Chapter 1
A green cheetah tore across Jump City, racing to help his friends. While on the run, he attempted to push the event that had occurred just minutes ago far from his mind, but his mad dash to the recycling plant did not clear his head, because Beast Boy was heartbroken. Something the schoolgirl had said was hitting him hard: "The girl you want me to be is just a memory." He had to shake off his anguish upon arriving at the plant, however, because he encountered his four friends embroiled in lethal combat with a giant, red-glowing monster.
Is that molten metal? Beast Boy wondered. Why isn't it...burning to death? This thing is more powerful and capable than I thought! Jumping into the fray, Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla and, grabbing a nearby crate full of steel scraps, threw it at the monster. The huge, heavy bucket of metal shards knocked the flaming creature back a ways, so Starfire took that opportunity to shoot her starbolts, which made it topple over. Robin then ran up to the scorching mass with his bo staff to hopefully render a final blow, but suddenly the monster melted right through the floor, leaving Robin to hit nothing but bare ground.
Like a chameleon, the monster, now composed of the floor's cement, stealthily came up through the ground on the other side of the room and slammed Cyborg across the recycling plant. Shaking off the monster's blast, Cyborg rose and began firing his sonic cannon once again. Raven, who was hovering nearby, took control of another heavy carton and hurled it at the distracted creature, but it jumped up onto the conveyor belt, smashing into her while doing so. As Raven fell backward from the impact, Starfire swiftly flew over and scooped her up just before gravity took its toll. This gave the monster a narrow window of time to leap out of the line of fire and cling to the ceiling, where it vanished as it merged with the roof.
"Come on!" Robin commanded as he sprinted outside through a gaping hole Cyborg had blown through the wall. The team scrambled through the rubble and out of the recycling plant, immediately scanning the perimeter for the monster, but there was no sign of it anywhere.
"Man, that was one hell of a fight," Cyborg panted, as Starfire kindly blasted away the random machine that had somehow managed to become attached to his back at some point during the battle.
"Yes, because the creature kept disappearing on us," Robin pointed out with bitter disappointment. "Since we have no idea where it truly is, even though it's most likely just hibernating in the roof somewhere, the computer in the Main Ops room is our sole option to locate it if it starts causing more trouble. In the meantime, we're going to need to uncover everything we can about this monster in order to find a way to defeat it." He paused and changed the conversation to one of gratitude. "I'm glad you came, Beast Boy. We might not have been so lucky if you hadn't shown up."
"Why wouldn't I?" the green Titan exclaimed. "Every Titan comes to the aid of his friends and teammates," he added humbly.
As they began making their way back home, not wasting any time, Robin started assessing the situation. "So we know that when this creature comes into contact with any material, it can immediately adapt to those properties, and when it merges with solid elements such as concrete, its superhuman strength increases exponentially. And then there's the problem of it combining with liquids and other elements, like molten metal, which seem to make the monster even more dangerous," he mused. "You know, my bo staff went right through its body when it took on the composition of oil, but it had no problem grabbing me the next second, as if it were solid. So, beating this creature at its own game is going to be no easy task."
"This creature is quite complex," Starfire agreed. "I have never observed such a distinct being in all of Tamaran. And yet, even though I have never seen one, this seems like it could be a Lufetahnese."
"Come again, Star?" Beast Boy asked. "In English, please."
"That was English," Raven mocked him. "But since you've never bought a book, let alone read one, you may be finding it difficult to follow along."
"This creature's abilities appear to parallel the legendary powers of the alien race, the Lufetahnese," Starfire clarified. "Tamaraneans and Lufetahnese have had a long and unfortunate history, dating back more than three millennia, when one of the past Grand Rulers of Tamaran and corresponding Kings of Lufetah became involved in a horrible dispute due to the Tamaranean Emperor supposedly insulting the Lufetahnese King. Ever since that day, the Lufetahnese have always greatly disliked my people, and we have been forbidden to come anywhere near their planet in order to prevent war."
"That monster did attack Starfire first when we originally encountered it on the street," Cyborg noted.
"But she just so happened to be the closest to the brick wall when it first materialized," Raven reminded them, "which means we don't know if it showed itself just because she was there. We also don't even know how or why it's here on Earth. If it actually is a Lufetahnese, do you really think it came all the way from its homeland just to attack Starfire? More than likely, it must have had some other reason to be on Earth, regardless of whether or not it's a Lufetahnese."
"What do you believe is this creature's purpose?" Starfire asked. "It does not seem to desire any currency or valuable objects from Earth."
"Some things just enjoy destruction," Robin replied coolly.
"Do you think someone could be ordering it around?" Raven suggested. "Maybe it's just an android being manipulated by someone who wishes us harm."
