Life has returned to Normal,
But sometimes, Life throws a monkey wrench into Normal.
Teen Titans: The Chosen
There were six Titans.
It didn't seem like it, but even Starfire said that there were six
Titans (not counting Terra, of course).
The first, of course,
was Robin. He was training in the gym the day they appeared.
The second was Cyborg.
He was trying to teach Starfire the intricacies of basketball the day
they appeared.
The third? Why, yours
truly, of course. I was pestering Raven when they appeared.
The fourth was Raven
herself. She was with me outside, trying really hard not to throw me
off the edge of the tower.
The fifth was Starfire.
She accidentally dunked the basketball through the hoop and the first
two levels of the tower.
The Sixth Titan? Well,
that's what this story is about.
This is… an odd story. You might want to sit down for this one. It's… well, it began on that day; it was just a normal, happy-go-lucky day… I remember everything about it, especially the fun I was having. It's ironic, because what happened in our lives following that day would both be happy… and not so much with the happy. Robin should tell this story, now that I think about it; he was there during a lot of it, and he can tell it a lot better than I. But he wasn't there when the BIG stuff happened; it was only me, Rae, and them.
I know what you're thinking: "Awww, so does that mean you and Raven cuddled and held hands during those BIG moments?" Uh… no. It means that during those moments Raven and I were locked in fights for our lives.
This is the story of the… the Children. Those damn, heroic, god-forsaken, neglected, traumatized, and hopeless Children who saved the world. They saved the world fifteen times. They did it fighting alongside me and the other Titans.
Yeah, you might want to get something to drink for this. And some chips; chips are nice. Some pizza couldn't hurt either. I'd love to drag Rae in for this story, but she's a little… unraveled, right now. I guess we all are.
You see, it started on that beautiful day: the clouds were fluffy, the sun bright and burning…
-
In the Year 2015 AD
…and the two jets that roared overhead, big-as-Christ ships with plenty of Eagle escort; a dozen jets doing fly-bys of the area as the two behemoth ships made their way toward the nearest airport. It wasn't hard to miss their cargo, either, but it was hard to figure out what it was; they hung from girders shaped like crosses on the bottom of the jet, two huge objects that could be at least 200 feet tall, the way they hung. I and the others couldn't help but to gape at the jets as they roared overhead, sending plumes of exhaust through the air. The exhaust fell right on the Tower, causing me to shrivel up like a prune when the stench filled my nostrils. Cyborg, lucky guy, just filtered it out, while both Rae and Starfire began to cough.
"Man, that's nasty!" I groaned. "That's worse than Cy's stinkballs!" Raven groaned and threw a black bubble around herself and me (but only because I was right there), and soon I could breathe "normal" air for what it was. Meanwhile, Starfire promptly removed herself from the building's roof, while Cyborg tried to see just what kind of cargo that the jets were carrying. A radar-dish came out of his shoulder as he peered through the smog trail at the jets.
Meanwhile, I managed to regain some normal breath, just as Rae dropped her little bio-dome. The two of us walked up next to Cy, who was only staring after the jets in confusion.
"So…" Raven began. "What kind of jet lets off enough exhaust to choke someone to death?" She looked at Cyborg.
"The kind that needs to carry big things," he told her, shutting down his radar-dish thingy. "C-21 Geist-class transports. I don't know what they're carrying, but those jets are putting out enough thrust to put a shuttle into orbit," I briefly imagined the T-Ship… Sub… whatever, those few times we've went off into space on some random adventure. Meanwhile, Cyborg looked at Raven. "Did Robin mention anything special coming in? You know, something Slade might be after?" Raven shook her head.
"It's probably just an oversized cargo jet," she said. "We're making too big a deal out of this. Come on, it's safer to breathe in the Tower," she turned and walked for the roof hatch/door whatever, opening it and going through, leaving it open for us.
"She's probably right," Cyborg agreed. "We've had nothing to do in so long, I guess it was just a matter of time before we start to suspect everything," I nodded.
"Yeah," I said. "Besides, what could be so important on a lousy jet? They carrying some kind of weapon?"
