The Teen Titans

in

"Dead End Countdown"

Chapter One: "Every Story Must Have a Beginning..."

Disclaimer: The usual stuff applies here - I don't own any of the characters being used here; they are the property of Marvel Comics and DC Comics, along with (in some incarnations) the WB and Cartoon Network, as well as Sony Entertainment. Most of the concepts being used here are as well not mine, but borrowed or recycled from older comic book storylines and plots from years gone by, as well as more recent fare. I'm just borrowing everyone from their respective owners to tell this story.

Author's Note: As in the past, this story borrows the concepts, characters, plot, and setting of JB Writer's Arachnophobia/Duality series, this entry (written by me) meant to fit in between them and hopefully explain some of the plot of both that led to where things left off there (hopefully JB will finish it one day, and we'll see if I was right), with myself adding more characters from both companies (and others) for the purpose of this particular entry. Also, I will be incorporating some of the mythology/backstory of the more recent Marvel animated series, such as Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes and the newest show, Spectacular Spider-Man.


"So....whatcha doin'?"

Raven sighed as she continued to pack the backpack before her, filling it up with a number of books on her area of expertise - the mystical arts, the study of demons, and like topics - while having to deal with the 'childlike' curiosity of her new boyfriend, who was currently hanging from the ceiling of the sorceress' room on a thin strand of webbing. "I told you this already. I'm going over to the university to help with a course on Demonology."

"Why?"

"Because I was invited by a new professor, who was brought in by the new sponsor to the university, and frankly, I find his thesis interesting. A bit flawed, and lacking the understanding of at least half of od the demonic underworld, but still...interesting."

"Is that that thing you were reading a few days ago and kept pushing me out every time I came in?" Spider-Man regarded the pale girl with a curious look on his face, though that was only vaguely visible due to his mask.

"Yes, that 'thing'. I don't know who the sponsor is yet, but Robin told me earlier the team has an invite to see him for an awards ceremony."

"Cool...wait, another one?"

"Yeah, tell me about it..." The girl mused softly, shrugging as she finished packing, and slid the bag on her back, adjusting her cloak so that she was reasonably comfortable. "Anyway, it's someone big out of New York. What used to be your New York."

"Really? Huh."

"Anyway, I have to be going. I'll call you when I get there, okay?"

"Sure, Rae-Rae! I'll leave my cell on for you."

"With an amused smile, Raven floated up into the air, and phased through her window, and began to fly into the city, while the love-struck arachnid hero dropped to the floor, and walked out of the darkly decorated room, and headed to the main area of the tower, to fix himself a sandwich. As he entered, he came into the tail end of a conversation he probably should've been there for.

"...Osborn wants us to be at the Jump University this afternoon, to attend at an awards ceremony for the local heroes." The first word caught Spider-Man's attention, his previously-cheery mood dropping into the lowest pit he could imagine, quickly turning to face Robin, the speaker.

"Di-did you just say Osborn? Which Osborn?"

"I think his name is Norman Osborn, head of a prestigious New York company--"

"–Called Oscorp, I know." Spider-Man spoke with a heavy sigh, and leaned against the counter, sliding down to the floor, while Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg looked at one another, and then to Robin, and then to the red and blue clad hero. "He's the father of my best friend Harry..."

"Oh, what wonderful news!" Starfire began, cheerily.

"...and he's also the craziest, most twisted, depraved person I've ever known. He likes to spend his nights in green and purple body armor with a green fright mask riding a metal bat and throwing bombs shaped like pumpkins."

"...Um, what?" That left Starfire at a lack of words.

"He's really a supervillain named the Green Goblin...and an old 'playmate' of mine. You want a comparison example to a guy you know? He's like your old 'pal' Slade and Lex Luthor rolled into one...only crazy as a cat on a hot tin roof. He's probably moving out here to get at me...."

"Why is that, friend Peter?" Starfire asked, before Robin nodded knowingly.

"Just like Slade has that fixation with you guys, ol'Gosborn has an obsession with me. Namely with either beating me to an inch of my life, or making me his sidekick. He's just the right mix of crazy obsessed and stinking filthy rich to get away with it, too. Even when he gets 'outed', he just blows a nice big wad of cash and everyone forgets and he gets away with it. I can't tell you how many lives he's ruined in his desire to get revenge on me for always stopping him....and Raven's on her way to the university! Damn!" With that, Spider-Man hopped up from the floor, and, almost frantically, bolted out of the room, with the other Titans on his heels.

"Spider-Man, wait! We should go in together!" Robin called out, managing to catch up to the other teen hero, and grasped his shoulder. "If this guy is really as bad as you say he is, it'd make more sense to go in as a team! This could be exactly what he wants!"

With a sigh, the arachnid hero nodded, and slowed down, looking back to the team leader with a tilt of his head. "What do you have in mind?"

"We'll take the T-car and my R-cycle, and drive into the city as a group. Maybe he won't try anything if we're together, considering he doesn't know us."

"Sounds like a plan," Cyborg piped in, nodding a bit himself and punching his right hand with his left fist.

