Cole Train runs on whole grain baby! WOO! Saying random stuff...


- Chapter 4 -

- Day One -

- Jump City -

Plasmius, on his usual rampage seeking for foul things to consume, terrorizes the industrial district. Workers from nearby construction sites and the water treatment facility flee from the purple oozing monstrosity that screeched and ripped open sewage pipes and other hazardous containers, chugging down its contents before tossing aside them aside carelessly.

Beast Boy first was to the scene, he shifted after landing on the floor as a hawk. "Awwghhh... Plasmius again?" he pouts with the T-Car pulling next to him. "What's up with this guy, thing, monster... whatever! Waking up all the time? And eating disgusting nasty stuff!"

Cyborg leaps out of the T-Car, "Quit complainin' and do something!" he hollers with right hand quickly retracting to his sonic blaster that erupts a stream of the sonic energy.

The sonic energy hits Plasmius with a bit of him splattering all over the place as he screeched loudly going into a puddle before reforming again, but turned facing to Cyborg. A green barrage of star bolts pelts Plasmius and again he screeched before lobbing out his hands out a Starfire. Seeing Starfire was somewhat unhittable Plasmius quickly turns to Cyborg he kept blasting him with his Sonic Cannon. Both massive sludge arms whip out at Cyborg.

"No, No... Not my-!" Cyborg gets clobbered and collides into his car by the continuous stream of sludge, which was then disrupted by a few explosive disks from Robin. Cyborg covered in purple foul muck looks to his car, "Ah man! I just polished and buffed out its scratches too!" pouts slightly tearful, "Now look at it! Now I got to disinfect it and fix that de-"

"Can we focus on stopping Plasmius first?" Raven interrupts with SUV hovering over head.

Just before throwing the SUV Beast Boy somehow got caught by Plasmius, "Help!" Beast Boy then yelps trying to himself free from the muck dragging him in slowly like quick sand.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire shouts halting another star bolt barrage.

Robin yielding his barrage of Cyro-Disk quickly looks to Raven, "Raven you're the only one that can get Beast Boy without hu-!"

Black energy like blades slice Beast Boy out from Plasmius, "As the Master would comment," Cero barked, "What the hell is that?"

Beast Boy ran away and then Plasmius was struck first by Robin's Cyro-Disks, then by Raven's SUV and hit simultaneously by Cyborg's Sonic Blaster and Starfire's Starbolts. Beast Boy morphs out covered in the filth of Plasmius, "Sometimes I hate my job..." he comments slinging some of goo off before going into a wolf and shaking it off.

Starfire stops her attack seeing a shroud of grey smoke over the area where Plasmius stood, "Is Plasmius defeated?"

"No..." Cero replies walking closer to the smoking area.

"Cero! Whatya doing? Get back from that... thing!" Cyborg hollers waiting for Plasmius to pop up or something.

As expected Plasmius comes stomping out with a screech, "Hey gruesome down here!" Cero barks looking up to the towering Plasmius.

Plasmius looks down to the small dog and for some reason for the first time Plasmius laughs at Cero.

"Is Plasmius... laughing?" Robin comments a little shocked.

Beast Boy opens his mouth, "Dude... I didn't even know he was able to la-"

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Cero barks with a newspaper dispenser ripping from the sidewalk and prying Plasmius in the face. Plasmius shakes his head and lobs the newspaper dispenser back at Cero, which Cero slices in half with his shadow energy, "Now you're no longer ignoring me now!" Cero barks before splitting into four copies of himself.

"There are four of them now!" Beast Boy shrieks with both hands on his head. Great just what I need four creepy Chihuahua's bugging me!

Robin a little dazzled shakes the feeling off quickly, he starts to run, "Come on we got t-!"

"Hold on..." Serenade interrupts casually out of the blue, "Let Cero attempt to fight the abomination..."

Everyone looks to Serenade who was near Robin, Raven being the first to shoot a look to him.

"It's about time..." Raven comments monotones her normal self. He's finally here...

Starfire looks to Serenade then Cero quickly and back again, "But Cero's stature is no match for Plasmius; surely Cero will be badly injured..." Starfire comments her concern.