"Maybe. But let's not worry about it. I'm up for pizza!" Cyborg beamed and ran off, heading through the door/hatch and slamming it behind him. Now it was just me on the Tower roof, looking at the jets as they faded from view.
"Yeah… let's not," I said. Something pulled at me, something like an instinct, to run or fly or swim after those jets, but I ignored it, pushed it down. Cyborg was right; pizza would be good about now. I began to make my way to the door/hatch, thinking of a tune I once listened to with Terra. As I walked toward the door, I looked back once more at the jets, now almost completely gone from view. "You know…" I grinned slightly; it had been awhile since I went on a little flight. Why not catch some air?
Smiling, I ran for the edge of the Tower and leaped off. At the apex of my jump, I began to change into a hawk, one of my more favorite air forms. I twisted my body as it melded into a hawk's, and by the time I had fallen halfway down the tower I was in a steep dive. I spread my wings and caught a passing breeze, leveled out, and screeched. The adrenaline rush hit my body like a sledgehammer, my uber-hawk eyes winked at the bright light, and I flew. You've never experienced flying, my dear listener, until you've flown as a hawk; the experience alone is enough to bring any flyboy to tears.
I went into a lazy circle around the Tower, flying onward and upward. I noticed things a human wouldn't have seen without study; the cracks along the tower walls, made from countless quakes, were big as ravines to my eyes; the waves lapping up against the island caused crab and shellfish to squirm by; and the fleet of helicopters in the distance-
Wait, that was new. I circled around again and counted. Fifteen helicopters, coming from the direction of the horizon, were rapidly approaching, their steel bodies pointed downward to get max thrust from their rotors. Behind them, four more choppers, these without rotors; instead, two huge jet engines propelled the choppers forward. They were spread out over some three miles, across my entire field of vision and then some. They looked like an invasion force; I could see that each and every helicopter was armed with missile pods underneath their wings.
I was curious now. It's not every day that the city is visited by enough military power to usurp a small nation. I wanted to go and look, but I figured that, when it came to big government matters, you go ask someone who knew. That someone in this case would be Robin.
Landing on the roof again, I morphed back. I glanced in the distance at the chopper fleet, then to where the jets and their Eagles were headed off to, and went inside.
-
As I reached the "command" room of the Tower, I noticed that the others had already gathered. Robin was watching the big screen in front of him as the Tower's cameras locked on to the chopper fleet I was going to ask about loomed closer. Starfire and Raven were chatting idly (Star more than Rae, obviously), while Cyborg sat at a console and typed in keys faster than most men could ever hope to. Raven shot a glance at me, but I ignored it. Instead, I walked up to Robin.
"So what are they?" I asked. "And if you say they're helicopters, I'm going to smack you,"
"Actually, that's all I know right now," Robin admitted. He looked over at me. "The cameras can't see that far, so we'll have to wait until they get closer,"
"Maybe not," Cyborg interrupted. "Just give me a sec… there!" The camera view on-screen suddenly magnified on one of the approaching choppers. I could see all of it clearly, like I was watching it with hawk eyes; the gray steel, the dual jet engines, and the two pilots inside. "Databanks don't have anything like it on file," Cyborg said. "That's odd; my computer has a listing of every military weapon ever made,"
"Maybe it's something new?" Robin suggested. "Look at the two choppers escorting it; those are RAH-66s. Comanches. Those things are top of the line,"
"And I didn't notice them before," Cyborg responded. I watched as he typed in another set of keys way too fast. "There are only four organizations that have Comanche Stealth choppers, and the US Army is one of them,"
"Who are the rest?"
I asked.
"The Japanese Air
Self-Defense Force, Germany's National Army and some paramilitary
research organization called… "Gehirn" or something," Cyborg
iterated, reading off a list he must have stored in his head. "I
know it's not Germany and Japan, so…"
"So either the Army
is deploying forces along with some type of transport chopper,"
Robin continued. "Or this 'Gehirn' is moving in to the city,"
I groaned.
