Meanwhile, back at the Titans' training facility, deep underground in their training course's level, the 10 trainees from before were still all traversing the rock quarry territory of their training course. Although, it should probably be noted that only six of them were actually walking; Golden Eagle, Redwing, Cassie and Whirlwind were all flying for most of the way. Still, the airborne four remained close to the group, which actually allowed them all to start talking with each other at this point; to a certain degree, that is, at any rate.
"So, here we all are; on the same final exam with each other and aiming for the same target" said Scarrol, right before she let out a nervous chuckle, in an attempt to start a conversation
"Sure is an interesting twist of fate, wouldn't you guys all agree, hehehe…?" said Green Seed in an attempt to help Scarrol out with her conversation starter
"Yeah, I guess so…" said Protector, finally joining into the talk "… except, I-I-I can't help but wonder what Fixit meant by 'advanced defense system' when he said it, ya know? I mean, w-w-what, exactly, did he mean by 'impossible for one trainee to accomplish this course on their own strength and abilities', huh? I need more specifics than that, ya know…?"
"Hmm, well, I just assumed that he meant that we couldn't use our powers to complete the course really fast, to be perfectly honest" said Cassie, also joining in "But, so far, our powers seem to be working just fine down here, at least from where I'm standing, er, floating, hehehehe…"
"Ahh, I'll bet that they were just trying to psyche us out with all of that bologna" said Redwing rather confidently "Ya know, try to trick us into doing this course the hard way, when we could finish it all up in a heartbeat? In fact, I'll prove that it's all just bologna; I'll fly right over this stupid rock quarry and that big ol' forest way up ahead and bag both of those dumb old flags. Haha, I can just feel that Titans' Communicator in my hand right about now, haha, later teammates…"
Redwing began to fly upwards very fast after all of that, and while she did, Protector called out to her and said-
"B-but, hey, wait, what-what are the rest of us supposed to do when you're done?"
"Mmm, not really my department, kid, you figure it out, later…" said Redwing, rather arrogantly, as she continued to fly upwards
But while she proceeded to do so, Ravager just stood there with her arms crossed and said to herself-
"Three, Two, One…"
-rather nonchalantly, after sighing to herself in much the same tone of voice, almost as if she was expecting something to happen. And, as it would turn out, just as soon as Ravager's countdown was finally finished, something did indeed begin to happen. For you see; the second Redwing reached a certain height, the sound of some sort of device beginning to power up could be heard, and when Redwing took notice of that, she stopped in midflight, only to be zapped by something that she couldn't see and then, forced back down to the ground with the rest of the group. It probably would have been worse, if Cassie hadn't caught her when she did. But, once the two of them finally were back on the ground with the others; Cassie immediately dropped Redwing down onto the cold, hard ground, so that she could receive some pretty nasty looks from the rest of her group, much to her mild embarrassment, I should probably add as well.
"Huh, apparently; the 'advanced defense system' that both Cyborg and Fixit mentioned earlier wasn't complete bologna after all…" said Ravager, rather sternly "…which means; we won't be relying on the power of flight to get through this particular final exam. And, uh, that actually makes me start to wonder; does anyone else here have any other special abilities that we should probably put to the test before we start to rely on them for this particular ordeal, um, any other ones at all, um, anyone…?"
"Hmm, well, I do have one, particular special ability that I could try…" said Lilith Clay aka Omen "…but, (scoffs) I highly doubt that even Fixit could design a machine that's capable of hindering it in any sort of way…"
Omen then began to project a thin, white light all around her body, and then, before anybody could even say a single word; she almost instantly vanished into thin air. This left the rest of the group flabbergasted, to say the least, and that feeling remained all of the way up to the point when the red-haired girl re-materialized right in front of them, albeit a few feet further up ahead.
"Um, and, uh, that was what, exactly…?" said a confused Protector
The problem, however, was that Omen seemed a little bit taken aback by this as well, as her subsequent surprise and surveying of her surroundings made perfectly clear to everyone.
"What the..?" -
-is what she said, right before she created yet another white aura to surround herself with and vanished into thin air once again. However, just like before, she only re-materialized a few feet away from her fellow trainees, only this time, it happened to their left hand side. When Omen took notice of this, she simply kept repeating the same process three times exactly, and all that kept happening was the exact same result, each and every single time. The only thing that ever changed was the exact position in the general area that she re-materialized in; the third time, she reappeared to the right hand side, the fourth, the rear, and the fifth time actually had her re-materialize right smack in the middle of the group itself, which actually prompted Golden Eagle to say-
"Uh, like the kid just asked; this is what exactly…?"
