Chapter Three

The toll of bells from a lone church within the sleeping city of Jump rang out through the cool clear sky. In the moonlight, near an unassuming backdoor at the base of the Wayne Enterprises building in lower downtown, a red laser streaked from the darkness and disabled a security camera. From the shadows of the alleyway emerged three teenage figures; Jinx, Mammoth and Gismo of the notorious H.I.V.E. Five. Gismo went to work hacking the door access panel with his electronic backpack. Within a few seconds, it unlocked. A warning light indicated power failure on the security console deep inside the building; but it was subdued before the guard on duty noticed. Slipping into the small red-lit hallway, the trio wasted no time disabling the remaining security cameras before accessing the solitary elevator at its end.

During their decent, Gismo again hacked into the security system, rerouting the controls to his pack. By this time three security guards, who protected a large vault that resided at the bottom of the shaft, noticed a loss of automatic security protocols and tried resolving the problem, but to no avail. Finally, the elevator arrived, announced by a classic chime. Instinctively, the guards prepared themselves for its occupants. The door opened to an empty car. The guards stood dumbfounded, until the wall above and adjacent to the door exploded. Mammoth lead the charge and tackled the closest guard, hurling him into the far wall. His attack was quickly followed by a flurry of hexes, courtesy of Jinx, which rendered the other guard's weapons useless. She then gracefully flipped out and landed in front of them, smiling.

Unable to fire on her, the guards tried melee attacks but instead tripped and watched their weapons crumble to pieces as they hit the ground. Mammoth grabbed them and lifted both above his head and slammed them together, knocking each out; after which, he flung them into a pile with the other. Gismo emerged last, using his arachnid-legs, and tried to access the vault controls but found it damaged by hexes. While he grumbled, Jinx winked to Mammoth, who grinned as she flung another barrage of hexes at the vault door. He then grabbed the door and using typical brute force ripped it out. After the door was thrown aside, the group prepared to reward their efforts; but as they entered, a horrifying sight befell them; for within its confines stood the Teen Titans.

"Look; it's been a long day," yawned Cyborg, "Just give up now so we can go home."

The trio just stood in disbelief.

"If you won't make the first move," began Raven as she disappeared into darkness.

"Then we will," she finished, reemerging behind them.

"Wait just one cruddy minute!" yelled Gismo finally, "How the snot did you guys get in there or even know we broke in!? I had every stinkin' security device disabled!"

"Does it really matter?" countered Robin.

"No, not really," agreed Mammoth.

"I count only three," remarked Starfire, "What happened to your H.I.V.E. Five?

"Cruddy Mother Mae-Eye happened," growled Gismo, "You guys owe us big time!"

"That was really low, especially for you guys," added Mammoth, "It's a fate worse than death. Seriously, how can superhero's get away with that?"

Beast-Boy began to snicker.

"Shut it, bunny-boy; we were lucky to escape!" yelled Jinx, "We haven't seen Private H.I.V.E. or SeeMore since. You guys went too far that time!"

"Are we done here?" moaned Raven, "It's not like you guys didn't have that coming."

"So I guess you won't give us the loot then?" asked Mammoth sarcastically.

"You're joking, right?" questioned Beast-Boy, "Hell-o? We are still the good guys here!"

"That's debatable," snorted Gismo.

"Kid's not too bright, huh?" remarked Mammoth to Jinx.

"He has his faults," replied Raven.

"It would best if you surrendered," suggested Starfire, her eyes now glowing green.

"I don't think so!" Jinx smirked defiantly.

Gismo launched a hell-storm of mini-missiles but Raven and Starfire destroyed most of them. Jinx flung hexes about the room as Mammoth smashed a large hole in the ceiling. Now concealed by smoke and dust, Gismo launched a set of flexible elastic metallic grappling lines up into hole. Jinx and Mammoth grabbed onto his backpack as it began to reel him up. Before the Titans could give chase, the vault room began to collapse. Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast-Boy grabbed the three guards while Raven and Robin went after the trio. Breaking into a stairwell, the three hastily made their way to the third floor. Kicking open the door, they ran in and blocked the entrance, trapping Robin inside the stairwell. The long hallway was windowless and lined with plain unassuming doors.