"That's great," I
muttered. "So do we go check it out? I mean, we're like
'clearance to enter the city with big weapons' or something,
right?" On-screen, the choppers were closer to the tower; in range
of point-defense guns, in fact. The bigger things held back while the
smaller choppers came in and… began to surround the tower. Wings
opened up from their sides, bristling with missiles.
"Oh great," Raven
droned, rolling her eyes. "It figures that they'd be gunning for
us, too,"
"Maybe not," Robin replied. "Look there," The
choppers turned around, facing away from the tower. Their
circle spun slowly around the tower, like some fan – you know, if
it were armed to the teeth with Hellfire missiles and rocket pods.
"They're… watching for something. But not us," He looked at
Cyborg. "What do you think, Cy?"
"I say we send a
welcoming party," replied my pal. He winked. "The best kind,
too," he grinned. Robin nodded.
"You're right,"
he agreed. Looking at me, he said, "Beast Boy, you and Raven go out
the main door and say 'hi'," I stifled a groan and nodded,
watching as he sweeped the room. "Star, you find a nice hiding spot
on the roof. If anything begins to happen, I want you in the air and
blasting anything that hovers," Starfire nodded and walked out of
the room, both her hands charging with her Starbolts. "Cyborg, stay
here and watch them; I want you on the point-defense guns," Cyborg
nodded and turned around, leaving me and Raven to face the Boy
Blunder.
"And you, oh fearless
leader?" I asked snidely. Robin's jaw set firm.
"I'm going to
follow a couple of birds," he said grimly. Folding his cape around
himself, he stalked out of the room. "Don't wait up on me, you
two; go out there," I watched Robin leave, wondered if I should say
something, and stifled it. Instead, I looked at Raven.
"Shall we, my lady?"
I asked, only half-mockingly.
"In your dreams,"
Raven replied, floating out of the room.
"You mean
nightmares," I shot back, following her.
"Very funny. Now come
on,"
The two of us walked toward the elevator in silence after that. As we stepped in, I stood on the far side and stared at her as she counted the lights as they disappeared, one by one, toward the ground floor.
"We don't even know if there will be anyone on the ground floor," she muttered to herself, completely forgetting about my existence – how typical. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, counting away, leaving me to my thoughts.
I wanted to cry. The silence was… well, too silent. I wanted to yell, scream, something that would get some sort of reaction. But I knew that Raven wouldn't like it, and even if she did say something it would be short, to the point. It was like, like… she was still suppressing her emotions. It was like she still had some secret to hide.
Maybe she's just inept at living. Yeah, that's it. I shrugged and began to hum a tune to myself – very low, so I didn't disturb Her Highness. I tried my best to not look at her, but given that she and I were the most colorful things in the small elevator, my eyes inevitably glanced back at her hooded head. I frowned.
"Take that off," I
said sternly. Raven glanced over her shoulder before looking back.
There was a "ding" as the elevator doors opened.
"Excuse me?" she
replied, walking out. I walked out then, following her before walking
next to her.
"That hood," I
said, gesturing at the offending object. "It's rude to hide your
face from our guests," I grinned a toothy grin – God, I was such
a dork. But it worked; Raven sighed and flipped back the hood,
half-glaring at me. I could see that her heart wasn't into it,
though, so she just resigned and continued walking. I grinned
impishly.
"Besides, you're
much more beaut-"
"Hush," my mouth
snapped shut as the front doors opened, revealing the bright
sunlight. I took in a deep breath, taking in the sea air. It was
invigorating. Raven just shrugged and wrapped her cloak around
herself, walking out into the daylight. We stepped out onto the front
step of the walkway, looking up at the sun and the black helicopters
that continued circling around the tower. They were almost silent at
this distance as we watched them.
Underneath us, we felt a rumble; the underwater gate had opened. We looked down at the water and saw something like a red torpedo skim just under the water's surface, breaking the waves as it sped toward the city; Robin and his R-Cycle were in that pod, just like he had planned.
One of the larger jet/helicopters lowered itself, throwing clouds of water and dust into the air. It hovered over its little spot as a ramp was lowered. The copter's side door opened.
