Chapter 03: Cold-blooded Monster
"ARGH!" Robin screamed, as he was thrown back by the shockwave of a car explosion. Two days had passed since Batman's brief visit and, though still a little numb, the boy wonder had pretty much completely recovered from his injuries. Until now.
Metatron jumped out of the fire and continued running, S.T.A.R. Labs' latest experiment under his arm. You can probably put two and two together to find out what's going on here.
"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Cyborg screamed, actually launching his hand towards the kid like a grappling hook.
Metatron simply jumped and used his claw to cut through the rope connecting both metallic limbs. It worked, but it didn't stop Beastboy, who as an ostrich jumped and slammed both feet against the kid's chest; throwing him back into a black-energy covered concrete cube, sealing him within.
"Got him!" Beastboy cheered while reverting back to human. He obviously didn't notice the struggling expression on Raven's face… But what the hell made him miss the thundering sounds coming from the cube?
Beastboy's lack of attention span aside, the cube predictably (at least by Raven) exploded into dust, releasing a really pissed Metatron.
"Damn it, don't you guys go to the bathroom or something!" He bellowed as he bluntly kicked a still dazzled Raven on the face without a sign of remorse.
"RAVEN!" Beastboy shouted at the sight of his falling friend.
Metatron took the chance and punched the green teen to kingdom come. He then narrowly evaded a sonic blast that went past his left ear. It was time to focus on Cyborg.
Starbolt to the chest. Maybe not Cyborg…
"AHHHHHHHHH-YAH!" Starfire yelled as she flew down and slammed a fist into her adversary's gut.
Said adversary let out a strange noise people tend to make when the air had been blown out of them. But he had no time to relieve his lungs: Cyborg tackled him head-on with a 'BOOYAH!'
After crashing against a randomly-placed tree, Metatron managed to get up with a groan. And found all Titans cornering him on a semi-circle.
"Give up yet?" Robin questioned with a smirk.
To his surprise, Metatron returned the gesture.
"Nope." He answered as both hands, which were pressing against the concrete, glowed on a golden light. Robin eyes' widened as he recognized the trap.
"TAKE COVER!" He shouted just as Metatron blew up the ground bellow all of them, throwing the Titans back and into the sewer tunnels. They were soon followed by numerous chunks of rocks from the concrete, those were sure to keep them busy for a couple of minutes.
Metatron, device still in hand, jumped out of the fire-zone looking satisfied. His satisfaction quickly turned into shock when a passing bullet narrowly missed his head. Losing his balance, he fell to the ground with a crash and immediately started searching for the source of the attack. A 'gulp' escaped his mouth when he found it.
A thick wall of heavily-armed Jump City's finest was in front of him… And another one probably somewhere behind him as well. They were always here in case the Metahumans failed.
He was not going anywhere. And the Titans would be making their way back from the sewers in a couple of minutes.
"Drop the device and put your hands where we can see them." Came the megaphone-enhanced voice of one of the cops, safely hidden behind his police car.
The kid remained still, unsure on what to do next.
"DROP THE DEVICE AND PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM." The cop repeated. "OBEY OR WE WILL SHOOT."
"Is my life some kind of magnet for heavily enhanced teenage drama?" Metatron asked himself before tucking the device on his back.
"PUT THE DEVICE DOWN! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"
Metatron turned to the man ordering him.
"I CAN'T."
Silence.
"FIRE!" The order came.
Instantly the bullets flew at Metatron, who in response shot out both golden-glowing hands and fired twin energy blasts. Said blasts reached the bullet rain and their heat managed to melt most of the bullets, making them fall harmlessly into the ground.
Though when it comes to bullets, 'most' is not nearly good enough. Some did passed through the blast and painfully scratched (or hit, but mostly scratch) Metatron on his legs, arms, chest and face. But the damage could have been a lot worse; something Metatron obviously didn't seem to care as he fell to his knees with a muffled scream, holding his injured limbs in pain.
More silence. Especially from the stupefied policemen.
"I… Cannot believe… That actually worked…" Metatron gasped with somewhat of a smile, trying to hide how tired he actually felt now: Making a blast powerful enough to melt and stop more than two hundred bullets flying towards you at max speed was NOT an easy task. Especially when you are trying to avoid 'hitting' anything but the bullets.
Still, the cops were already recuperating from the surprise. And some of them seemed to come to the conclusion that this kid probably couldn't pull a stunt like that again.
Something Metatron already knew as he dashed towards the cops, who were too surprised to react, and jumped past all of them, sometimes using their heads as help.
He had barely reached the end of the wall when the explosion reached his ears: The Titans were back. This only made him speed up his pace even more.
Never noticing that someone else aside from the Titans and the Police was following him.
Once Metatron had run about half a mile, he used the built-up momentum to jump and take flight. With his recently grown bat-wings of course.
He managed to go twenty more feet before the Starbolts started being fired closely at his heels. Luckily for him, it was the middle of the day: Starfire had to watch her shoots so she wouldn't hit civilians, which made them easier to avoid.