"This is just great!" complained Gismo, "Those noisy rotten Do-Gooding… I mean, I disabled every cruddy alarm! It was a perfect plan! We were so close!"

"Sock it!" warned Jinx, "We need to find a way out of here quick."

As she spoke, Mammoth slammed open one of the doors and went inside, finding janitorial items and a small window. He snorted in frustration.

"It's almost not worth the trouble," Raven sighed, emerging from the hallway floor in front of Gismo and Jinx, "You three are more vexing then you're worth."

While an explosion from behind marked Robin's entrance, Mammoth pulled Jinx and Gismo into the room and slammed the door. Without stopping, he charged the window at the end of the office, Jinx and Gismo under each arm. Crashing through, the three quickly saw the flaw his plan. The trio screamed as they plummeted to Earth. In the alleyway below, the other Titans took up positions as they fell towards a pile of crash; but just as the trio impacted, they suddenly vanished.

"Any of this seem odd to you?" sighed Cyborg after digging through the trash.

"I'm so confused," remarked Beast-Boy with a yawn, "And tired."

"It is indeed most perplexing," agreed Starfire.

"You got 'em?" asked Robin from the hole where the window was.

"Don't know how but they just vanished," reported Cyborg, "We so had them, too. Right in from of us and boom! Gone. It's like the street just swallowed them up."

This troubled and annoyed Robin greatly. Meanwhile, Jinx, Gismo, and Mammoth were sucked through earth before being spewed out onto a municipal baseball field in a dazed state. Slowly, they knocked the dirt from their ears before standing.

"Someone care explainin' what the crud just happened?" muttered Gismo.

"Where are we?" asked Jinx.

"Man, this is depressing," remarked Mammoth, "Even the ground treats us like dirt now."

"Then be grateful my information was outdated," said a hollow voice from the darkness, "But I think this failure was good; for your success with me is far more valuable."

The trio jumped and spun about as a dark figure emerged from the shadows.

"I am known as Subject: R-1-X," introduced Rex, "You may call me Rex. I have need of you for a covert data mining hack. In return, you will be rewarded handsomely."

"Hey guys, check out the Vader wannabe!" laughed Gismo, "The force is not strong with this one. Halloween's way over, dude!"

Mammoth and Jinx, however, did not find it so funny.

"Odd display of gratitude to your rescuer," remarked Rex sternly.

Gismo only stopped laughing after Jinx whacked him.

"So, what did you have in mind?" she inquired as Gismo muttered under his breath.

"Smart girl," complimented Rex, "My request is straightforward; hack into the Teen Titans mainframe and acquire all biographical information within their database."

"Ha, that'll be cake!" Gismo gloated, "I could do that with my eyes closed."

"The big setback is their defense grid around the island," informed Jinx.

"Not to mention our recent record against them is not doing well," added Mammoth.

"They will soon be at rest and the defense system will be a null issue," assured Rex, "Your primary concern will be to reframe from contact at all costs."

"What will Mammoth and I do?" questioned Jinx.

"Gismo will need protection if detected," told Rex, "You must not be discovered."

"So what's in it for us?" asked Mammoth.

"Yeah, we never work for free!" sassed Gismo.

"If your goals are achieved," explained Rex, slightly annoyed, "And you reframe from continuing your mindless banter, you'll have this waiting for you."

Rex lifted his right arm and before them arose from the earth a mound of cash, gold, and jewelry. The trio's eyes grew huge.

"Estimated value: 2.5US million," explained Rex, "Any questions?"

"When do you want us?" smiled Mammoth as Gismo and Jinx nodded.

"It will depend on the Titans," enlightened Rex as his retracted the bounty from view, "As planned, they should return to their home after failing to find you. Once they are asleep, you will commence the operation and complete your assigned task."

"One last question," asked Jinx, "How will we get there?"

"The same way you got here," informed Rex.