"He'll be fine. Trust me." Serenade assures hand to his mouth observing his little comrad.

"Which one is the winner?" Cero taunts Plasmius. Plasmius smites one of the Cero's, "Sorry you lose..." Cero regretfully comments before slicing off one of Plasmius' arms, "Please try again..."

Serenade tuts, "Crazy knucklehead..."

Again Plasmius looses another arm, which was nothing for it regenerated. Plasmius let out roar of frustration before smiting three of the Cero's.

"Hey that's cheating!" Cero barks before amping out a shadowy blast that blasted Plasmius in half. Cero saw some guy within the sludge within the split second before it regenerated, he turns back to the team briefly, "There's someone within the monster!"

"Yeah, that's the real Plasmius, guy, dude or whatever!" Beast Boy informs. So glad I am not fighting Pla-

"Ok-" Cero gets smacked and is rolling across the pavement. "Ow..." he comments wincingly as he gets back up to his feet.

"Uh..." Robin starts looking to Serenade, "Are you going to do anything?"

"Yeah... I mean he's your dog..." Cyborg adds.

"Hmm... Giant sludge monster..." Serenade speaks pulling out a shotgun, "8 Gauge Shotgun with Slugs should work..." he ends with a pump of the gun.

The team looks at him slightly surprised with Beast Boy stepping back, "Uh... we don't want to kill him..." Raven informs, "We want him alive..." A shotgun? I never saw him use a shotgun...

"Uh yeah what Raven said..." Cyborg adds rubbing the back of his head. Eight gauge? Heard of twelve and ten... but eight?

"Oh... than never mind..." Serenade says going slightly quiet withdrawing the gun under his cloak, "Glad you said something that would've been a real screw up."

"Okay, I can use some hints on how to stop this thing for good!" Cero barks after taking another hit.

"Try to target the human part of Plasmius, but don't kill him... knock him out..." Raven answers Cero.

Cero shadowmelds away from Plasmius and is nowhere in sight. Plasmius not seeing Cero anywhere focuses his attention on the team.

Cyborg pulls up blaster, "That little dog bailed on u-!" A small black thing scurries past the team from behind before engulfing into flaming shadowy orb that hopped up smacking Plasmius in the gut.

Through the sludge Cero tackles the human body out from the sludge and takes it down to the floor. The sludge that made Plasmius quickly splashes to the street showing Cero standing on a sleeping guy both covered in the purple muck.

The team was silent. Serenade walks away from the team casually heading to Cero.

"Now that was awesome..." Beast Boy comments breaking the awe in everyone which they then quickly made their way to Cero as well, "Wait! Hold up!"

Starfire was the first to the two, "Cero are you okay?" she asks seeing the little dog pant.

"No..." he pants limping off the body and shakes his body slinging some of the muck off, "Oww... that hurts... a lot."

"Then please let me carry you, for you may no longer be further in pain."

"If that's what you wish..." Cero answers Starfire.

Starfire picks up Cero carefully as the others come, "Is he down?" Beast Boy asks about Plasmius.

"Yup..." Cyborg confirms, "Sleeping like a rock..."

"Good..." Beast Boy replies relieved before sniffing himself. He cringes at the smell of the muck that seeped into his clothes, "Now I got to take like ten baths now..."

Cyborg steps by Robin and Raven, "Tell me about it..." Cyborg adds, "I gotta go the carwash ten times, and I am not just talking about the car you know!"

Robin and Raven step away from Cyborg, "Uh... yeah... you two go do that," Robin starts, "I'll call in the pick-up for Plasmius."

- The Tower, Living Room -

Everyone was busy at the Tower, Cyborg was at the carwash, Beast Boy was taking ten baths as he said he was, Robin typically kept to himself doing who knows what, Starfire was comforting Cero; which lead Raven and Serenade doing nothing. Again Serenade stands looking out the same window at the same spot from earlier that morning.

Thirty minutes passes, Raven pretended to read a book of hers on the sofa as her mind was a little barraged in thought of Serenade's action with the shotgun. She closes the book with a sigh and turns her head to Serenade.

"Uh... Arbiter?" Raven asks a little awkwardly.