His luck ran out when he encountered Cyborg's highly more accurate and well-placed blasts. Looking over his shoulder, Metatron saw the machine hybrid was slowly gaining in on him, being on the back a Beastboy ostrich. Not far from him were the flying Raven and Starfire, the latter had stopped her attacks after realizing she was making more property damage than anything else; then came Robin on his R-cycle and last came the police cars, tailing on the kid.
"Always have to be the center of attention, don't you?" Metatron scolded himself. It cost him: Cyborg fired and hit his legs, immediately causing him to collapse with a scream, dragging most of the pavement along with his body as he went.
He got up shakily in time to meet the ostrich's feet against his chest. Again. Metatron landed on his butt with a gasp as the bird reverted back to human form, and his rider aimed his cannon at him.
"End of the line." Cyborg muttered.
The remaining members of his team were closing in. Metatron shrugged.
"For you." He stated. Quickly reaching on his back, he grabbed the device he had stolen, a metallic glove, and put it on.
Cyborg gasped and tried to stop him, but Metatron activated the device before the hero could take one step forward. Instantly, all people before Metatron collapsed to their knees while grabbing their ears in pain; and though some managed to stop in time, most police cars started loosing control and crashed against walls, trees and such (though the crashes were not strong enough to produce an explosions).
Soon the windows of the buildings around them shattered to smatterings, the concrete on them seeming to be ready to give out as well.
Sonic waves, in case you are wondering. POWERFUL sonic waves. All were being emitted by the device on Metatron's hand, who was one step away of making everyone on the block deaf.
Then the device was deactivated. Though still on his hand in case of later use, he had done what he needed to do to escape. Continued senseless torture on the little heroes was not something he desired nor needed to do.
Said little heroes were getting up slowly, half confused and half pained: That ringing on their ears will probably follow them to the grave… Which only made them angrier.
"Oh, now you gonna pay, foo'!" Cyborg snapped, readying himself to fire and looking a world like Mr. T.
Metatron simply smirked and pointed upwards.
Perhaps not the smartest thing to do, but the Titans followed his finger anyway… And gasped. The buildings at both sides of the street had more than shattered windows: Their foundation was collapsing, dangerously fast. And in result both building were about to collapse in the street like hacked trees.
Robin turned back to face Metatron in anger at what he had intentionally done… And found that the teen had already taken flight and was making his way away from the scene. The teen wonder looked from his adversary to the falling buildings (and the screams coming from them) a couple of times before letting out a scream of exasperation.
"CYBORG, RAVEN, STARFIRE!" He called. "You three try to stop those buildings from collapsing into the ground! At least until people can evacuate the zone! BEASTBOY! You are with me! Get those civilians out of those buildings!"
And with that, each Titan mobilized to their respective position.
As he flew, Metatron found himself surprised at the turn of events. He had hoped Robin would send a couple of his teammates to the civilian aid, he didn't thought he would send all of them. Again, the 'gift horse' saying popped into his head as he speeded up.
The sirens were heard behind him. Apparently, Jump City had a good, brave, willing and maybe suicidal police department.
From their cars, they all fired at the fleeing Metatron with amazing accuracy as the kid was forced to do crazy evasive maneuvers. The kid frantically looked for an escaped route. He found one straight ahead. On the bridge connecting to big chunks of land in Jump City, separated by a thick river.
He flew down as he neared the construction, the sonic-wave generator still on his hands. Landing at the entrance of the bridge, he pressed his hand to the ground once again and waited.
The police reached him in no time… But the device was activated once they were in close sight. The entire area where Metatron crouched suddenly collapsed into the river because of the sonic pressure, ultimately denying the passage of any an all police cars through it.
Realizing what had happened; all the cars came to an abrupt halt, some barely managing to do so. The ones on the front row got out and glared daggers at Metatron, who simply smiled at them from his place in mid-air.
His smile quickly banished as the cops pulled out their guns and started firing, forcing Metatron to fly out of their range quickly… And right into the windshield of a helicopter behind him.
A Police helicopter.
Metatron goggled at the chopper in shock, not even sure where it came from.
"OH, ARE YOU PLANNING TO MAKE MY EVERY LIVING MOMENT A MISERY!" He suddenly shouted at the sky to who-knows-who.
(Yes.)
"JUST FUCKING PEACHY, THEN!" He yelled crazily as he turned around and flew away from the chopper.
Said machine instantly started assaulting, its thick and big bullets making noticeable dents on Metatron's outfit as he moved around trying to evade them. He tried to use the sonic-wave generator on it a couple of times by turning around in mid-flight and firing, but quickly realized he was nowhere near fast enough to do this and evade the bullets at the same time; So he was now stuck to flying forward will blindly firing the device behind him, which did not work well either: It is very hard to get an accurate shot in that position.
After ten minutes of trying the same maneuver, he finally gave up on it and realized that he couldn't escape the chopper. He had to hit it head on. Turning around again, he flew straight for the machine, narrowly evading most of the bullets thrown at him. When he hastily landed on the helicopter's nose, the pilots stared at him in awe.
"You guys are putting up a better fight that those damn kids!" He yelled at them, raising a fist. "So don't blame me for this!"