All three shuddered at the idea. Taking a moment, they huddled together.

"We'll do it!" announced Jinx, Gismo, and Mammoth with a smile.

"Then we shall proceed," nodded Rex, handing Gismo a small object, "Take this optical disk and collect the data on it. Since you have time; I suggest resting for the moment."

Rex then disappeared, leaving the trio alone in the park. With nothing better to do, the three soon fell asleep in the stands of the municipal baseball park. Dreams of copious wealth danced through their heads as Rex reemerged a few hours later. He paused to watch them momentarily before tapping loudly on the metal bleachers, causing the trio to jump and wake up, quite startled.

"The time is now," announced Rex while the three begrudgingly descending onto the field, "Sources tell me you three once occupied Titans Tower; I'll trust you will know what to do. Again, your objective is data recovery. Do not fail me."

Before anyone could speak, the trio was once again sucked into the earth.

"You are a hard man to find," remarked a feminine Tamaranean voice from behind, "Though I see you made some friends."

Rex turned around to find Blackfire emerging from the shadows.

"I found a clue to my past," he replied in kind, "But I need more information."

"Has my letter been received?" inquired Blackfire.

"It has," confirmed Rex.

"Good; hope it did not cause you too much trouble," added Blackfire.

"It led me to this clue," informed Rex, "I should thank you for the opportunity."

"Guess things just work out sometimes," smiled Blackfire, "Life is funny that way."

Meanwhile, Jinx, Gismo and Mammoth found themselves spat out at the base of Titans Tower. Slowly, they stood up, knocking dirt from their ears.

"Where now?" asked Mammoth quietly as the sky hinted dark shades of blue.

"Gotta find a utility room," whispered Gismo, "Should be one a couple stories up."

"How do we get up there?" inquired Jinx.

"This way," smiled Mammoth as he lifted her up onto his shoulders.

He then began to climb, using the spacing between the tower panels for grips. Gismo extended his arachnid-legs and followed. Once they reached the right level, Gismo went to work prying open a smaller service panel. Inside was a small darkened room with various service ports to the tower mainframe and telecommunication wiring. While Mammoth closed the service panel, Gismo accessed one of the computer ports and began to hack he way in while Jinx watched the door leading to the interior of the tower.

"Sucka… alarm system disabled and all evidence of our presence erased," smiled Gismo, "Vader-boy was smart to exploit the proximity flaw. When will Cyborg learn?"

While he went to work, Jinx decided to take a peek beyond the door. Finding no one about the hallway, she began to snoop about. While creeping around, she was suddenly startled to hear a door open behind her. She immediately ducked behind a nearby corner. Peeking around, she was surprised to see Cyborg walk out; though he appeared to be sleepwalking. Intrigued, she decided to trail him. He clumsily made his way into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out a sandwich while Jinx hid in the shadows. Memories of her time with Stone soon flooded her mind. As he ate, she slowly crept closer, until finally leaning on one end of the countertop. Cyborg washed down his late night meal with a cool bottle of root beer, before finishing with a modest belch. Jinx giggled without thinking, before gasping and quickly covering her mouth.

"Ji-Jinx? What're you doin' up?" asked Cyborg, looking rather guilty and embarrassed.

Jinx was beside herself with fear and confusion, "Who? Huh? What? Me? Up?"

"Yeah," said Cyborg, groggily, "Don't you know we gotta test tomorrow?"

At first, she did not know what to make it; then she realized he was still sleepwalking.

"Umm, yes I-I do; but-but the better question is, why are you up?" she faked.

"I get hungry when I'm nervous," explained Cyborg.

"About what, Stone?" Jinx inquired, "You always ace tests."

"Well, since you're here," blushed Cyborg, fidgeting with his fingers, "I-I was won-wondering if you'd like to go to the H.I.V.E. prom with me."

Jinx turned bright red.

"I understand if you've already found someone else," assured Cyborg, scratching the back of his head.

"Yes-yes, I'd love to!" she answered with a nervous grin.