It was at that very moment, right then, which I realized; we were in for an adventure.
-
Episode:01
Misato
-
Out she stepped.
You wouldn't suspect
her of anything at first. She looked like any woman, really; her long
hair brushed in front of her face, forcing her to push it out of the
way of her hazel eyes. Her countenance beamed optimism as she smiled
and walked toward us, stopping only to look back and yell something
at the chopper. Whatever it was got through, as the chopper began to
remove itself from mine and Raven's sight, going high into the air.
As she began walking toward us again, I got a good look at the rest of her. She wore a red/orange flight jacket (with beret to match) over a black blouse and miniskirt that rode just low enough to be legal. She had really nice, long legs dressed with pantyhose and black high heels. A cross dangled from a necklace. And she had a honkin' big set of-
But I won't go there.
This woman was hot. H-O-T.
Somewhere along the
line, I wondered if her hair was really purple.
The rest of the line, I
just gawked.
She walked up to us and bowed low. Raven and I bowed in return. The three of us stood up straight at the same time. There was a slight pause as I looked over at Raven, who cleared her throat.
"Uhm… hi," she
began slowly. "My name's Rach… Raven, of the Teen Titans. I'm
please to meet you, Ms…"
"Katsuragi Misato,"
came the reply. The woman was definitely Asian – her eyes and
accent proved it - but her English was flawless. "Wait; no… it's
the other way around here. I'm Misato Katsuragi, public relations
representative of the paramilitary research organization Gehirn, and
I'm pleased to meet you as well, Miss Raven," she looked at me
and smiled a little brighter. "And you must be the famous Beat Boy,
as well?" I swear, weaker men would have melted at that smile.
"Y-yes, Ms.
Katsuragi," I stuttered.
"Ahh, Misato is
fine," she told me. "The same goes for you, Miss Raven," she
looked around briefly. "So, this is the Titans' Tower," she
chuckled. "You know, you guys are really popular where I'm from,"
"That's because there's this psycho rock group throwing our names all over the place," Raven muttered. "But anyway, let's not be rude, Beast Boy," she stepped to the side and gestured inside the tower. "If you like, you may come inside, Miss Misato," she didn't smile, but she wasn't frowning; her face was completely neutral. Misato smiled and stepped inside, absent-mindedly taking off her shoes in the process. Raven followed her in, and I followed Raven.
"Wow, this room is so
big!" Misato shouted, staring up and down the room. "This is
bigger than my apartment back home!"
"Impressive, isn't
it?" came a voice from the elevator's direction. We all looked to
see Cyborg, grinning broadly. "Yeah, yeah, I know what Rob said,
but why listen to him?"
"Uh… because it's
our 'job'?" Raven asked sardonically… wow, I can't believe
I know that word. She shrugged. "Men, I swear,"
"I hear ya, sister," Misato piped up, winking at Raven. She looked back at Cyborg – and I swear she almost squealed with delight. She ran up and began to poke all of his mechanical parts. "Wow, this is just as advanced as HQ's top stuff! Tell me, what does this do?" Misato grabbed Cyborg's left arm, staring at the console.
"Oh, that?" Cyborg asked, obviously enjoying the attention. Raven and I exchanged glances. "This is just the ultimate PDA; controls the tower, the vehicles, everything in one machine," he beamed.
"But what about
security?"
"Girl, only one
thing's ever hacked me," he looked at me. "And that was an
inside job, wasn't it BB?"
"Dude, I'm sorry,
okay?!" I shouted defensively. "Besides, that was a long time
ago!" I looked at Raven, who only shrugged. I noticed that she was
staring intensely at the newcomer.
"She's acts happy
as Starfire is," she commented. She began walking back outside; I
followed her, confused.
"What do you mean?"
I asked.
"I sense a lot of
pain in her," Raven explained, glancing over her shoulder. "A
troubled past… and more skeletons in the closet than me or you,"
she glanced at me. "Maybe… a lost love?" I paused… I swore
Raven had just taken a rim shot at me.