He then slammed the fist against and through the helicopter's nose. Both pilots could only stare in shock as they started losing control of the flying machine, the alarms ringing on their ears.
Metatron jumped back into the still damaged bridge even as the helicopter lost altitude; as he took out the device from his hand, he wondered why was it that the pilots weren't jumping out.
'Probably rookies.' He reasoned as when he saw the helicopter fall past the bridge and into the river, finding no remorse within himself at the policemen's demise.
Even in the water, the helicopter quickly combusted into flames after a small explosion. Out of a small token of appreciation, Metatron walked to the edge of the bridge in hopes to give his last respects to the men who were, after all, just trying to do the 'right' thing.
He was very surprised when he wasn't able to locate two blackened carcasses that had once been bodies after searching the ship and jumping back into the bridge.
By now, Metatron had gotten used to the shouts coming from the cops and passing cars: he'd heard them so much it was now like they weren't even there, and he was able to feel puzzled without any inconvenience. Where had the pilots gone? He was pretty sure they hadn't jumped, and even if they had, their bodies should have landed around here. So where'd…?
One of the pilots landed ten feet from him with a grunt, making Metatron jump in surprise. The second one soon followed, both alive and well save for their obvious annoyance at being dropped like that. Metatron blinked in confusion a couple of times as the men who were supposed to be dead got up, dizzily. His eyes finally started going upwards, searching from the source of wherever the men had been dropped from. In the light of day, Metatron spotted him easily enough.
And realized in just how much trouble he was in right then.
Hanging from one of the support-poles of the bridge was a caped and masked dark-looking man. He had used a very long grappling-hook to descend close enough to the concrete so he could drop the pilots, whom he had obviously saved, without harming them. The man let go of the grapple and landed gracefully between Metatron and the pilots, his cape majestically falling to his sides, wrapping around his body like a robe.
Metatron could only back away in hesitation and, though he would never admit it, some fear as Gotham's Dark Knight straightened himself before casting a piercing gaze upon him through his blank slits. Somehow, Metatron could easily tell he wasn't happy.
"Get to a safe place, now." Batman ordered, clearly directing this to the pilots, who instantly obliged. Through his worry, Metatron couldn't help but feel a Déjà vu feeling: It was pretty much the same scene as with him and the child he had saved two days ago.
There was a moment of silence as both fighters studied each other.
"…What are you doing here?" Metatron asked hesitantly.
Batman remained silent.
"This is Florida." The other continued. "Gotham is very far from here… Shouldn't you be as well?"
Silence still.
"This is your kid's turf, not yours!" Metatron almost yelled, desperate to get some sign indicating that Batman was listening.
"I check on Robin frequently." Batman finally answered quietly.
"You mean you don't trust him, right?" Metatron accused.
"I do not believe he's ready for the responsibility that comes with being the leader of a Metahuman team." Batman corrected.
"Bullshit." Metatron growled. His claws, ears, and fangs were now plainly visible. "What the fuck do you want with me?"
"I will take you to a proper Metahuman-holding facility." Batman replied. All his defenses were probably ready for an attack, but he betrayed nothing of it.
Metatron scoffed at this.
"And I suppose I'll go peacefully." He snapped. "This is not your city; you don't make the rules here. Get back to Gotham and let the Titans handle me."
"I did." Batman said. "And then Robin sent his entire team towards a falling building when only three were enough, thousands of civilians were put on the line of fire and, had I not intervened, two people would have lost their lives."
"Comes with their job description." Metatron smirked, referring to the last one. "And all things considered, the losses would have been acceptable."
"No loss is acceptable." Batman growled, momentarily letting Metatron know how he really felt about all this. Metatron shuddered and took a step back involuntarily.
Metatron quickly ran through his options and found escape through brute force was basically it. And with Batman, that might not be the best way to go: The man had knowledge of virtually every style of martial arts known to man, woman and probably a few weird alien things.
But when all other options are unavailable…
"HAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The kid yelled as he released one of his massive blasts at Batman; which connected, creating a wall of smoke at impact.
Metatron moved quickly towards his adversary; jumping over the smoke cloud, he landed on the spot he had seen Batman last… And found the man waiting for him. He was so surprised, he wasn't able to evade Batman's fist as it connected with his face, throwing him back by a large distance.
You see, dear reader, what Metatron didn't know is that both Batman's and Robin's cape (being ten times harder than steel) can provide great protection: Batman had simply wrapped the cape around himself to use it as a shield from the blast. Too bad Robin didn't think of that in chapter two, huh?
Metatron wasn't too happy about Batman's quick thinking. Groaning, he got up while rubbing his nose, which was pretty close to being broken. His breathing certainly wasn't going so good, to put it mildly. And it was about to get worse as two small metal balls fell at his feet and started releasing thick smoke that seared his lungs.
Coughing, he felt around frantically in search of his opponent. The smoke was so thick it was blinding him, making him an easy target.
Batman was aware of this and started delivering blow at random body parts, the tactic being so Metatron never knew where he was coming from. Finally, a particularly hard knee to the stomach made him fall on all fours as the smoke slowly dissipated around him, revealing Batman to his side.
