rage. The robot front-flipped, attempting to slice Cyborg in half with a vertical downward slash from his laser leg. Before the laser could connect, Raven used her magic to move a large, tall crate into the beam's path.
The crate was destroyed instantly, revealing… nothing.
Atlas turned and saw Cyborg less than two feet away from him. Half a second later, Atlas found himself flying across the warehouse, colliding against the back wall. The electronics in his left leg gave out, disabling the laser.
As Raven covered the bottom half of Atlas's body with debris to keep him immobilized, Cyborg walked forward.
"Care to continue?" Cyborg asked, leveling his sonic cannon.
Atlas let out a breath of disappointment and looked away.
…
Beast Boy, in the form of a gorilla, threw another disabled Locrix aside before turning to see a Locrix leveling its arm.
The Titan quickly jumped into the air and grabbed Starfire's hand as the Tamaranian flew overheard. With a grunt, Starfire spun in midair and threw Beast Boy at the Locrix.
Beast Boy transformed into a bird to dodge the mechanical alien's blast as Starfire turned in midair. The Locrix exploded into four pieces as Starfire flew through its chest in a flash of green before she landed on to ground underneath the nearby portal.
Beast Boy resumed his human form, letting out a breath of relief. "Wow… I forgot how tough those things were. At least last time we had some backup."
Starfire didn't answer, once again gazing into the sky.
Beast Boy slapped a hand over his mouth, feeling for the second time that night he had made Starfire unhappy, this time by inadvertently alluding to the rude, assuming, and discriminating Val-Yor.
Starfire finally turned away, giving Beast Boy a small, understanding smile before taking flight. "We should return to the Tower."
"Whew…" Beast Boy said, rubbing his forehead. "Does this mean I can go to bed, now?"
…
The following morning dawned bright orange, illuminating Jump City, Titans Tower, and Robin.
Robin's cape floated forward, covering most of his body. He looked not to the dawn, but to the storm clouds that continued to gather and the portals that spelled possible doom to the city and Earth itself.
"I see you lacked the ability to get the sleep as well," Starfire said from behind, jarring Robin from his thoughts. Starfire moved to stand beside him. "It is not our fault that this has happened, Robin."
"Maybe not," Robin admitted, still looking at the clouds. "But it has and after all we've been through… we may not be enough this time, Starfire."
"That is why the League 'wants us' as you said," Starfire said. She looked to the sky as well.
"They don't just want 'us'," Robin explained. "They want all of the Titans. You, me, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Titans East, South, and North. Everyone we've ever recruited; the League says they need us all. Even the new recruits that Cyborg's been training."
"It is wise," Starfire said after a moment of silence. "We need to be prepared for what can come through these portals. We need to send scouts to see what is through them. We need to build defenses both on Earth and beyond. We need to make friends with whom can and prepare for conflict with those we cannot."
"It is a good plan," Robin said simply. He sighed. "And they… he wants me to lead this. The Titans have just as much experience with what can come through those portals as anyone. They think that I should be a part of the entire defense strategy for Earth."
"It is not the plan that is bothering you," Starfire said, knowing that Robin would eventually speak his mind. "You know that you have the skills for such a task."
"It's the city," Robin said after another few seconds of silence. "It's Earth. With all the heroes heading through the portals, we're leaving it undefended. We need to be here to stop all the criminals that Slade released. We need to be here to stop Slade."
Starfire didn't answer right away. Eventually, she moved forward to stand in front of Robin.
Robin looked into her eyes, remaining silent.
"You mean that you have to be here to stop Slade," Starfire said calmly. "You have to protect the city. That is why you do not wish to leave."
Robin looked down, unable to answer.
"Robin," Starfire said, grabbing both the young man's hands. "You have always been a great leader and an even greater friend. Many times, evil has threatened to take control of the world and its people that I have come to love. And every time, you and the team that you have led and loved have pushed the evil back."
Robin felt Starfire's hands gently squeeze his own.
Starfire continued calmly and firmly. "But your one weakness, the one thing you still share with Slade, is your pride."
Robin let out a small shudder, knowing that Starfire was right.
"There will always be evil," Starfire said. "There will always be heroes. For a long time, the heroes were us. That time may be coming to an end. But that does not mean the end of heroes."
Robin looked away for a moment.
Starfire squeezed his hands again. "I fear that if you do not let go of your pride and go to where the world needs you most, we may lose our home completely."
"Which is why we're going to figure this out together," Cyborg said as he, Raven, and Beast Boy joined them on the roof.
Robin turned to them, still holding Starfire's hand. "Starfire's right," he said, glancing at the sky. "We can do just as much good out there as we can here. But we can't leave the city undefended."
