Chapter 8
A Time to Fight
Warm air filled Achilles lungs after several hours of lying dormant. He tried to move his arms but they barely budged. His armor had fused together during his last attack and he could barely move. Every fiber of his being screamed out in pain as he struggled to free himself. "I will not be trapped within my own armor" Achilles grunted. He thrusted his arms to his sides with all his might. His armor finally gave in and shattered as it broke under the strain. He felt the humid air touch his exposed skin, it felt good. He checked himself over to see if he had any serious injury. Surprisingly he found everything beneath his armor had been protected including his golden armbands, pants, and skin. He looked down to see his armored boots still attached. He knelt down to take them off then thought better of it. "No… it would be safer to leave them on" Achilles thought. Achilles heard a strange noise directed his attention to the sky. A small object with spinning blades circled over head with the words 'TV News' panted on to it. Achilles sneered and raised his hand to the sky. A star bolt collected in his hands shining a brilliant green. It erupted from his hand sizzling the air as traveled into the sky. It disappeared into a sprinkle of light and entered the helicopter. The helicopter exploded in green light and vanished from existence. Achilles smiled at his success looked to the sky again and saw more circling over head turning to leave the scene. The other helicopters soon fell to the same fate as the first. Achilles walked along the country side until he reached the ocean. He dove in and the surrounding water began to bubble while air filled with steam. He would swim until he found land again, and continue his conquest.
The Titans waited impatiently for the T-ship's fuel tank to be refilled. They had used much of their fuel running from Achilles' desperate attempt to destroy them and had had barely enough to get them back home. "Can't this thing go any faster" Terran complained. Cyborg shot a cold glare telling Terran that he'd better shut up. Terran went back to playing with the little clump of dirt he had found, turning into various shapes and designs, making it snake through the air. Starfire was clapping with glee but Raven simply looked the other way.
"Please friend, show me the elephant that shoots hairy people out its nose" Starfire pleaded.
Terran groaned. "Again"? Starfire eyes grew big and she clasped her hands together trying to look as innocent as possible. "Fine, but just this once…and they're called monkeys." Terran huffed. He began to repeat the act where he formed an elephant that began having sneezing fits and launched monkeys out its trunk in random directions for the fifth time. Starfire giggled and begged for more. In a corner Beast Boy was deep in thought and was staring at Terran trying to figure out why he had been troubled by his own story. Terran noticed this again and stopped playing with the dirt, Starfire's joy vanished and she sat on a crate in disappointment. Terran huffed in annoyance and turned to Beast Boy. "You've been staring at me ever since you told that story, come on already…it's creepy". Beast Boy let out a long breath and strode over to Terran and looked him over for a few seconds.
"Are you sure we haven't met before?" Beast Boy finally asked. Beast Boy saw Terran wearing that same nervous look he had when Beast Boy told him he had been in the Doom Patrol.
"Positive" Terran said he voice shaky. They heard a click and the tank doors latched shut.
"Ok gang tanks full and we are good to go" Cyborg said as he patted the T-ship. Everyone except Terran climbed in and began launch sequences. Once again the T-ship blasted off into the afternoon sky headed towards Europe with Terran trailing close behind.
After an hour of flight the T-ship finally made it to the vast city of Rome. The report didn't say exactly where Achilles had been sighted but it said he was defiantly in the city. So the Titans began the aggravating job of finding him. After several minutes Terran howled over the radio.
"Found him" he said. Robin glanced out the window and saw nothing.
"Where?" Robin asked. He saw Terran out the window role his eyes and pointed towards the Roman Coliseum. Robin looked and saw clouds of dust and smoke rising from in and around it. "Oh" Robin said. He piloted the T-ship down the city streets and parked it outside the coliseum. The Titans ran through the series of arches to the center of the coliseum.
"Actually do something this time 'k Beast Boy" Terran said as he ran passed him. Beast Boy frowned and continued towards the coliseum's center. Raven left of a small laugh that only she heard except for Beast Boy.
"Raven…LAUGHING," Beast Boy thought "at TERRAN'S joke". Maybe Cyborg was right, maybe she did like him. They entered the coliseum to hear Achilles cruel laugh. He was holding a female civilian by her neck and was thrashing her around like a rag doll.
"Now who am I again" He cackled cruelly pulling her face close to his so she could only the glow of his eyes. The woman cried out something in Italian and Achilles tightened his grip. "I'm sorry I can't understand you"! He lifted her high above his head and began bring down but stopped on seeing the Teen Titans standing at the entrance to the coliseum. "No!" He shouted "You all should be dead"! Robin didn't answer him and pointed to the girl.
"Put her down Achilles." Robin said. Achilles looked at the woman in his massive hand and a cruel smile spread across his face.
"Why certainly." he replied. He began to set the woman gently on the ground. When she was inches from the ground he snapped his arm back and flung her behind him sending her soaring into the sky. The Titans watched in horror as the woman began to disappear into the sky. A black aura formed around Raven and she flew after the woman as fast as she could. Achilles took advantage of the Titans momentary distraction and charged at them at full speed. The Titans jumped out of the way before Achilles trampled the area they had stood in mere seconds before. Achilles whirled around and a star bolt formed in his hand. He launched it at Terran but missed him by a few inches. The air displacement was so great that Terran was blown to the side and into one of the stone pillars that littered the coliseum.
"Yo Terran you alright" Cyborg called. Achilles laughed manically. "What's so funny"! Achilles stopped laughing and smile. He clenched his fist and the star bolt that was now well away from the coliseum erupted into a small green sun, exactly where would have Raven intercepted the woman.