Metatron attempted a low kick, but Batman saw it coming and jumped out of the way. Letting out a scream of frustration, the kid leapt to his feet hastily and started lashing out with numerous wild punches at the man, who evaded them easily, which angered Slade's apprentice even more.
"STAY!" He roared as he slashed out with his claws, attempting and missing to scratch his face. "STILL!" He swung out a kick.
Batman grabbed the kick in mid-air, shocking Metatron. Going with the momentum of the swing, Batman turned and tossed Metatron face-first into the ground.
"This is futile. I suggest you give up." Batman advised, still holding Metatron's leg.
The kid didn't listen. Instead, he twisted himself on the ground and turned around, even as he used his other foot to slam a brutal blow into Batman's chin, making him stumble back in mild-surprise and pain.
Metatron did not take the time to take pride in this, as he jumped to his feet before slashing his claws at Batman's chest, managing to make a small dent in his thick armor. Batman took another step back: though it hadn't hurt, it had pressed him backwards. Joining his hands in a hammer position, Metatron moved forward and slammed his fists on the man's chest.
That DID hurt: Batman was powerfully shoved back, almost over the lateral edge of the bridge. He clutched his chest in discomfort before straightening back up.
By that time, Metatron was already on the run towards him. He leapt to deliver a blow to the face, but was stopped by a Batarang as it slashed through the outside of his shoulder, cutting deep. Metatron let out a small gasp of surprise as he fell before Batman.
"Don't get overconfident." Batman commented, staring at the fallen teen.
"ARGH!" Metatron roared, getting back up and slashing a clawed hand with amazing speed.
Batman's speed proved to be even MORE amazing as he evaded the blow easily, grabbed Metatron's head and slammed it against his knee. The kid said nothing: He just stumbled backwards and fell flat on his back.
The heavy gasps coming from the teen told Batman it was not over yet; this was but a brief recess. After a couple of moments, Metatron finally managed to recover and get up.
"You… Are not… Gonna… Catch me…" He gasped, taking another fighting stance.
Then his legs gave out on him and he fell on his knees, still gasping for air.
Batman lashed out towards him, ready to end it…
His eyes widened when he noticed the glow coming from Metatron's hands. Another eruption of Metatron's energy followed, destroying part of the bridge where Batman stood. The latter found himself free-falling into the water as Metatron chuckled in tired amusement.
"Amazing how easily can master and student fall for the same trick." He mused.
A rope lashed out towards Metatron and warped itself tightly around him.
"Wha?" Was all Metatron got to say before the laws of physics took effect and the weight of the man at the other end started dragging him down to his recently-made hole. "NO!"
As weakened as he was, Metatron's strength still remained above-human: He managed to jump to his feet and stop almost at the edge of the hole. Growling, he used one of his clawed hands to cut through the rope, removing the weight.
One second too late.
Batman leapt from the hole after having climbed it quickly; hurling six batarangs at Metatron, slicing deep cuts on the teen, who stumbled back with a scream.
Batman landed before him and swung for a kick, a kick Metatron somehow caught earning a (mildly) surprised look from the Bat. Metatron smirked at this. The smirk was beaten off his face when Batman twisted himself and kicked him with his other foot on a Bruce-Lee fashion.
Stumbling back in even greater shock, Metatron turned to face him once more.
"Your overconfidence will be your end." Batman muttered. "You should have struck when you seized my foot, not just stood around grinning like a fool."
"You should talk to your kid about arrogance, not ME!" Metatron yelled as he dove for the man.
Batman threw three oval-shaped artifacts at him before he got close. Metatron recognized them as the explosives Robin had used, but this time he wasn't able to pull the stunt he had made last time: The explosives hit him dead on the chest, blowing half his outfit into scrap.
Metatron came crashing down twenty-five feet from the explosion's zero point, somehow still conscious. Though to him, that wasn't exactly a good thing, seeing that even his hair hurt now.
His ears caught the steps before his eyes saw him. Slowly and painfully, he sat up, not sure he could get up even if he tried, as he locked eyes with the Bat once again.
"Is Aura worth all of this, Adam?" The older man asked.
Metatron, or Adam, stared at him for a moment, not really surprised he knew.
"Yes." He answered simply. "She is my sister, you know. Family, values, blood is thicker then water and all that."
"Hmm. I suppose so." He nodded. "But think, Adam: Slade Wilson can't possibly plan to keep her alive forever."
"I'll wait until he gets overconfident." Metatron replied. "People like him are bound to do so eventually. After that, I'll save Aura and get out of here."
"How do you plan to get to the girl?" Batman questioned.
Silence was his answer.
"You don't know where she is." Batman reasoned.
More silence.
"And Slade Wilson is holding her in a way so clever you are not even sure how you would free her even if you knew her whereabouts." He reasoned again, making connections.
More silence, with a hint of hate in Metatron's eyes. Hate at Batman for pointing out so well just how impossible a rescue mission would be. And hate at himself for getting his sister on this mess.
"Well at least you have a plan." Batman said as he narrowed his eyes, not seeming a bit concerned about the look he was receiving.