"H-hey!" I shouted, chasing her down. I looked back at Misato and Cyborg as the door closed. Instantly, Raven pulled her communicator off her belt and opened it. That weird Star Trek beep came from it.
"Robin, this is Raven," she said to it. Robin's face appeared, wearing a helmet. "We've made contact with… I guess a representative of theirs. She calls herself Misato Katsuragi,"
"Katsuragi?" Robin
echoed.
"That's what I
said,"
"Very funny.
Katsuragi… that sounds familiar," Robin paused. "No matter.
Recall Star off the roof and bring her in. Watch her, get what you
can out of her, and I'll return after I find these jets. Got it?"
Raven nodded. "All right, then. Robin out," Raven closed the com
and sighed, looking over at me.
"BB, can I trust you with something?" she asked me suddenly. I was caught off guard by the question, but nodded. "If something happens – and I'm not saying something will – watch me, okay?"
"Uhh… sure, Raven,"
"I'm serious,"
Raven emphasized. "I've had a bad feeling since those jets passed
overhead a while ago," she shrugged. "I think maybe I'm just
losing it, but still,"
"Raven, girl, you've
been losing it since I met you,"
"Whatever," she
glanced at me.
"I said I would,
Rae,"
"…all right," she
turned around and opened the com again. "Starfire,"
There was a crackle.
"Yes, sister Raven?"
"Come on back,"
"Okay,"
The com closed. I
stared at Raven as she placed the com back on her belt.
"That was short," I
commented as the door opened again.
"I didn't feel like
hearing her right now," Raven replied, rubbing her temples as we
walked into the empty room. "Cause Lord knows we'll be hearing
her for the next few hours," she twisted her face into a mock
Tamaranian smile. "Oh, dear friend, how much I enjoy your company!"
Raven clasped her hands together and sighed.
"Oh, now that was
low," I told her as she smirked at me. "Even for you,"
"But it's truth,"
was the reply. I opened my mouth to defend Star, but then closed it.
I couldn't think of a reply.
I simpered.
"Good boy," with
that, Raven stalked off ahead of me. I followed behind like a dog.
"Damn… beautiful…
girl…." I muttered to myself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing,"
"I thought so,"
there was a pause as we entered the elevator. "Remember, you have a
girlfriend,"
The elevator doors closed.
-
We stepped into the
Command Room in time to see Starfire tackle-hug our guest.
"She is beautiful!"
beamed the alien girl. Misato looked shocked and confused.
"Uh… thanks?" she
managed to get out as Starfire pulled herself off of the older woman.
Misato coughed and adjusted her miniskirt before taking off her
beret. "So this is where all the command decisions of the legendary
Titans are made, hm?"
"Sort of," Cyborg began. He walked over to his computer. "It's more like a briefing room, really. Mostly, Robin and Raven make the briefings together, then we go at it. Most of the time, though, what we do is as spontaneous as the villains we fight," he walked back to the center. "Maybe when we get a few more members, we can get something like a bridge crew, but for now, no dice,"
"I understand,"
Misato said, nodding. "I work with over a thousand members of
staff, but I really have command over… five," she chuckled. "But
then, two may be all I need,"
"Oh? And what's
that mean?" Cyborg asked.
"It doesn't
matter," Misato replied. "Speaking of command, though, where's
your fearless leader?" Cyborg and Raven exchanged glances.
"He's… out, right
now," Raven explained, walking up to her and Starfire. "He's
scouting the city for anything amiss,"
"Well, preparation is
key to winning a battle," She glanced down at Starfire. "Now, who
is this bundle of joy?" Instantly, Starfire brightened from bored
to once-again the happiest girl in the universe.
"I am Starfire of
Tamaran!" she said, beaming. "And I am very pleased to meet you,
Misato!" she giggled. Misato just smiled back, though.
"It's nice to see
something as happy as you," she commented. She glanced over at
Raven, who only sighed in resignation.
"I don't get it,
either," she muttered. Misato walked up and whispered something to
Raven, who only rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Don't you agree?"
Misato asked.
"I… guess…" she
absently grabbed a lock of hair and began to twirl it. "Well, guys,
I guess we could take her to the recreation commons,"
"I agree," I said.