"Th-th-th-this is supposed to psychic teleportation; l-l-long-range psychic teleportation…" said Omen, still in complete shock and at a loss about what was going on "…b-but, something's a-actually m-messing me up (brief babbling), keeping in a short range of teleportation somehow, but h-how is that even…?"
"Well, what do ya know; it looks like Fixit actually did manage to find a way to hinder your amazing powers, eh. Omen…?" Said Cassie in a rather somewhat smug tone
"…And that certainly eliminates that method as an easy way to finish this test" said Ravager, after sighing briefly "We're going to need a whole new plan if we're going to have to deal with this exam the hard way. Hmm, don't worry, I'll think of something…"
"Now, wait just a single moment right there, little missy, just what exactly gives you the right to do all of the planning for us around here, hmm?" said Golden Eagle in a rather defiant tone
"And why not…?" said Ravager in response, after scoffing "I mean; did you want to be the band's leader or something, eh, Golden boy?"
"That's Golden Eagle, for your information, ya little Miss half- faced so-in-so, and why shouldn't I get to be the one to lead this little trainee platoon of ours, huh? I'm obviously more than qualified for the job, I dare say…" Golden Eagle growled back
It was during this little spat, that something began to happen to the rocks closest to the small group of Titan trainees. In fact, to be even more precise on the matter; some of them actually began to move and then they revealed various secret compartments hidden within the false, indoor rock quarry. And from out of those various recently unsealed compartments came several well-crafted looking androids and all of them looked ready for a nasty fight. However, none of the trainees seemed notice any of this; mostly due to them all being more interested in Ravager and Golden Eagle's little "face-off". But that soon changed when Scarrol's ears began to twitch and she looked around and saw the approaching enemy at last. She attempted to warn the others by saying-
"Uh, guys"
-but she was blocked out the ensuing argument between her peers.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just under the impression that being a leader meant more than just being a walking pile of armored mindless muscle" said Ravager in a very sarcastic tone "But, hey; if all it takes to be a leader is to be all muscle and no brain, then, you're right, you are more than qualified…"
"Uh, you guys…" Scarrol repeated as the robots drew ever closer to the group, while still going unnoticed by the others
"Are you saying that I'm nothing more than a flying mindless brute…?" Golden Eagle replied angrily after stammering for a second or two "Because, if you are; I'd be more than happy to show you just how Brute-like that I can be, you little…"
"GUYS…!" said Scarrol, nearly yelling at the very tip top of her lungs (or whatever her species has in lieu of those)
And, this time; her cohorts actually took notice of her calls, as the next thing that both Ravager and Golden Eagle said right afterwards was-
"WHAT!"
-while the rest of the group just simply looked at Scarrol in silent observance as she, gently, directed their attention towards the approaching robots, who were only a mere few steps away from the group at this exact point
That was when the entire group of Titan Trainees then began to prepare themselves for battle and right afterwards; they immediately began to tackle the robotic enemy and deal with them all in their own unique ways. Now, Ravager decided to go with using her two twin Katana swords, which she swiftly and precisely used to slash right through whatever robots that decided come near her. Meanwhile, Scarrol and Golden Eagle both decided to use a very similar tactic to defend themselves. Only; instead them using a long sword-related weapon, they used their own two clawed hands to get the job done, claws that were biological for Scarrol, but were artificial for Golden Eagle, due to them only being a mere part of his golden suit of armor. But, in any event, the character known as Whirlwind was getting by through the simple matter of actually living up to her name and creating powerful gusts of wind with the use of her small wings which suddenly became colossal for her at a moment's notice (just like what Angel did for her attack on Bumblebee in "Calling All Titans"). She was (quite literally) 'blowing her enemies away', and while she was doing just that, Omen and Shadow were both, instead, just using a combination of their special powers and trickery to outwit the robots and deal with them without having to actually touch them physically. But, as for Redwing, Cassie and the Protector; they were all sticking to the 'tried and true' method of dealing with a robotic enemy; they just started punching their way right through them all with the use of nothing else, except their own sheer brute strength. And while that might have been a relatively easy thing to do for both Cassie and Redwing (for the former more than the latter, really), the Protector… well…he had to throw in a few more fancy moves into the mix to compensate for his lack of enhanced strength.
However, when it came time for Green Seed to join the fray, along with the rest of her trainee group, she found out that she was at a slight disadvantage, what with her being inside of a metal facility that cut her off completely from the powers of nature and all that. But, fortunately, though; she was still far from being helpless. And that was because, while she couldn't use any of her plant manipulation powers at this exact moment, she still had at least one last trump card left to play; the leaves that were found within her green-colored hair. For, you see; whenever Green Seed actually feels the need to use these portal bits of foliage found within her gloriously green mane, she immediately pulls them out and uses her plant manipulation powers to make them long and/or sharp. This, in a sense, turns the leaves into Green Seed's own personal leaf daggers and/or into her own personal leaf throwing stars, which is, exactly, what she was using them for in her battle against the robotic enemy that she was currently facing. However, just as soon as her guard was let down just enough, a couple more robots were able to sneak up on her and were just about ready to blindside her on both sides of her body. Fortunately, though, before either one of them could even come remotely close, Scarrol was able to intervene by slicing the both of them into mere pieces of glorified scrap metal.