"Enough." Metatron growled, his frustration giving him enough energy to get up. "We have a fight to finish."
"This was never a fight." Batman corrected. "Just a man trying to control a greedy, selfish and misbehaving child."
Metatron let out an animal-like roar as he tried to get up, but stumbled a bit. He was severely weakened: probably didn't have enough strength to summon wings anymore.
A noise was heard somewhere behind them, causing the look of worry on Metatron's face to increase. He was already seeing the possibility.
"The Titans." Batman confirmed.
There was another moment of silence between the two as the superhero team approached the scene.
Then Metatron suddenly turned around and made a run for it, towards the edge of the bridge; sometimes there are things worth sacrificing honor for. The apprentice had his priorities straight in his mind: conserving his honor and getting caught fighting would signify giving up hope for Aura.
Batman watched him go for a couple of seconds.
Metatron dove for the river.
He made it halfway through before the black metallic rope seized him by his feet. He gasped as Batman pulled him back into the bridge via the rope and slammed him into the concrete once again.
"Sorry, Adam." Batman said, though it was impossible tell whether he meant it or not. "You endangered innocent lives and showed no remorse at almost killing those two individuals. I can't let you go after that."
Metatron hadn't even been able to hear him clearly, as he slowly rolled on the street so he was now facing the sky. Not long passed before blood started coming from his mouth. He tried to get up, but then realized his legs were still bound by the rope.
The Titans were drawing nearer.
"I-I… Escape…" He gasped as he sat up and grabbed the rope with one hand, blood still flowing from his mouth. "…Gotta… Escape…" He lashed out his claws at the rope.
After four swings, the rope remained intact: The claws could not cut it.
"…No…" Metatron whispered. Then he found breath. "LET ME GO, YOU COCK-SUCKING BASTARD!"
Batman looked unperturbed at the insults. But he looked worried when Metatron started moving wildly in attempts to get free, screaming in frustration: If this kept up, Batman feared his heart wouldn't be able to take it.
"SHE'LL DIE IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO!" Metatron continued. "LET ME GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH! LET ME GO!"
Now he knew his heart couldn't take more of this. So Batman did what he had to do. Reaching out to his utility belt, he found a button and pressed it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Metatron bellowed as high-bolts of electricity, coming from the rope, started surging throughout his entire body.
After several seconds, it finally stopped.
Metatron spasmed a couple of times, some froth coming out of the corner of his mouth.
Then… He fell limp. His body remained still, save for a couple of twitches.
Batman stared at the kid.
"I am sorry, Adam."
This time, it was obvious he meant it.
The Titans were close…
Slade Wilson sat on his lair, observing the scene of his apprentice's fights over interlaced palms. Through his calm composure, rage could be easily seen eradiating from his body... Along with very slight confusion at Batman's appearance.
"Well, Metatron…" He started through clenched teeth. "Strike two."
Right about then was when the slight beeping was heard. The man turned around to it and stared at the computer screen, where a slight red bleep had appeared. He allowed himself a smile after that.
"Then again… Maybe not…"
"What are you doing here?"
Same question, different person: This time, it was Robin who was asking it.
Same answer: Batman ignored the question, he was too busy supervising Cyborg's actions, much to the teen's discomfort. You see, Cyborg was the one in charge of putting the special restraints (which consisted of chains on his ankles and strange, very thick handcuffs that covered his entire hands like mittens) on Metatron, who was still unconscious.
"Batman. What are you doing here?" Robin asked again, through clenched teeth.
Batman continued to ignore. The other Titans were keeping their distance, both a bit intimidated of the Dark Knight and confused at Robin's actions. He seemed mad.
"BATMAN."
The man in question waited until Cyborg was finally done before answering.
"I stayed for a short while after our meeting last night. I saw your fight. I saw Metatron attack a police helicopter and cause it to crash. I saw that there was no one around but me to help the pilots. I did so. I encountered Metatron as a result of that." He said serenely.
Robin didn't look happy with his answer. He was about to say something else when a low groan caught his attention.
All eyes then fell on Metatron, who was slowly starting to wake up. When he caught sight of Cyborg, the Titan nearest to him, his eyes snapped open, no longer drowsy. He looked around at all the superheroes in front of him in confusion while trying to get up; that action finally made him notice his restraints.
For a couple of moments, he looked as if he was in deep concentration. Probably trying to break them.
"Don't bother." Cyborg smirked. "Those are made of an extremely powerful metallic alloy. Superman would have trouble breaking them."
Metatron's eyes showed some desperation at this fact, knowing he was nowhere near as strong as the Man of Steel. He slowly studied all of the people before him, and found there was probably no way he could get out of this one.
"I will escort him to The Juggernaut." Batman said, moving forward.
Robin stepped in between his mentor and his adversary.
"No." He said simply.
Batman arched an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" He asked, mildly surprised at his protégé's actions as well.