Everyone stared at me like I was a ghost. "What? I've been here
this whole time," There was a pause. "What?"
"I'd have to say,"
Cyborg began tentatively. "That's the quietest you've been in a
while,"
"It's a nice
change," Raven commented. "Don't you think, Cyborg?"
"Yeah,"
I groaned as I led
Misato across the tower to the rec room.
"So this is the rec
area," I said, waving my hand to the room the others and I had
spent at least an hour in each day. "This is where we eat, sit,
watch TV, and just hang out. It's like the ultimate dorm room,"
"It's really nice,"
Misato said, putting her beret on the bar and walking around. She
walked over to the large couch and put a hand on it. "May I?"
"Me casa su casa,"
"Thanks,"
Misato sat down hard
and moaned, stretching her body to a sprawl.
"This feels so good,"
she said to me as I walked up and sat next to her. Behind us, Raven
and Starfire walked in. "Being on a chopper for hours on end will
make your ass sore,"
"Yes, this couch is very comfortable," Starfire said, sitting next to me and crossing her legs. I couldn't help but notice her skirt ride up a little.
God, I'm sorry Robin. I'm so, so sorry. It's hormones, man, I swear.
I fumbled for the TV remote and began to absently flip through channels. Misato sighed and relaxed, melting into the couch. I heard Raven put a kettle of tea on, then the scrape of a metal chair. I glanced back.
"Rae, you're not
going to join us?" I asked.
"Yes, you must
participate in the hanging out," Starfire agreed, uncrossing her
legs and stretching out. Her skirt rode up a little more.
"Thanks, but no,"
Her panties were red.
God, I'm really, really sorry, Robin!
I looked away, blushing, at Misato. She was staring right at me this whole time, I realized as I looked at her grinning face. I blushed a bit harder, but Misato just smiled and put a light hand on my head.
"It's okay, kid,"
she said. "Your secret's safe with me," with that, she relaxed
even more, if that were even possible.
Just then, something
rang in my ears; something loud and something painful. Looking
around, no one else seemed to notice the noise. I suppressed a gasp
and gritted my teeth, standing up and excusing myself. I walked back
behind the couch and left the two goddesses sitting there, past
Raven, and out into the hall.
But then the noise
stopped.
Groaning, I looked back
at Raven. Her violet eyes were going back to their normal shade.
Slowly, I crept back toward her.
"What was that for?"
I whispered.
"Don't you think
you're being a little… too… nice?" Raven asked. Her eyes were
stern.
"No, why?"
"Think about it," Raven said. She looked back at Starfire and the older woman, and then stood up. She walked over and took a cup, poured herself some tea, and beckoned me. I followed her out of the room, confused. Instead of thinking about it, though, I just stared at Raven's back as we walked some inane distance away.
What does inane mean, anyway?
"Look, Beast Boy,"
Raven suddenly said, turning around. "We can't just let someone
in like this, like we've known them our whole lives,"
"She seems harmless
enough," I replied.
"Yeah, and Terra was
just an ally,"
I winced.
"It's not like she's staying here the whole time," I retorted. "She's just a guest. She's normal. We don't have to keep her under lock and key. Not like…" I paused and looked away. "Not like Terra,"
"I know, Beast Boy," Raven replied. I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Look, I know you don't like to talk about it, but we have to face the fact that this building is still in danger as long as she's here. There are choppers with missiles – missiles, Beast Boy – floating outside the Tower. What if they turn on us? What if she gives the command to shoot? Do you want to die?"
"Maybe I do!" I yelled back, surprised at my own outburst.
Time seemed to lock itself. I glared at Raven as she seemed to… to wither under my gaze.
"I'm sorry," Raven finally said. I watched as she pulled up her hood and walked off, leaving me alone as she ran off to her room. Turning around, I sighed and walked back to the rec room.
I felt like a complete ass.