Cyborg smiled jovially, "Sweet. So, umm, what time did you wanna meet?"

Jinx, now overcome by long buried emotions, walked over to him and took his hands in hers. Standing on her toes, she looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, Stone; for giving me one more chance," she sighed.

Without another thought, she closed her eyes and softly kissed him. Time stopped. Tears stained her cheeks as she slowly loosed her lips from his. Realizing her predicament and unable to control her emotions any longer, Jinx ran off, leaving Cyborg utterly speechless in his dreamlike stupor. She found an isolated corner to pull herself together. Meanwhile, Mammoth had become concern about her prolonged absence and began searching for her. He found her crouched near the utility room, drying her eyes.

"There you are; what the hell have you been doing?" demanded Mammoth quietly until he heard her sniffle, "Hey, what's wrong? You've were gone for quite a while."

"Nothing," assured Jinx, standing up, "I was checking the area for anyone awake and just got something in my eyes. I'm fine."

Mammoth raised an eyebrow, not convinced by her story, "Right… okay, then. Anyway, Gismo's almost done; better head back before we get caught."

Jinx nodded and followed him back. When they returned, Gismo had just completed downloading the last of the data.

"Cruddy archaic system," murmured Gismo as his comrades entered, "And where have you been? You're supposed to be guarding me!"

"Keep it down," rebuffed Jinx, "You got the goods?"

"Yeah, yeah; took long enough," reemphasized Gismo, "Let's get the crud outta here."

Gismo was the first out, followed shortly by Jinx, who sat atop Mammoth's shoulders. He then resealed the access panel before following the others down. Once on the ground, the trio watched as the sky grew brighter as dawn was about to brake.

"Where's our ticket outta here already?" grumbled Gismo, "Sith Lord Wannabe…"

As if on cue, the three were once more pulled through the depths of the earth. Back in the Tower kitchen, Cyborg still stood dumbfounded in his catatonic state.

"Hey, Cyborg," greeted a drowsy Robin, grabbing a glass of water.

Once finished, he finally noticed Cyborg's lack of movement.

"Umm, Cy? Hello?" called Robin, poking him several times.

After a moment, he finally woke up.

"Wha… Robin?" muttered Cyborg, "Where am… what's going on?"

"You tell me," shrugged Robin, "You're the one standing in the kitchen."

Cyborg looked around and finally realized where he was.

"Man; guess it was a dream," he mumbled to himself, "But it felt so real."

"Looks like you were sleepwalking," concluded Robin, "You'd better get back to bed."

"Yeah, I guess so," agreed Cyborg, still very confused.

As he and Robin returned to their rooms, on the other side of town, the trio had arrived back at the baseball park, knocking still more dirt from their ears.

"I'll never get use to that," muttered Mammoth.

Jinx and Gismo agreed.

"You took longer than expected," announced Rex, emerging from the earth behind them, "But I see you got the job done."

"Yeah, yeah, keep your mask on!" sassed Gismo, removing the mini-disk from his backpack and tossing it to him, "Here ya go. Now where's our payment?"

"After I verify the data," rebuffed Rex, catching the disk.

Tapping the back of his head, he proceeded to place the disk into a concealed drive slit that opened. The trio gawked in disbelief. Rex paused for a moment, then raised his right hand and revealed the payment beside them.

"You have done well," he praised, "This is exactly what I need."

Gismo, Jinx and Mammoth still stood wide-eyed and befuddled.

"You-you aren't human, are you?" stuttered Mammoth.

"Genetically, I am quite human," countered Rex, "Admittedly, I am no longer merely human; but that is none of your concern. Your payment awaits; please enjoy."

When they finally saw their reward, their fear was forgotten and immediately dove in; but after a short time, Jinx began to lose her enthusiasm. Though now covered with jewelry, 

she left her comrades and found a secluded spot on the bleachers to sit, looking rather beside her self. Rex, who had been assimilating the data, watched her wondered off.

"My dear, why the long face?" he inquired, walking over.

"It's nothing," sighed Jinx, keeping her eyes towards the ground.