"We have not seen this creature steal or consume any nutrition," Starfire remarked thoughtfully.
"I've considered that," Robin said. "That's why I wouldn't be surprised if Slade were in on this, using the creature as a mere pawn in some new plan to destroy our city. Although, it does seem to be autonomous." Nobody protested his obsession that Slade could be in cahoots with this odd creature, even though his theory was unlikely. "We just don't have enough information about it yet to determine its origin. I mean, how many different planets and dimensions are there in the universe?" he asked rhetorically. "The possibilities are endless, as are its motives." Even with this last realization, Robin's eyes could be seen lighting up from under his mask. "But a good place to start is by gathering any information we can about the Lufetahnese, Star, because that's as good a place as any to start our research. A good resource is Emperor Galfore; he may be able to help. Let's send him a transmission about our current issue to see if we can figure out what this thing really is."
"Very well," she eagerly agreed, excited for any potential answers, and immediately began creating a video for her former guardian.
Upon arriving at the tower, the Titans came to stand in front of the living room's giant computer screen, scrutinizing the multiple pictures of their new enemy.
"How are we gonna beat a monster that merges with any and everything?" Cyborg complained. "And even if we could temporarily knock it unconscious to lock it up, it would eventually regain enough strength and combine with its prison cell and escape. It seems the only answer is to annihilate it."
"I've thought about how we could destroy it since the first time it attacked us," Robin replied, already compiling all the new data in the Main Ops computer that they had on the white monster. "But before we decide how to demolish it, first we just need to find a way to power it down. One of our best options would be to attack it with the opposite of whatever material it fuses with. For example, if it becomes fire, we should strike with water."
"An excellent proposal!" Starfire exclaimed.
"And maybe one of my spells could keep it from breaking out," Raven suggested. "I could look in my books for any magic that would cause the creature to remain trapped in a force-field. I've created temporary force-fields before; maybe there's one that can create a barrier that would keep it from coming into contact with the actual prison cell itself."
"Another excellent proposal!" Starfire encouraged.
As Robin continued typing in all the information they had gleaned from their most recent battle at the recycling plant, an alarm sounded. Starfire, still examining the photos with her friends, abruptly grabbed her T-Communicator and pressed a button, conjuring up the image of her former guardian.
"Greetings, Starfire," Emperor Galfore said. "Upon your request, I have completed an exhaustive research to the ends of Tamaran for any knowledge about this creature, and yet I have little to contribute, because sadly my age does not increase my wisdom on this topic. However, I do know that this creature does appear to have the mythical abilities of the Lufetahnese; but I know scarcely more than you or any other Tamaranean, for that matter, in regards to this alien race, because of our restricted access to their homeland.
"I am unable to present or describe an image, as I have never witnessed a Lufetahnese in all my years either. However, I have a few pieces of data that may be of assistance to you. Firstly, the Lufetahnese only speak with each other using telepathy. In addition, they are extreme when it comes to following the law, especially the rules involving Tamaraneans. These aliens, after sensing the presence of a Tamaranean in any of the quadrants within the restricted airspace, are to annihilate the foreign invader without even issuing a warning or attempting communication." Emperor Galfore's downturned mouth exposed that he was truly commiserating with Starfire about her inquiry. "These three facts are all I can supply to expand your knowledge. I wish you the best of luck on your quest." And with that, Galfore vanished.
"Well, if this monster really is a Lufetahnese, Emperor Galfore just explained why we haven't heard anything from it," Raven noted. "Because it fits the narrow description that we have to go on, by not attempting to communicate, its silence indicates that it may just be Lufetahnese after all."
"But why would any Lufetahnese wish to hurt me? I have not traveled anywhere even close to the Lufetahnese quadrants," Starfire pointed out.
"Do you think there could be a Tamaranean near Lufetah that is causing all this trouble?" Robin asked. "Unless this creature is some other species or an android, this seems to be the only logical reason it is attacking; maybe it thinks Starfire is a trespassing Tamaranean. We might have to search around Lufetah in order to confirm our suspicions. And sorry Star, but when we do, you'll have to stay back on Earth with Titans East; I don't want you getting unnecessarily attacked if it's trying to have it out with you."
A sound suddenly ripped through the tower for the second time in a matter of minutes. The computer, flashing and beeping, displayed live video stream of the east section of Jump City; the huge screen revealed a familiar creature racing through the perimeter. It was the white monster!
"Guess we'll have to wait," Robin declared. "Titans, go!"
Lufetah is pronounced, "Loof-tuh", and Lufetahnese is pronounced, "Loof-tuh-nese."
© 2018 imaginator1