"I'll stay," Beast Boy said quietly.
All eyes turned to him.
Beast Boy looked at each member of his team in turn. "There's no place through those portals that will be good for me. I'll stay and defend the city."
Robin walked forward and placed a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "I have no doubt you have what it takes, Beast Boy," he said genuinely. "But you can't do this alone."
Beast Boy nodded as Cyborg placed a hand on the youngest Titan's shoulder.
Raven gave the Beast Boy a small smile of respect.
"So what do we do?" Cyborg asked.
"We need to build a team," Robin said determinedly. "A team that we know can keep this city safe."
"And the other Towers?" Raven inquired.
"All of them," Robin confirmed. "The other cities around the world will need heroes as well."
"How much time do we have?" Cyborg asked.
"Not long," Robin answered. "The League is getting everything in motion as we speak. If we're going to recruit, we need to start now."
The other Titans nodded and turned to the dawn where a small ray of sunlight pierced through the far-off storm clouds.
Starfire sighed and slowly let go of Robin's hand. "My friends…" she said. "I fear that I must say goodbye now."
The other Titans looked at her in surprise.
"It is not that I wish to leave," Starfire explained kindly, unable to meet Robin's eye. "But I have a duty to the planet that I have chosen as my home. While it is true that I am no longer a princess, I still have much power and support among my people on Tamaran."
The other Titans stared, still unable to speak.
"If I leave now, I may be able to amass additional support for Earth," Starfire continued, looking down. "And, with Galfore's help, I can forge treaties and even reach out to other races that are friendly to the Tamaranian people such as the Centaurian Empire. I may even be able to gain the help of races that contain individuals that are not so friendly themselves."
"Val-Yor's people," Raven guessed. "The Vernathians."
"But what about Silkie?" Beast Boy asked as the small, multilegged pink and white larva slid up to Starfire and nudged her leg.
"He should remain with those he loves," Starfire answered gently as she picked up Silkie and gave him a hug. After a few seconds, Starfire set the larva down and looked into the sky as her voice grew darker. "As for his original creator, I think even Killer Moth and his thousands of moth creations can assist in guarding the portals."
"You really think he'd help?" Cyborg asked.
Starfire's eyes grew bright green with energy. "A father would do anything to protect his 'little girl'," Starfire answered firmly, staring at the ground. "Perhaps Kitten could be useful as a reminder for the potential dangers beyond the portals rather than just being a brat of spoils."
Everyone was silent for a few seconds.
Eventually, Starfire nodded. She looked up with sadness. "I am sorry that this is so sudden, and I do not wish to say goodbye. But, like all of you, I have been called to something greater and—"
"Don't sweat it, Star," Cyborg said, giving Starfire a one-handed hug as Robin stood frozen behind her. Cyborg brushed a strand of hair out of Starfire's eye. "Your people deserve a leader like you."
Starfire nodded, and looked to each of her friends.
Starfire moved to Beast Boy, giving him a bone-cracking hug.
Beast Boy turned into a snake, twisting his body before resuming his human form. "So…" he said awkwardly, rubbing his hair. "I'm still a Milnip Wusserloop, right?"
"You are so much more," Starfire said kindly.
Beast Boy smiled and turned into a cat, nudging Starfire's legs and earning a giggle.
Starfire moved to Raven and stopped, hesitating.
Raven hugged Starfire, earning gasps all around.
"I wish we had been able to meditate together more often," Starfire said, returning the hug and stepping back.
"Meditation is for those who need to control their emotions," Raven said calmly. "You shouldn't. It's what makes you 'you'. Your people will follow you because of it."
Starfire nodded. She sighed and looked at Robin. "I am sorry," she said. "I wish we could have spent more time together."
Robin reached out and pulled Starfire into a kiss. "We will," he promised, releasing her. "This isn't the end."
Starfire smiled and slowly started to raise herself into the sky. "Good luck, my friends. I shall see you when this is over."
The Titans looked down in sadness.
Starfire stopped for a moment before smiling. "I think I will miss… mustard the most."
The Titans all smiled and looked up to watch as Starfire flew up into the sky and eventually disappeared.
Robin took a deep breath and felt a comforting metal hand on his shoulder.
"We need a list of recruits," Robin said, giving Cyborg an appreciative nod.
"I've already got one in mind," Cyborg said.
"Who?" Raven and Beast Boy asked simultaneously.
"Somebody who's had this coming for a long time," Cyborg answered. "She spells bad luck for anybody the next team will have to face."
Robin smiled, knowing instantly who Cyborg had in mind.
After a few seconds, Raven smiled slightly, leaving Beast Boy looking more confused than ever.
"Let's get to work," Robin said.
…
The dawn of a new team has begun.