"Placing such effort into nothing is not wise," countered Rex, "But I know what this is really about."

Jinx looked up, confused and slightly embraced.

"I watched what progress I could from afar," informed Rex, "You almost compromised the mission; but do take heart. He likely shares feelings for you; however, if you are to awaken your sleeping prince, you will have to redefine what is truly important."

Jinx was struck by his words and nodded with a cautious smile.

Walking back, he addressed the others, "I suggest leaving before sunrise."

"Okay; sure; fine; whatever!" sassed Gismo.

"Hey, where'd you get all this stuff?" asked Mammoth, "Kind of looks familiar."

"Such questions are better left unasked," enlightened Rex, "Ado."

With that, he descended into the earth, leaving the trio to their whims. By now, dawn had come to Jump City. At the Wayne Enterprises building, construction crews had already arrived and began stabilizing the stricken structure. Out in the bay, Titans Tower basked in the growing warmth of the rising sun.

"WHAT!?" yelled Cyborg, shaking the tower, "I can't believe this! That's impossible!"

"What's going on?" asked Robin as he raced into Cyborg's room, "What happened?"

"We got hacked!" cried Cyborg as he franticly raced through pages of data displayed on a built-in screen on his bedroom wall.

"Dude, what's with all the yelling?" asked Beast-Boy with a yawn, "Too early for this…"

"I heard Cyborg's pain filled cries; is he not well?" asked Starfire, following Beast-Boy.

"Looks like we've be hacked," informed Robin, "Not sure by whom."

"And they did it from inside the tower!" growled Cyborg, "How did this happen!? They even erased all my security surveillance files! Aw, man, this is bullsh…"

"Calm down, Cyborg," encouraged Robin, "Just breathe."

"I Am Calm!" snapped Cyborg.

"Can someone tell me why we're all standing in Cyborg's room?" asked Raven groggily.

A short time later, the Titans regrouped in the operations den. Cyborg combed through the mountain of digital data on the big screen while the others watched and waited for his analysis. Beast-Boy passed out on the large red couch while Raven made herself tea.

"Okay, listen up," began Cyborg, "Looks like whoever did this came in through one of the outer service panels into a utility room and plugged into the access port, which they used to hack into the system. Strange, it's like they already knew the layout of the tower."

"What about the island sensors?" Robin asked.

"That's what I don't get," replied Cyborg, "Nothing was detected entering the island. The security system was turned off only after they were insi… aw; don't do this to me…"

Everyone looked at Cyborg, who about sank in his seat.

"I know who did this," muttered Cyborg, "…Gismo."

The Titans were shocked.

"But how?" asked Robin, "And why?"

"I can explain the why, I think," informed Cyborg, "He copied all our personal data files and did the same to the whole database; criminals, allies, contacts, everything! The how, however, may lie in this..."

Cyborg enlarged the symbol on the screen; it was a torn Scathe mark.

"R-1-X!" growled Raven.

"It's obvious he wanted us to find this," remarked Robin, "Question is, why?"

"He's gathering intelligence," snarled Raven, "No good can come from this."

"Slow down there, Raven," advised Cyborg, "Isn't like Gismo did any permanent damage; surprisingly. Everything else seemed to be untouched and secure."

"Look, we don't time for this," countered Raven, "He has a direct connection to my father though that symbol. He's not here to help anyone. If we do not get some real answers soon, he'll become more dangerous to us than Slade!"

"I have to agree with Raven," concurred Robin, "If his connection to Trigon run that deep, then he cannot be trusted."

"So what do we do?" asked Beast-Boy with a yawn, "Search the city aimlessly looking for someone from a B-rated movie?"

"You got a better idea?" asked Robin.

"Friends!" implored Starfire, "We must be unified in our resolve to uncover the truth."

"Starfire's right," relented Robin, "Look, every major challenge we've faced blindsided us because we ignored the warning signs. I say it's high time we go on the offensive. Now we'll make the first move. Sweep the city from top to bottom. Titans, GO!"