"No." He said simply. The he turned around to his teammates. "Cyborg, you will take Metatron to The Juggernaut in the T-Car. Raven, please go to S.T.A.R. Labs and return the stolen device. The rest of you can go back to the Tower with me or just go out and have fun, your choice. And you…" He turned to Batman, giving him a glare worthy of him. "Get out of our city. Now." His eyes narrowed even more. "Next time it won't be a warning."
All Titans, plus Metatron, froze when Robin turned to his mentor, hardly believing he was ordering Batman around. Batman himself was taken aback, though it wasn't shown in the slightest.
Batman and Robin stared at each other for a couple of moments. Then the former reached to his belt, causing some of the Titans to panic in case of attack. They all looked relieved when Batman simply took out a strange car-alarm-looking device and pressed the one button on it.
Instantly, the Batplane descended from the cloud and behind its owner, before opening its entrance. Batman swiftly jumped in and, within seconds, he was gone.
Several moments of silence followed.
"Dude…" Beastboy finally said. "Are you insane!"
"I think that would be an understatement." Raven muttered.
"I gave you orders." Robin said, walking towards Metatron, who still looked stunned at Batman's retreat. "I suggest you follow them."
When Metatron was reached, the apprentice stared at Robin's blank eyelids quizzically.
"Adam Matthews, I hereby place you under arrest…" Robin said. His teammates looked confused at the name: Robin had not had time to tell them about his findings on him yet. "The charges against you are: Theft, aggression, endangerment of innocent human beings, multiple homicide attempts, resisting arrest, property damage of up to more than five million dollars…"
Metatron wasn't that surprised of the accusations as Cyborg helped him to his feet and started escorting him to the T-car.
"…And being the prime suspect of the murders of Nicholas and Lauren Matthews." Robin finished.
Metatron stopped in mid-pace, his ears twitching slightly. Cyborg did not try to force him to move: He was too busy looking lost at the mention of the two new names, their teammates weren't much different. Slowly, though it was probably because of his bindings, the kid in question turned to face Robin, looking shocked and yet… Amused.
"Wait a minute…" He asked, with a tired expression on his eyes. "You think I--?"
The blank stare Robin gave him was enough of a response for him. Metatron slowly turned back and entered the car, with some help from Cyborg.
Idiot.
The car started setting off. Its destination: The Juggernaut, high-security prison for Metahumans. For now.
Robin stared as the T-car flew (it can fly) off into the distance and sighed.
"Tim?" The teen turned towards the uncertain voice, Starfire. The girl looked hesitant and worried: She had felt slightly scared at Robin's harsh actions with his mentor. "Are you well?"
The teen wonder stared at her now, not bothering to correct her use of the phrase.
"Yes." He finally said. "It's just…"
But what had it been was never known as Robin was interrupted by the sudden voices rushing towards them. All Titans groaned when they heard it: The media had arrived. Joy.
Raven immediately took the chance to grab the device and teleport out of sight, promptly leaving her teammates behind.
"Traitor." Robin hissed. Then turned to Beastboy. "Gar, I believe it's your turn for Media duty. Kory, mind giving me a lift home?"
"But--!" Beastboy started protesting, but it was too late: He was alone. With the sharks. "AND YOU CALLED RAVEN A TRAITOR!"
"BEASTBOY! WHAT HAS HAPPENED! WHERE YOU ABLE TO CAPTURE THE CRIMINAL KNOWN AS METATRON?" One of the reporters asked as he reached the green kid.
"Er…"
"WERE THERE ANY CASUALTIES?" Asked another.
"Well…"
"BEASTBOY, TODAY YOUR TEAM MADE AS MUCH DAMAGE TO THE CITY AS THE CRIMINAL HIMSELF WHILE TRYING TO APREHEND HIM! HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THIS?"
"HEY! We didn't--!"
"IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THE RUMORS OF YOU BEING A FORMER PLAYBOY STAR!"
Beastboy could only stare at the last one.
Quiet ride.
Always makes feel everyone in the car uncomfortable. Metatron was no exception as he shifted oh his seat with the strange anxiety feeling on his diaphragm, the one you get when you are waiting for something. Cyborg did not look all that happy about the eerie silence either as he sighed loudly while driving. Both of them were jumping for a chance to break the ice.
"So…" Metatron finally said. "How far until we reach this… prison?"
"Not that far, I think." The other answered quickly. "It's just on the outskirts of the city. Twenty-five more miles tops."
"Ah. Convenient."
More awkward silence.
Metatron cleared his throat and tried to scratch the tip of his nose… We know how well that went considering his 'cuffs'.
"…Your name is Adam, then?" Cyborg asked.
"Oh, yeah. Adam Alexander Matthews, at your service." Metatron answered; attempting to make a bowing gesture, only to be stopped by his restraints once again. "Not sure you are supposed to know that, but hell, you captured me. You deserve that much."
"Actually, it was Batman that captured you." Cyborg pointed out.
Silence.
"…DAMNIT! Now I have to find someway to erase you short-term memory… Say, mind if hit you on the head with on of these things?" The other complained/asked, signaling to the cuffs as the hitting instrument.
"Er… How about we just keep it a secret?" Cyborg suggested. "After all, Batman and Robin already know. So do all who were paying attention to the conversation between you two, which were the entire team… Except maybe Beastboy..."