"Careful there, GS, the last thing that I would enjoy is watching a perfectly good and pretty flower getting squashed" is what Scarrol said, after her comrade was made safe for the moment
"Oh, well, um, uh, thank you, um, uh, Scarrol, I'll, um, I-I-I'll keep that in mind, in the-the-the future" said Green Seed, with a blush, as she chuckled nervously and slinked away to get back into the fray
Scarrol couldn't fully understand why Green Seed was acting the way that she was all of a sudden, until it finally hit her; she had, more or less, just called Green Seed pretty, and that made her blush just a little bit too, before the sounds of battle brought her back to reality shortly afterwards, of course. Now, the fight between the trainees and these robots was quite the sight to behold and, at this very moment; someone was watching it very closely. It was Fixit and Cyborg who were doing all of the watching at this time, of course, with a little help from a few hidden cameras that they were able place somewhere within the faux rock quarry, cameras that Cyborg was able to gain access to, with a little help from his built-in cybernetic arm features. Anyways, the two of them both watched on incredibly closely as the Teen Titans trainees all fought hard against the robots that Fixit specifically built for this particular course, as a part of their training. And, while their talents, skills and abilities were all definitely quite impressive to see, their teamwork and group coordination was most definitely not. For you see, with the exception of Green Seed and Scarrol, and Shadow and Whirlwind, all of the trainees were pretty much acting like lone wolves, especially Ravager, Redwing and Golden Eagle. Even Cassie and the Protector weren't really acting all that much like team players, and Fixit did not hesitate, even for a single second, to point out all of this to Cyborg. Now, the latter couldn't help but see all of the solid proof that was supporting his associate's viewpoints, but, even so, he still felt that all they needed was a little more common ground to get them to start working together and he was prepared to 'up the ante' for this final exam to accomplish that, if he had to. A sentiment that even Fixit couldn't help but agree with, since he believed that such an action might be necessary for success in the long run.
Meanwhile, back within the midst of the Jump City park, or at least the border that officially separated it from the rest of the city proper, Robin and Starfire were both just arriving at what they both considered to be the most disgusting sight that either one of them had ever laid their eyes upon; the large cocoon-esque organism that we were shown from before. It was still pulsing much like a human heart, just like before, and there was still something that was, undoubtedly, incubating from deep within it too. It had even grown a great deal larger and more grotesque than before. But what really struck Starfire as the most unsettling was the fact that this was yet another sign that she remembered from the stories that she was told as a girl. More specifically; she remembered that such a grotesque looking…thing was a sign of an upcoming invasion. She then immediately alerted Robin of this tidbit of important information and, as a result of him hearing about it; the Teen Wonder immediately brought out his communicator so that he could alert both Raven and Beast Boy of the current situation. Now this was an action that Starfire greatly approved of, for you see, according to her and the old stories that she remembered from her youth; when there is one of those cocoon-like... things to be found around, there is bound to be at least three more to be found as well. Anyways, we are then brought back all of the way up to the mysterious spacecraft that we were shown from before, as it was now only a short while away from Earth's orbit and atmosphere. And, just like before, we are then shown the interior of the alien starship, where we see that the two shadowy figures from before were still on the command bridge, and were, once again, approaching their mysterious lord and liege.
