The Scarlet Panda
"I was under the impression that the Creeper would be a bit more… creepy," Beast Boy said as a boy entered the underground lair. Robin was reminded of the Bat Cave more than anything in the Lair.
"Not funny," the boy, a few years younger than them, said surveying the five teen heroes. "I'm not the Creeper. He's off on a case." He tilted his head at the two floating girls. "How are you flying?"
"Telekinesis," Raven said.
"It's a power all Tamaranians possess," Starfire said.
"That might be a problem, but I'll wait until later to evaluate and explain," the boy said as he took a seat at the computer.
"Sam," the girl who had been flying the jet said looking over his shoulder as he typed. She was SP, the Scarlet Panda. Her real name was Amelia (Am for short) and though she was currently seventeen, she had first saved the world at the age of fifteen with a bit of help from her younger brother and best friend. Interestingly enough, she had been half-killed the spring before, only to awake in a sealed glass coffin ("Now I know what Snow White felt like" she said as she explained to them). Now, there were no major threats in the world that were known of, except, of course, Slade.
"Are you going to be able to help them find this dude?"
"You know, Am," Sam said, turning to look at her. "I don't know. Maybe you should get off my back." He turned back to the computer. After a few minutes of typing, a few images of the Earth appeared on the many screens above the computer's main screen.
"This," Sam said closing in on a spot on one of the screens. "Is Jersey at exactly 3:11 when you began falling through. See the hole in the sky?"
"That looks like the laboratory which held Slade's machine," Starfire said.
"That's because it is," Sam said. "I can't pinpoint exactly where this Slade is, but, I can tell you that 3:09, there was a similar hole in the city of Ashland." He closed in on a second hole, then a building next to the portal showing a reflection of a man falling.
"That's him," Robin said, gripping his hand.
"The thing is that I don't know how to create an inter-dimensional portal," Sam said. He looked at Cyborg with interest. "And, if I'm correct, our technology is different."
"Your technology certainly isn't behind," Cyborg said. "There are jets that can fly a three minute trip from southern Alabama to northern Indiana, which is certainly advanced. And I saw the controls, though I couldn't tell you how they worked."
"That's what I mean," Sam said. "Equal, but different. I'm assuming that Slade didn't come here unless he knew there was another inter-dimensional portal here or had the blue prints. I am unaware of any portals, though the computer is now scanning for any similar activities. But, even if he has the blue prints, the parts he might need might need to all be made by hand, which could take years."
"Wait a minute, ya'll," Cyborg said. "Are you saying I can't plug myself in to recharge? What am I going to do if my battery gets low?"
"We'll have to come up with a custom plug," Robin said. "But, until it starts to get low, we need to go after Slade."
"Off to… where was it that he landed, again?" Beast Boy asked Sam.
"Ashland."
"One problem," Raven said. Beast Boy looked at her. "We don't know where Ashland is."
"Not to mention Ashland is run by the villains," Am said. "It's the only city without a hero."
"That's about to change," Robin said.
"Mind giving us a lift?" Cyborg asked.
Ashland's uptown looked like the slums of Gotham City. Walking down the street with Am, who was now in costume, the Titans had trouble telling the difference between petty thieves and the true villains. The deciding factor was how fast they disappeared after spotting Am. If they ran into an alley immediately, they were most likely simple thieves.
Suddenly, a blast was heard, and Am dove into a Chinese restaurant out of the way of a net, which wrapped itself around Beast Boy and Raven who were right behind her.
"What the fuck," Beast Boy cried. For a moment, he realized how closely he was pressed up against Raven, before she used her powers to teleport outside the net. Beast Boy turned into a mouse and crawled out.
"Titans, go!" Robin yelled pointing a finger at a tall masked figure reloading his large gun.
"This ought to be interesting," Am said, watching as the five Titans ran at the large man.
Robin reached the man first. He made to kick the man, but the man simply swung his gun at Robin, disobeying every rule of fighting the Titans had ever had in Jump City. Robin was knocked against a building.
Starfire, angry at the man for hurting Robin, began throwing her firebolts at the man. He seemed to not notice.
"How about a sonic cannon blast," Cyborg said, shooting the man. This finally sent him flying backwards. Standing back up, he aimed his net blaster and shot it off, catching Cyborg in it.
Beast Boy turned into a tiger and charged at the man. He was ready when the large gun was swung at him, swinging a massive paw at it and knocking it out of his hand. As the man lunged for his gun again, Raven used her powers to pull it away from him.
Robin was back on his feet now and came ran after the man. Beast Boy, knowing that Robin was going to use him as a ladder, steadied his body and braced himself for the force of Robin pushing off his back. The man had just turned back to Robin and Beast Boy as Robin's powerful kick hit his head, throwing him off his feet. He landed with a loud thud, tried to get up, and collapsed on the asphalt again.
Am, who had amused herself with their show, suddenly saw a shadow in the alley she was next to. There was no way that someone would be spying on her for fear of being captured. And no one knew the Titans, so, even though they would be curious, they'd turn to newspapers and magazines before the undercover investigations.
Am could feel a pair of eyes on her and took a few steps into alley. She heard a buzz above her and jumped back, not so gracefully, as another of her enemies attacked. The Dragonfly flew at Am, her wings buzzing all the while. Am was thrown into the street from one of the Dragonfly's powerful punches.
"New friend," Starfire yelled, flying toward Am as the Dragonfly circled back down. "Are you injured?"
"Not a scratch," Am yelled as the Dragonfly landed in front of her. Once again, the Dragonfly made the first move, but this time, Starfire shot several firebolts, and against the Dragonfly they did the job she intended them to do, successfully stopping her target long enough for Am to land a kick at the Dragonfly's head, followed by knocking her legs out from under her.
"How did you get out of jail this time?" Am asked, indicating for Starfire to step closer and be prepared for the Dragonfly to get back to the fight any second.
In the shadows of the alleyway, Slade watched Am. "Perfect," he murmured to himself. "Yes, you will do quite nicely." With that, he slipped back fully into the shadows.