Metatron chuckled at this.
"Heh. Beastboy… Hey, wasn't he with the Doom Patrol?" He asked.
"Yep. Well, not really part of the team, just lending out a hand here and there." Cyborg specified.
"Yeah, yeah, that's all fine and good…" Metatron said. "But what the hell was up with that purple mask? Did he honestly believe no one could recognize him like that? I mean, he was back to green when he transformed into an animal!"
Now it was Cyborg who laughed.
"Actually, as amazing as it sounds, back then nobody ever made the connection between him and that strange green kid on the neighborhood."
"Meh, can't blame them too much actually." Metatron shrugged.
"Ain't that the truth." Cyborg agreed.
By now, they had reached a rural area: Trees and vegetations everywhere, not long before they reach The Juggernaut now. Cyborg felt slightly saddened seeing as this kid wasn't… that bad. He started to descend his car from the air and unto the road.
"Hey, this is an interesting car." Metatron muttered, looking around at the vehicle. "Where'd you buy it?"
Cyborg suddenly beamed as a huge grin spread on his face, making Metatron feel slightly uncomfortable: He hadn't gotten any homosexual conduct from the metallic teen but now-days you really couldn't tell anymore. Normally, he wouldn't mind if he was gay… but it just so happened that he was being restrained. And they were alone. In the middle of nowhere.
So excuse him for having his worries.
"I BUILT IT MYSELF!" Cyborg announced, pulling his chest out in a proud manner. Metatron let out a breath of relief. "FROM SCRATCH!"
"Really? That's—ACK!" He started, but was stopped by the turbulence caused by the car wheels finally coming in contact with the rough ground beneath them, which made him jump from his seat and hit his head on the car's roof.
"Er… Sorry about that, landings are not my forte…" Cyborg sweatdropped.
"Ugh… No problem…" Metatron answered, attempting to rub his head with the soft material covering the seat. His efforts died out as his eye caught something. It was time. "Say… How much do you like this car?"
"Are you kidding, Adam? It's my baby!" Cyborg grinned.
"…All disturbing images coming from that phrase aside…" Metatron started, with a slight twitch. "If you really like it this much, then I strongly suggest you let me go. Right now."
Cyborg went silent for a moment, his expression no longer joke-cracking.
"As much as I may have grown to like you in the last… Ten minutes…" He finally said. "I can't let you go, Adam. You committed crimes, you have to serve your time."
"You are not getting it, Cyborg." Metatron said, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "It is not up to question. I'm just pointing you towards the way that might get you out of this unharmed. You have to let me go. Preferably ten minutes ago."
Cyborg's expression grew stern. So this kid was just like all the other villains after all…
"No." He replied. "You are going to The Juggernaut. I'd suggest you keep quiet the remaining ride." He glanced at him through the mirror. "Don't bluff me, Metatron; you don't honestly believe you can break through those cuffs, right?"
"I'd say it's highly improbable that I couldn't." Metatron responded.
"Then humor me." Cyborg said. "How exactly can you get out of this and harm me?"
"Oh, I can't." The other answered calmly.
Cyborg suddenly let out a yelp and lost control of his car momentarily as something LARGE crashed against the top of his car, making quite a dent on it. One that almost crushed the Titan and his captive.
"He, on the other hand, can probably do that and more." Metatron finished, smiling at the shocked hybrid.
Then the car top was lifted as if it was a can of sardine, revealing the gigantic mass of concrete known as Cinderblock over it. The stone beast roared at Cyborg, who had been force to stop the car when its roof started being ripped out.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, rawr to you too." Metatron snapped at his 'rescuer' with clear annoyance. "What the hell took you so long? I sent the signal almost twenty minutes ago!"
Cinderblock looked a bit disconcerted at this, which only increased Metatron's annoyance.
"MY BABY!" Cyborg finally stammered, looking at his ruined car. It almost seemed like he wanted to cry. But then it all went to anger. "ARGH! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ROCKY BUTT, YOU BASTARD!"
The sonic-cannon blast slammed against Cinderblock's chest, making it fall flat on its back with a roar. Metatron shook his head with a sigh.
"So hard to find good help now-days, isn't it?" Metatron asked Cyborg, apparently unperturbed at the fact that his savior had already been brought down. "By the way, I suggest you duck."
Cyborg did not heed Metatron's advice. And he paid it dearly as a regular Slade-bot suddenly tackled him to the ground.
"Warned ya." Metatron said from his seat.
"DAMNIT, BE QUIET!" Cyborg shouted as he pushed the robot off of him and blew his head off with the cannon. "HA! WHAT NOW?"
"Now?" Metatron asked, looking thoughtful. "Well… About six dozen more Slade-bots plus a very pissed off Cinderblock."
And true enough, roughly seventy-five armed Slade-bots suddenly jumped from the bushes and rampaged towards Cyborg, soon followed by the aforementioned angered Cinderblock.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" The teen screamed as he tried to fight off, but was slowly overwhelmed by the robotic troops.
Metatron ignored it.