"No…" Beast Boy said. His sadness for the loss of his friend turned to rage. He transformed himself into a T-Rex and pile drived Achilles into the stands. "Not so tough now without your armor!" Beast Boy thought as he continued to crush Achilles into the stands. Achilles grabbed the T-Rex Beast Boy and shoved him away. Achilles ran to Beast Boy who had been changed back to his original form. Beast Boy felt himself being grabbed by Achilles massive hand and being dragged along the ground. His stomach began to feel warm and it tingled a bit. Then he was rocketed into the opposite stands by a star bolt. The stands collapsed and Beast Boy fell unconscious. Achilles smiled at his quick victory over two of the six Titans. He back suddenly erupted with explosions as Starfire circled over head firing her own star bolts at him. He leaped at her but his vision was instantly filled by Cyborg's sonic cannon from below him. Achilles fell to the ground half blind and Cyborg began letting loose a barrage of punches into Achilles gut. Cyborg backed up his final punch with his sonic cannon sending Achilles skidding back a few feet. Cyborg dashed at him but Achilles landed his hands onto Cyborg's shoulders and they once again locked into press match. Cyborg instead of trying to match Achilles in strength brought his knee into Achilles exposed chin, to no affect. Achilles laughed at this pitiful attempt to do him harm. Achilles thinking the same trick would work twice, hefted Cyborg into the air.
"Sorry but looks like it's time someone gave you the BOOT!" Cyborg brought his foot into Achilles' face and it opened up revealing a miniature sonic cannon. It blasted Achilles point blank and he instantly let go of Cyborg. Achilles lumbered around unable to keep his balance from the blast to his face and the damage it had caused to his eardrums. Robin combined two of his batarangs and their tips extended into a sword. Robin dashed at Achilles and swiped at him with his sword. The sword impacted one of Achilles' golden armbands and snapped in two. Achilles didn't need his sight to know someone had attacked him. He grabbed Robin's head and smashed it against his. Achilles then drove his knee into Robin's gut knocking the wind out of him. Finally Achilles brought Robin's bleeding face to his hand and detonated a star bolt in his face sending Robin tumbling several feet away. Achilles blinked a few times to make sure he could see properly. He grabbed Cyborg who was trying to get to Robin and smashed him into the ground. Achilles brought him out and flung him into Starfire sending them crashing into the far side of the coliseum.
"Five down, one to g-" Achilles started. A rock flew past his face and exploding propelling stone shrapnel into Achilles. Much of the shrapnel hadn't penetrated his skin but the ones that did caused him to bleed. Achilles clenched his arm where the pain was the worst. He turned to see Terran readying another stone grenade. "You" Achilles growled. He let out a roar and charged at Terran. Terran disappeared into the ground and reappeared behind Achilles.
"If you're supposed to be invincible then I guess you wouldn't mind me taking off yours boots" Terran said. He reached out and stone hands extended from the ground towards Achilles boots. Achilles frantically pulled his feet away and smashed the stone hands to bits. "Eww looks like I found a nerve." Terran laughed. His hands glowed yellow and more stone hands extended from the ground racing after Achilles. Achilles frantically dashed for one of the exits to escape the legion of hands. A stone wall rose from the ground cutting off the outside of the coliseum from the inside. Achilles pounded at the wall but it wouldn't give in. Achilles tossed that tactic aside and began launching star bolts at the wall. Smoke filled the air as Achilles continued to blast away. He stopped and the smoke cleared revealing a gape large enough for him to fit through. In horror Achilles watched the wall instantly liquefy and fill the gape.
"I've got you now" Terran said. He was about to send more stone hands after Achilles when a black portal appeared next to him. A girl in a blue hood stepped out and dusted herself off. "Raven!" Terran shouted "You're alive, how did you survive the explosion"! Raven looked at Terran with a 'What the hell are you talking about' look. Terran filled Raven in about all that happened while she had been gone, especially Achilles fear of letting anyone near his feet while Achilles tried blast his way out. They stopped when they heard Achilles slowly approaching. He came from away the coliseum exit dismissing the idea of trying to escape. He scowled when he saw that Raven was still alive.
"Hmph," he said "guess I missed". Suddenly his feet began to feel numb. He looked down to see his boots covered in a black aura. He struggled to pull his feet away but they refused to move. His boots shattered revealing his exposed feet. One of Achilles' ankles had a series of scars across it. Achilles eyes filled with rage at them finding his weak spot. "YOU…I'LL KILL YOU"!!! Achilles made a mad dash for Terran and Raven. He swiped at them but they ducked below him. Both Terran and Raven kicked Achilles in his scarred ankle as hard as they could. Achilles froze. They scrambled to their feet to deliver a final blow but stopped when they saw Achilles' face express extreme pain. Achilles let out a horrific scream and fell to the ground clutching his ankle.
"Oh my-" Terran and Raven said but their voices were cut of by Achilles scream. Terran stepped forward and tapped Achilles' ankle with his foot. Achilles let out another scream louder than the first rolling along the ground in a futile effort to stop the pain. "Achilles ya just blew your image" Terran said with a smirk. He turned to Raven who returned the smile and she went to treat the other Titans.
Police reinforcements arrived a half hour later to carry Achilles away to a maximum security prison being built specially for him. The police wheeled Achilles away in a large metal casket covering his whole except for his scarred ankle. Terran and Raven was filling in the now conscious Titans about what happened while they were out cold. Raven apparently was never hit by Achilles' attack; in fact she was miles away from it when it exploded. She had brought the woman to hospital for emergency treatment but had to stay because some of the injuries were too serious for the doctors to fix. "So how did you two finally stop Achilles?" Robin asked. Terran and Raven smiled. Terran halted the guards pulling Achilles away.
"Like this" he said and tapped Achilles exposed ankle. The Titans left for home with Achilles' muffled scream echoing behind them.