With a little effort by some, the Titans scattered to the far parts of Jump City. Robin explored the downtown rooftops as Cyborg scanned the streets in the T-Car. Beast-Boy combed the alleyways and sewers. Starfire flew over the suburbs while Raven checked the industrial district. The search continued until noon. Meeting at the downtown pizzeria, they regrouped to compare notes and enjoy some lunch.

"Didn't find anything," informed Cyborg, before devouring a whole large pizza, "Mmm, good pizza; but I did think of some ways to upgrade our security systems."

"I think I found how R-1-X got Gismo's interest," added Robin, "Checked in with Wayne Enterprises; seems someone managed to still steal a hefty amount from the vault."

"How?" asked Cyborg, "The vault was totaled and almost took out the entire building."

"I don't know," admitted Robin, "But over half the vault's content is missing. We know Gismo, Jinx, and Mammoth didn't take any. Just seems too coincidental."

Cyborg began pondering about the previous night but could not draw any conclusions. Before he could say something, a large explosion from street level shook the pizzeria, knocking all to the floor. Scrambling up, the Titans leapt into action, descending to the street below. There they found a large pack of mechanical wolves, headed by none other than Johnny Rancid. He rode a larger, newer bike that resembled the rest of the pack.

"Welcome to the hunt, kiddos!" greeted Johnny with a smile, "You shoulda known the Pin couldn't hold me down! Now feel the wrath of my wolf pack!"

On his command, the pack of ten launched a salvo of mini-missiles before splitting into attack pairs. The Titans scattered to dodge the incoming volley but were caught off guard by the speed of the wolves and became surrounded. Beast-Boy morphed into his own Canis lupus and returned the unfavorable growls while his comrades circled up.

"We don't have time to deal with you, Johnny!" snorted Robin, "Titans, GO!"

Cyborg led off with a couple rounds from his sonic cannon at two of the wolves. Starfire took to the air and fired a barrage of star-bolts towards two more. Robin whipped out his boomerangs and hurled them another two. Raven invoked 'Azarath, Metrion, Xinthos' and hurled manhole covers at three wolves. Beast-Boy went in headfirst at the last wolf for a jugular bite but found its metallic skin far too tough. The wolf shook him off and began its counterassault. Getting up, he shifted into an Alaskan Grizzly and tackled the wolf. Meanwhile, Cyborg found himself up to his elbow in trouble. His wolves had made a pincer attack before trying to swallow both arms. He just chuckled, firing both sonic cannons that hurled both into opposite buildings. Johnny just snorted.

Starfire found her wolves' attempts to make her a chew toy unappealing. Fed up with their lack of cooperation, she lifted them over her head and slammed them on the asphalt. Using his lance, Robin kept his wolves at bay until he could fling his explosive disks into their mouth. The explosions destroyed their heads, leaving the limp bodies to collapse onto the ground. Tired of playing 'whack-a-wolf', Raven forcefully removed her wolves' power unit with her black auras. She then collected the other disabled wolves and dumped them in front of Johnny. Beast-Boy finally turned the odd against his wolf by employing some Jurassic muscle. Taking the form of a Tyrannosaurus, he crushed it with his foot before taking half in his mouth and ripping it apart. The two halves were flung back at Johnny.

"Not bad for round one," he admitted, "But round two has just begun!"

As he spoke, the humbled mass of metal began to shake and quiver. Covered in what appeared to be a massive electrical discharge, the pile reshaped itself around his bike. Johnny laughed as the mass transformed his bike into huge mechanical wolf.

"How do you like me now!?" Johnny smirked.

As the Titans regrouped, the earth beneath them rumbled to life. Asphalt and earth fused as two might jaws grew up and around Johnny and his mega-wolf. While confused at first, he screamed in terror as the snout finally clenched shut. The Titans did not know what to make of it. As the maw receded, Johnny was slowly expelled in cataleptic shock, shaking uncontrollably and muttering incoherently. Behind him emerged a dark form, shrouded by a cloud of dust. As the veil faded and settled, a petite blond-haired figure slowly appeared. It was Terra.