Serenade snorts a small laugh, "Just call me Serenade, this isn't Azarath you know..." he replies casually still looking out the window.

Raven finds herself a little blushed with her own words turned against her, "Okay... Serenade..." she then says his name even more awkwardly. Great... I had to be the one that isn't social...

He looks to her, "Are you okay?" he asks somewhat strangely as if he was talking to a loon, "You seem... distraught."

Again she finds herself on the spot, "I uh, um..." she prolongs with a glass vase nearby breaking. Don't act up now!

"My bad..."

She blinked, "Huh? You didn't do that, I did..."

"Yeah, but I had something to do with it though," he replies thoughtful, "I know that you Azarath's base their powers on emotion. Seeing that you can barely even start up small talk, let alone my name, I have to guess that you're nervous... why?"

Her eyes shift to the ground, "You're... you..."

"And you're Raven..."

"I mean, you're the Arbiter, Azarath's Honor Guardian. Chosen by the Hierarchs and the Seeress to protect Azarath and... me..."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You're supposed to be powerful... why did you pull out a shotgun earlier for?"

He snorts a laugh, "Disappointed about earlier, eh?"

She nods, "A little..."

"Seeing that you didn't want me to kill the abomination and that Melee was not tactical against it, I had to hold back and let Cero take it out," he explains tactically, "Next time I won't back out or stall, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Is there anything else you need?"

She thought about it and looked to him still covered by his cloak, "You know you can take you're hood off, right?"

"I can..." he replies a little disgruntled, "But I won't, the reason why is my own..."

"I... understand..."

"Thanks... maybe one day I may."

"Uh, I am going to meditate now."

"Is that all you do?"

"Sometimes I do other stuff..." Who am I kidding, that's all I do besides reading!

"Only thing I saw you ever do is meditate and read, but whatever..." he turns to look out the window, "I'll be here if you need me..."

- Starfire's Room -

Cero was with Starfire in her room. Starfire began talking about her Home world, Tamaran and her peoples way. And Cero listen... which was something that Starfire was surprised by.

"... the song of friendship-" she gasps, "I forgot to reside that to you and Serenade!"

"Starfire..." Cero interrupts, "Excuse my, but may I ask you a question?"

"Certainly!"

"Do you have a mate?"

She looks to Cero, "Uh..." she says a little sheepish. Cero just watches waiting, "I am flattered that you would consider me as a possible mate, but I am afraid that i-"

"No!" Cero barks a little agitated, "I am not looking for a mate, for myself."

"My apologies, Cero..." she replies with the blush still sticking on her face, "But... who are you seeking a mate for then?"

"My Master..."

"I see..." she replies going quiet. After a few moments she looks to Cero, "I am smitten with someone else already, sorry."

"It's okay..." he replies before giving out a yawn.

Starfire opens her mouth but stops seeing Cero snuggle into a pillow that she laid him upon. Not wanting to disturb him on his way to sleep she drops her question...

Why is the pet searching for a mate for it's Master?

- Living Room -

Raven was meditating with the silent chanting of "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" in the middle of the living room floating up high.

"... An old man turned ninety-eight, he won the lottery, died the next day," Serenade serenaded softly in a voice of irony.

Raven stops her meditation looking him with a curious stare of intrigue like a dogs. Is he singing?

"... it's a black fly in your chardonnay. It's a Death Row pardon two minutes too late." Serenade looks seeing Raven stare at him, "Isn't it ironic, don't you think?" he continued his serenade.

Raven didn't say anything noticing his tone. Does he want me to answer it? Or is still si-

"It's li-"

"REALLY?" Beast Boy blurted, "Someone won the lottery and died the next day?"

Raven face palms lightly with a shake of her head. Of course...

Serenade shook his head, "Just saying stuff, because I got bored..." he speaks normally breaking from the song. "Gonna go get a bit of fresh air..." he then adds walking out the living room.

"Alright then dude see you later." Beast Boy acknowledges before looking to Raven who stares at him with an annoyed like face. "What?" he asks unknowingly.

She stands on her feet and starts to walk, "I am going to my room..." she monotones a bit angered.

Beast Boy blinks, "What did I do?" Did I miss something? Raven leaves the room. He then shrugs, "Whatever..."