"My wonderful master and leader beyond compare, the cocoon pods have, at last, reached their final stages down on the surface of the planet known as Earth. Our scanners have now just recently confirmed that fact for us, no questions asked, O' magnificent lord and liege of mine, oh…" said the apparent female of the mysterious pair, after she had just kneeled before her unseen employer
"Our forces now only wait for your commands to proceed with this operation any further, O' great Sire of all" said the apparent male of the pair, while he was also kneeling down before his apparent leader
"Good, good" said the mysterious and unseen master of the starship, his voice still distorted to a degree "Then, by all means; begin sending out the external waves. I would like to begin this invasion without too much delay, if you don't mind"
"Yes, sire…!" said the two unseen characters in unison, just before the apparent male of the two gave the nonverbal command to the insectoid creatures at the command consoles to follow their leader's orders
The insectoid creatures then all began to follow this command without delay and, as a result of this, a large antenna-like device soon began to take shape on the outside of the ship. And while all of that was happening, we then cut right back down to the planet, Earth, where we see that Starfire was still looking straight at the grotesque-looking, cocoon-like…thing for some strange reason. She even reached her hand over to actually poke at it for some odd unknown reason, which even she was not sure of either. And, needless to say, she quickly came to regret that decision, in full, once she pulled back a finger that was, essentially, covered in a green ooze-like substance, which she then felt compulsive to wipe off right away, right on her purple-colored miniskirt. But, in any event, Robin then came to reassure her that both Raven and Beast Boy were now fully informed about the current situation that was now befalling their fair little city and were both now on the lookout for any more grotesque-looking cocoons to be found in anywhere. The same of which could be said for just about any of the other Titans that were currently in the city at this very specific moment in time. Now, this did make Starfire feel just a little bit better, if only by a teensy bit. But, nevertheless, she still felt that the two of them should destroy the cocoon that was currently right in front of them and be quick about, which Robin wholeheartedly agreed with her about. However, just when they were about to do just that, Robin received an incoming call in his Titans communicator (just shortly after he used it and put it away no less too), which prompted him to bring it right back out and answer the call that he was receiving. It was Bumblebee who was doing the calling at this time and she was doing so in response to Robin's earlier contacting of her in regards to the 'UFOs' that landed all across North America. Apparently, Bumblebee and her team had come across something that sounded just like Robin and Starfire's grotesque looking cocoon and when the latter two actually heard that important bit of information, they urged Bumblebee to destroy it right away, none more so than Starfire, of course.
Now, naturally, this suggestion managed to catch Bumblebee a tad bit by surprise, as one would expect. But, regardless of that though, she decided to comply with the suggestion given to her all just the same, and thus, she gave the order to the rest of Titans East to proceed with an attack on the hideous cocoon. However, while all of that was happening, all the way down on the Earth's surface, we are then shown that the mysterious-looking antenna-like device that was attached to the mysterious-looking spaceship, which was shown from before, was now completely finished and was, apparently, completely operational as well. This was only further illustrated when the device began to glow and when we cut back to the interior of the spaceship and see the shadowy male and female characters from before give the insectoid creatures at the controls a nonverbal command to go ahead and press an apparently important button on the control console. One of the alien insectiods at the controls did do just that right afterwards, and when it did, the antenna-like device that was glowing on the outside then suddenly began to course with a powerful jolt of purple-colored electricity. And while that was happening, the antenna-like device also began to send out what appeared to be a radio wave of some kind, one that was also colored a shade of purple, I might add. Anyways, the radio waves soon began to make their way towards the Earth, and once they managed to actually get there, we are once again shown that Robin and Starfire were both poised to viciously destroy the cocoon-like organism that was standing right in front of them. Unfortunately, though, just when they were about make physical contact with the grotesque…thing, they both took notice as it started to move just a little bit. This continued to happen, again and again, for about three more times to be exact, and while it was happening, both Robin and Starfire were having their own unique reactions to it. For one thing; Robin was not entirely sure about how he should be reacting to all of this, seeing as he was not entirely sure about what he supposed to be expecting. But, Starfire, on the other hand, was in complete shock about what was going on, seeing as she remembered how the stories that she was told went, and, therefore remembered what was about to come right after this particular phase was through. For you see, right after the third time of the cocoon-thing randomly moving, it soon began to crack, and from the dark recesses of its ooey-gooey interior, there was a variety of glowing yellow eyes, all of them looking ready to do something particularly nasty in nature at that very moment.
Then, all of a sudden, the numerous mysteries 'creatures' all suddenly began to emerge from right out of their cocoon and, thus, revealed themselves to be none other than more of the very same insectoid-like aliens that were on the very same ship of their cocoon's origin, albeit a tad bit smaller. Robin and Starfire were both shocked, as well as repulsed, by what they were currently seeing at this exact moment, but, in Starfire's case; it was more of a matter of her seeing creatures that she was hopeful did not exist. Though, regardless of their feelings however, the insectoid-like beasts all then began to exit their large cocoon and start their slow, yet steady, advance towards the two young heroes and while they were all doing just that, both Robin and Starfire suddenly received messages on their respective Titan communicators. For Robin; it was Bumblebee, who was reporting that the cocoon that her Team had found had hatched into about dozen or more insectoid-like monsters, the same of which is what Red Star had to report about the cocoon that Titans North was able to locate within their own territory. For Starfire; it was Beast Boy and Raven who were reporting that the city was currently being attacked by even more of the insectoid-like monsters. Now, needless to say; neither of the reports that the two received really surprised either one of them in the slightest at this point, mostly because what they were both currently seeing right about now. And, more importantly; because they now had an army of bug-like creatures to deal with before they overrun this part of the city.