"Indeed. We should get to Raven's side as quickly as possible, friends, in order to see that she comes to no harm." This came from Starfire, who was just as worried as Spider-Man about their friend's safety.


While the Titans were mobilizing into the city, Raven was already at the university, having teleported herself there to get quicker near the end, and arrived at the office of Doctor Mason Macendale, a supposedly-renowed paranormal professor and expert on the demons that had once inhabited Spider-Man's world, before it became one with the Titans', and caused massive upheaval in the underworld. Raven had been invited by the university seemingly to help this professor in his research with the other half of the 'new' demonic underworld...though why anyone would want to know this information was beyond her. There was just a sudden upswing in the interest in the demonic, and Raven felt the strange need to do her part...especially when she had been asked by certain other superheroes to lend her help. Zatanna, for one, had been working with this doctor, and if the resident magician of the Justice League saw no problem with this, then what else could the Titans' resident goth girl do?

She phased through the wall of the professor's office at the university, and looked around, seeing a large room with a desk with a computer on it, and several large bookshelves full of arcane and more modern texts on the subjects he was teaching, finding herself impressed by it all, regardless of how 'human' it was. The grey girl waited patiently for the man to show, and wasn't disappointed after another five minutes (give or take), when the man of the hour stepped in, looking like the modern academic, so to speak (as popularized by Nicholas Cage, Tom Hanks, and in the past, Harrison Ford), and carrying with him an attache case full of papers. He had long dark hair, a pair of glasses on, and casual clothing with a sports jacket on over it.

"Ah, Raven, correct? Wonderful." He said, smiling, nodding as he motioned for her to take the seat in front of his desk, while he sat behind it. "I was awaiting your arrival...I would've been here sooner, but I had business to take care of with the university's new benefactor..."

"That's fine, Doctor. As long as you explain again why exactly you need this information."

"It's fine. It's a rather personal issue, but I feel I can explain it to you super heroes, and that you'd understand why I'm doing this. My brother, Jason, some time ago, made a deal with a demon named N'astirh, because he was at a low point in his life, and was fooled into making this deal by his so-called friends...and became a monster. I've been trying to help him find peace and free him from his curse and give him back his humanity."

"I see...it's definately a noble gesture, if somewhat....unattainable."

"I know. Everyone I've seen have been telling me this...but it's also my goal to educate the youth of today into not making the same mistakes as my misguided brother." The professor nodded as he spoke, leaning back in his chair a bit. "I think that too is a noble effort."

"I don't know if I entirely agree with you, but I can't fault you for trying," Raven said, blinking, thinking on her own nature and her 'destined fate' as the daughter of Trigon...and the now-hopeful prospects of avoiding that future. "Just let me know what I can do to help."

"Certainly. I was thinking of starting with--" While he spoke, there was a sudden commotion from the outside, mostly from the students outside gathering around...something.

"Oh no...don't tell me..." Raven groaned as she stood up and walked over to the window, her worst fears realized - the crowd of students had gathered around the Titans, who were, good-naturedly, trying to get out of the mess they'd landed in, so to speak, and were also trying to locate Raven. With a sigh, she floated out of the office window and hovered above them, blinking a few times with an exasperated look on her face. "What is it, guys? Honestly...I told you I was going out. You couldn't leave me alone for an hour?" Everyone else on the team pointed to Spider-Man, who had an air of worried embarassment about him.

"Well...I..." He began, before he heard something that made his blood run cold and his body stiffen.

"So you're the Teen Titans. Wonderful. You came early." The voice was smooth, suave, cultured, and came from a middle-aged man with his red hair in a distinctive style, close to his scalp, and wearing a black business suit with a matching tie, shoes, and a wine colored shirt. "Hello, Spider-Man. It's good to see you again." Raven, for her part, suddenly felt very uncomfortable without realizing it at first, until she pinpointed what it was exactly she was feeling - hate. Pure, raw, violent hate. Coming from someone she never thought capable of that emotion - Spider-Man.

"Hello...Norman." The teen hero said, growling, teeth gritted as he eyed his long-time nemesis. It seemed that the hate between the two was one-sided, but anyone with half a brain could see the smirk, the smug look of superiority on the older man's face, and the calculating, cold gleam in his eyes that there was something dark to this man. Something sinister. Something...familiar, on very Slade-ian proportions. "It's....nice...to see you again." He returned, with that growl still in his voice, which Osborn pretended to ignore.

"And you must be Robin, yes?" The seemingly-friendly businessman took the Titans' leader's hand and gave it a firm, professional shake, with Robin forced to return the gesture in a similar fashion, and force a smile out of uneasiness. This man had a peculiar aura, familiar to anyone who knew criminal masterminds, even if he didn't come across as an actual villain. Then again, a good Wall Streeter could count as a villain too in some circles...but Robin could tell there was more to this man than he let on, due to the strength he was casually displaying in the shake. "Wonderful, wonderful people. You do a good job, and I'm glad you five have Spider-Man with you. He's a very helpful young man, if underappreciated."