-
Teen Titans: The Chosen
Episode:01
Misato
-
A couple of hours passed. I don't know how many, but I know they passed. I know because at one point the choppers disappeared and Cyborg joined us. I also know because Robin came home and introduced himself, while at the same time telling us that he found out nothing about where the Eagles and the big flying-wing jets disappeared to. But I wasn't paying attention. You see, my eyes were filled with one thing.
Misato.
God, she was beautiful.
She knew it, too.
I watched her from a
distance as Robin and she talked about – rather, as he interrogated
her – on where the jets were.
"Jets? You mean the
airliners?"
"Yeah. With the
cargo, Miss Katsuragi,"
"I don't know. They
aren't with my unit. I don't have jurisdiction over our
jet forces,"
"Then what do
you do?"
There was a pause. Misato and Robin stared each other down.
"That's
classified,"
"Classified, my ass,"
Starfire and I looked at each other and exchanged glances. The tension was building as the silence grew in the room. I took a step from my original position at the table and backed away. Robin continued glaring at Misato, while Misato looked down impassively at Robin. Starfire hugged an arm and backed away, while Cyborg suddenly decided that looking out the window was a good idea.
Suddenly, Misato's cell phone rang. The woman picked it up gingerly and answered it.
"Yeah? Oh, hey! Yeah, I'm here at the Tower!" Misato smiled for the briefest of moments before her face turned solemn all of a sudden. The change came so suddenly that I had to do a double-take to see if I saw what I was seeing. "So they've made it safely? That's good. No, no, I'll go get them both," there was a pause. "Yes, I know. It's part of my job. Besides, my car's with them," Another pause. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. "Yeah, I'm on my way now. I'll have them take me. Ja," Misato hung up the phone and turned around, staring at us.
"I have a favor to
ask of you," she began.
"Oh, no," Robin
interrupted. "Not until you tell me what for," Misato's face
faltered for a second before she composed herself.
"I'm just going to
pick up a couple of kids, that's all," she paused, looking for
the right words. "They're my boss's kids, you see,"
"Then he can go get
them," Robin replied. Misato winced. Anyone could tell she was
looking for a way out.
"Okay, okay," she said, cornered. "Only one of them is his child, though the other one may as well be," she paused for a beat. "They are… special…"
"Special?" I echoed. "Do you mean like…" I thought briefly. "Special Olympics special? Or do you mean, sword-wielding hero with control over the forces of destruction and creation, calls it myrk, and can't speak, but kicks so much ass it doesn't matter?"
"Uhh… neither,"
Misato said slowly, staring at me. "And just what kind of idea is
that, anyway?"
"A good one," I
responded. Misato rolled her eyes.
"Oh… kay…" she
said hesitantly. She looked at Robin. "Look, you'll get to see
them anyway. Please, just take me there,"
There was a pause.
Suddenly, the Tower's
alarms went off. I perked up, getting into battle mode. Cyborg lifted
his arm and powered on his console.
"There's an attack
going on at the airport," he read. "Security cameras think
they caught a glimpse of…" Cyborg groaned.
"Slade," Robin
said, his voice in a growl.
"Dude, what could he
possibly want in an airport?" I asked.
There was the sound of silence.
All eyes turned to Misato. The young woman blinked.
"Who is… Slade?"
she asked, confused.
"Only the ultimate
super villain," Robin told her, sending the summons code to Raven.
Surprisingly, Misato chuckled.
"Can't be as bad as
my boss," she commented, looking at us. "…You think he's
after his kids?"
"I wouldn't doubt
it," Robin growled. Raven floated into the room about then, looking
at us. "All right, the party's assembled," He went into his
leader mode again. "Beast Boy, you and Raven warp to the airport.
You'll be our advance force. Starfire, you and I will fly there;
I'll use my glider. Cyborg, take Miss Katsuragi in the T-Car and
meet up with us. By the time you get there, I think Slade will have
shown himself," he took a breath. "Remember, he's stronger than
ever,"
"A big ass axe does
not make you stronger," Cyborg said off-handedly.
Wow, I'm just fill of
syn… synon… you know, those words that mean other words.
"Remember what he did to Trigon's horns?" Robin reminded us. I winced; my body still hurt from that fight.