"You." He called. Instantly, one of the assaulting Slade-bots came to his side. "Override this thing and get it off me." He said, motioning to his restraints.
The robot immediately obeyed and started using its gadget to override the lock on the handcuffs, Metatron waited patiently: He had the time.
Unfortunately, Cyborg could not say the same thing; he was currently struggling for his life as all the robots shoot him with their laser-weapons. Covering his face to avoid a hit on the flesh, he fired his cannon randomly, hopping to hit the robots. One good thing was that they were all lined-up horizontally, which made them an easy target.
A bad thing was Cinderblock, who, being as dumb as he was, charged the Titan head-on without bothering to think about the blasts hitting him as well. And of course, they did hit him, but he ignored them long enough for him to achieve his goal. Dragging Cyborg to the ground. Hard.
Cyborg screamed as the gigantic hunk of stone crushed his metallic body, incapacitating all movement. The robots were slowly walking towards the immobilized teen, charging their lasers and ready to end this battle.
On the distance, Metatron started showing worry. He did not want Cyborg dead.
Neither did the hybrid.
"ARGH! FUCK YOUUUUUUUUUU!" He yelled, his censors going crazy as he pushed himself and actually lifted Cinderblock from him and threw him at his companions before readying his cannon again.
Click.
The sound was followed by two heavy cuffs finally falling to the ground.
"YOU AIN'T GETTING ME!" Cyborg shouted as he continued to wildly shoot his cannon at the robots like a maniac. Even Cinderblock found it hard to move with all the blasts he was receiving.
Cyborg continued to fire, reducing the number of robots severely. But his energy rush was dying out, and so was the speed of his shooting. He had to call for back-up.
Snapping out his communicator, he got ready to access it.
"DAMNIT, GUYS, IF YOU ARE NOT HOME THEN I SWEAR MY GHOST WILL HAUNT YOU TO THE GRAVE!" He shouted and started pressing the communication.
SH-CLUK!
The Titan's communicator fell to the ground.
Shootings from both sides ceased.
Cyborg first blinked, not sure what was happening. Then, slowly, his gaze started going down to his stomach region. He tried to gasp at what he saw, but found his throat dry. A hand, currently sticking out of his stomach, had gone through that region. A clawed hand.
"I'm sorry, Cyborg." Metatron's cold voice came from behind him. "But we can't have you warning your teammates about my early release, now can we? Frankly, I think I've had my fair share of violence for one day."
Already feeling weak, Cyborg tilted his head towards Metatron. On the back of his mind, he could hardly believe he had been joking around and getting along with this guy just ten minutes ago.
WARNING: SEVERE ENERGY LEAK. SEEK REPAIRMENT.
"You know…" Metatron said as he took his hand out of Cyborg's stomach, leaving a hole the size of a baseball behind and causing the teen to let out a yelp of pain. "If you want to blame anyone for this, blame your leader. Had he let Batman be the one to take me here, I really doubt I would have been able to escape."
WARNING: ENERGY-CELLS DRAINING FAST. SEEK REPAIRMENT IMMEDIATELY.
Cyborg slowly fell to his knees. Slade robots closed in on them.
"Though know this." Metatron said. "I did not want it to be like this. I did ask you to let me go, don't forget that."
WARNING: 34 PERCENT ENERGY REMAINING AND DROPPING. SEEK REPAIRMENT IMMEDIATELY.
One of the Slade-bots stopped in front of Cyborg and aimed the weapon to his head. The Titan couldn't fight back: his energy was still lowering. Cyborg closed his eye and waited for death's bells.
It never came.
Venturing, Cyborg's eye opened again. He found the robot still standing before him… But Metatron was as well: He was also crushing its metallic hand into smatterings and looked mad.
"No." He hissed, and then looked around. "Nobody kills him. That's an order."
The robots didn't seem troubled by the command. Cinderblock did, but he kept it to himself. Cyborg was wondering why… and somehow he thought he knew already.
Metatron turned to face him for a couple of seconds.
"Go back. All of you. I'll catch up… After I make a small stop in S.T.A.R. Labs." He said, winking at Cyborg.
In a second, both kids were alone again. Metatron smiled.
"Take care of yourself, kid." He said. "See ya next time you try to stop me."
Now… Cyborg was alone again. Relaxing slowly he fell on the ground. No longer caring that Metatron was going to steal the artifact… That no one will stop him 'cause they all think he already was stopped. He no longer cared.
About anything.
WARNING: CRITICAL STAGE REACHED – 5 PERCENT ENERGY LEFT.
WARNING: INITIATING SHUTDOWN.
SHUTTING DOWN.
SHUTDOWN COMPLETE.
Blissful how quiet the rural forest can be, isn't it?
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's note: The Juggernaut, high-security prison for Metahumans, is copyrighted by me, seeing as I created it about two minutes ago. Also, a friend of my pointed out how weak pterodactyl's bones actually are, showing a plothole on Cyborg's fighting strategy on chapter 02. I could say that Beastboy's modified his genetic structure to make the bones more enduring… but the truth is that I'm still green at writing. Plotholes are bound to be found. I will keep trying to improve.