"Yes, we're...glad to have him." Robin replied, desperately unsure of what to say now, and finding contact with this man even more unsettling than with that of Lex Luthor or even Jump's infamous-if-deceased criminal overlord Slade Wilson.

"Indeed. And this must be the charming Starfire...the alien princess from a far away world...indeed, a very charming girl." Osborn offered his hand to Starfire, who nervously took it and gave it a shake, a firm one for her...and was surprised by the resiliency of the normal-appearing human, considering he didn't even budge at the surprising amount of pressure she had inadvertantly put on the businessman's hand.

"Thank you...I think," she replied, shakily, also feeling that unpleasant vibe Osborn was giving off to the team leader. In time, Norman shook hands with the other members of the team, before turning to Raven. And there it was. The empath could feel the corruption, the evil, the pure insanity of this man as he regarded her with what was a kind smile, but to her was more predatory than Osborn thought he was giving off. She nearly backed away in a blind terror, but stood her ground and returned the shake as she continued to levitate from the ground, but after releasing his hand, she quickly floated behind Spider-Man and took cover, the more timid side of her nature coming out...

"Well, well...I didn't know this. You make a fine couple," he said, in a pleasant manner, but one the six teen heroes before him found threatening and disturbing. The man knew it as well for, for a moment, his smile and the glint in his eyes turned cruel, and he chuckled. "The ceremony's not for an hour, at least. Perhaps you'd like a tour of the campus, or attend to your own business...I believe Raven is helping with a new teacher's curriculum, isn't she?"

"Y-yes, that's right..." The pale girl said, somewhat unsettled by this strange man, and that ever-present smile, just as Doctor Macendale came out from his building, and joined the ever-growing crowd that had built up around the Titans and Norman.

"And here's the man of the hour now. How's your work been going, Doctor Macendale?" The businessman's attention was now taken up by the new professor, and the two made small-talk, while the Titans moved away a bit, and began to talk amongst themselves.

"See what I mean? The man's off his nut," Spider-Man said to the other five, his eyes narrowed behind his mask (and his mask lenses having narrowed somewhat themselves). "This is why I don't like being here."

"But if you're right about him - and I'm very sure you are - we can't just leave him here to do what he likes," Robin said, firmly, while Starfire fidgeted a bit.

"But friends, I do not like this man. He gives me what you humans call 'the creeps'. Like a Unthar at night on Tamaran. It is most disquieting." she said, finally, biting her lower after speaking.

"I hate to admit it, but this dude is SERIOUSLY creepy. And I thought Slade was bad," Cyborg said, shivering a bit and looking back for a moment at the still-chatting Osborn and Macendale.

"Man, just when I thought we were gonna have some time off...now we got a new criminal mastermind to deal with? Dude," Beast Boy said, the green changeling's ears drooping as he sighed in dismay.

"Raven, I don't know if you should be here right now," Spider-Man spoke again, the goth in question practically clinging to him for a few moments, before regaining her composure and sighing loudly.

"I made a commitment, and it's not like this guy can get the drop on me...if it was that easy, I'd be dead already..." She said, in reply, while her love shook his head again.

"This guy's INTENSE. He's only like the guys you know in the loosest sense. He's a whole new kind of 'off the rails' for you guys, trust me. He's crazy enough that he has imitators. You can't say that about most of your villains."

"Spider-Dude does have a point there, guys," Beast Boy said, sighing again. "It's not like we've got Slade copy-cats running around and doing their best to rip him off...unless you count all those darn robots he has."

"Yeah, Spidey's right; we have a lot of oddball villains, and our share of big cheese types, but never any outright copycats..." Cyborg added, his one human eye blinking as he spoke. "We really should treat this carefully...we don't want anything t'happen to you, Rae."

The goth blushed a bit at the shows of concern from her friends - or maybe it was from the crushing pressure of Starfire hugging her getting to her, as the alien princess had indeed latched onto her best friend, hugging her tightly out of concern - and managed to shrug a bit. "Look, guys, I'll be fine. If it helps, you can stick around and watch out for me, and we'll all leave together at the end of the ceremony."

"That works for me," Robin said, smiling a bit, while everyone else nodded. Spider-Man took a deep breath, sighing, and nodded as well.

"Alright, we'll play it this way. I'll know if there's anything wrong anyway, and I won't be too far away." As Starfire released Raven's torso, the wallcrawler's red-gloved hands took Raven's into his, and squeezed them tenderly.

"I'll be fine, Peter, really," she said, very softly, so that only the Titans would hear, and leave Osborn out of it, as he seemed to be far too engrossed in his conversation with his new employee.

"I know...'cause I'll be watching over you all day, pretty lady," he said in a soft, almost goofy manner, prompting (at least in Raven's head) a giggle.

And with that, without even fully realizing it, the Titans began on their newest adventure.


End Notes: And so ends the first chapter of yet another fanfic. I do this a lot, but I'm planning on working on all of them, for those that still care. This is just my first effort at getting back into the swing after graduating/convocating from my university. If you have any questions, by all means, review, or leave me an email. Thanks very much for all the support, my good friends.