"Good point,"
Robin looked at us all before nodding.
"Titans, go!"
-
Traveling through space-time warp Hell is never a fun experience. Given the mood I had put Raven in earlier (it was an accident, I swear!), it seemed to be an even bumpier ride. Thankfully, these things never last long, and before we knew it, we were standing in the middle of an airport terminal.
It was complete chaos. Slade's robot henchmen ran rampant throughout the airport – there must have been hundreds of them. They attacked man and machine alike, never killing but always injuring, always hurting someone. They would pounce on people, stare at them in an intimidating fashion, and then move on. Raven and I looked at each other.
"This… sucks," I said simply.
"I couldn't agree more," Raven replied. She grabbed an android in mid-air with her telekinesis, a black field encompassing it, and tossed it lightly into a group of robots. The machines crumpled into their component parts. I grinned before remembering that I had a job to do to; I was a Titan, after all.
I turned my body into that of the ultimate anti-Slade machine; the Velociraptor. I screeched and pounced on a robot, tearing out its CPU with my talons, before leapfrogging to another robot and pulling off a similar tactic.
You see, the thing about these robots: They aren't very smart. You can pretty much use the same tactic on them over and over again until they die. Their only purpose was to tire us out, which they performed admirably. And as I leapt on a third one and Raven crushed a small group of them, I knew that this wouldn't be a hard mission, but a long and tiring one. I wondered if Slade was planning something.
Silly boy. Slade's always planning something. He's Slade. The ultimate arch-enemy. And apparently, now he kidnaps children.
I would have gasped if I had a voice box. The kids! I had to find them!
I swung around, tail whipping a robot into a hunk of metal. I darted my eyes around, looking for two important-looking children. In the mess of the airport as people continued to evacuate (or in some of our fans' cases, cheer us on), everyone from middle-American parents to business CEOs were flocking around.
Well, maybe they were Asian, like Misato. That narrowed it down to about… a whole bunch of people.
Well, they ARE kids, I bet, if she has to come get them. That's still a hella lot of people.
I turned around and ripped out a robot's "throat" out of spite. Raven almost casually tossed another robot through the air.
I turned into a human briefly and shook my head. "Dude, this is taking way to long! They'll find the kids before we-" I would have finished, had an explosion not rocked my world. I was thrown on my ass, and Raven on hers… and every single other person in the airport.
There was silence as I stood up uncertainly. Raven did the same, stared at the robots around her, and shrugged. I stepped around some from where I thought the explosion might have come from. I went up the escalator, went around a couple of robots, and rounded a corner.
It was then I saw them.
One of them was unconscious. A small trickle of blood came out of his mouth as he lay on the floor. His clothes were formal, like a school uniform. He looked about 15 or so – my age – and the satchel next to his side revealed something written in some foreign language. Most likely, it was Japanese.
The second one was standing up, her back to me. The first thing I noticed was the large sphere made of hexagons that seemed to encase them. Around the circle, robots were destroyed in various ways, almost as if they just threw themselves at the field. Looking closer, I noticed that in some cases the robot was in two halves, one of either side of the sphere.
It was like the sphere had cut them in two.
I then looked at her. From what I could see, she had short, Raven-length sky blue hair and pale skin. She also wore something akin to a school uniform; a blue dress and skirt. As I stared at her, the girl seemed to tense. I watched as she slowly turned and twisted her body, standing sideways to me.
A pair of crimson eyes looked at me from behind the field. They blinked once, twice, three times. And then, she raised her arm. The field concentrated into a single hexagon and propelled itself forward.
Forward, right into me.
To be Continued…
The Titans meet the Chosen, two children with an extraordinary ability; the power to control and move the Titan robots known as Evangelions. As Beast Boy and the others fight off Slade one more time, they learn a few of the shadow organization Gehirn's secrets through the children, and realize that there is something major going on. Next on Teen Titans: The Chosen – The Children/Evangelion
Disclaimer: I don't
own the Teen Titans, blah, blah, blah.
I don't own GAiNAX's
anime, and so on and so forth.
