Season 2, Episode 1

Timeline

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Emergency Power Cell: 52%

Not enough.

"Well, maybe if you wouldn'a got in my way, dude, things'd be fine!" Beast Boy plants a hand on Robin's chest, shoving him back before stalking away from the door.

Cyborg holds his head in his hands.

"That's not what we're about, Beast Boy." Robin starts to follow, and his footsteps echo in the Tower's main room. "We're a team, and-"

"Course we are, Rob! Hey, think I should get your okay before each fight? S'it okay if I stop this bank robbery, team leader? Do I have permission to take this guy out before he friggin' shoots you, team leader?" He doesn't turn, venting his sarcasm towards the great window overlooking Jump City. "Or maybe I should just check with you before every punch, huh? How's that sound? Can I morph, Rob? Can I jump this monster, Rob? Can I actually use my friggin' powers and be a friggin' hero-"

"STOP IT!"

Cyborg looks up. Robin is standing in the room's center, red-faced and nearly shaking. Raven hasn't said a word. Beast Boy is still partially turned, staring at the Titans' leader over his shoulder.

"...That's not what we're about," Robin repeats. "You can't keep being so reckless, and you know it. You're putting the rest of the team in danger every time you ignore orders."

There's a tremor in his words. Beast Boy doesn't blink. "Do you even hear yourself?" he says scornfully. "It's always the same with you, man. Orders. Plans. Run from A to B, then wait for reinforcements, then limp back home because oh look, your precious plan didn't work. Well, I'm done with plans."

Cyborg tries to think of what to do. How he can help. This isn't just post-battle talk, with two different personalities butting heads like they always do. There's an edge to both voices, a dangerous gleam to the eyes.

Beast Boy laughs, but he's not smiling. "And maybe I should be done with this team, too."

Emergency Power Cell: 51%

"What?" Cyborg's head jerks up, and he stares at his friend. "B, you- you can't. You're not serious, right?"

"He said it, man. You heard him." Beast Boy glances back to the leader. "I'm putting you guys in danger, after all."

"That's not what he meant," Raven says quietly.

Robin isn't saying anything.

"...Rob? That's not what you meant, right?" Cyborg does his best to ignore the gnawing, cold sensation of fear.

He waits just a second too long. "Of course not."

"Dude." Beast Boy's staring at him, with something like wonder in his expression. "You... you seriously don't care if I leave or not, do you?"

Scowling, Raven steps forward, but he continues. "An' it's not because you hate me or somethin'. No, it's-"

Pause.

Emergency Power Cell: 50%

Beast Boy slowly breathes out. "I get it, man."

Robin's voice is still wavering, weaker than it should be. "What are you talking about?"

He glances between the other two, keeping their eyes on him. "Gotta be honest, Rob. Did some snooping, wound up in your room, and I found somethin' weird."

Beast Boy brings his focus back to Robin. "Blueprints. For a new suit."

He lets the words fill the air. "Dude, I didn't figure it out 'till now. You're gettin' ready to go out on your own- just like me."

Robin doesn't object.

Emergency Power Cell: 49%. External Power Source Required.

Cyborg pushes away the thought that everything is falling apart. "Is..." He can't finish the question.

"Is it true?" He sees Raven ask instead, a look in her eyes that's never been there before.

He wonders what Robin is thinking. The mask doesn't move, but he can imagine their leader's eyes, darting back and forth while the Titans- the team, who trust him with their lives- watch him in return. Waiting for an answer.

"That doesn't matter now," Robin says weakly. "We have more important-"

External Power Source Required.

Beast Boy starts across the room. The action seems to drain all sound from the air, leaving Robin's words to trail off into nothing. He hesitates near the entryway, as if about to say something. Maybe a goodbye.

Then he sets his gaze ahead, striding through the door.

Silence. Robin turns, and eventually leaves as well.

Maybe to stop him.

External Power Source Required.

Maybe to follow the same path.

"Are... are they really gone?" Cyborg blinks, startled, when Raven's voice filters through his thoughts. She's closer to the wall now, almost huddling against it as she stares at the empty doorway. "They'll come back, won't they?"

Of course they will.

External Power Source Required.

No, they won't.

I don't know.

I'm sorry.

Cyborg doesn't say any of these things. He simply moves closer, slowly extending his arm. Raven shuffles to the side and leans back, letting the metal hand fall across her shoulders. "They'll... come back..."

External Power Source Required.

Cyborg holds his friend close.

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This is the saddest episode I've watched so far.

I wasn't ready, either. I'm thinking, 'Oh, new season, probably start things off with some goofy small-time villains for Robin to sling one-liners at, right?' And when Warp shows up... yeah, that's what happens. It's a good time.

But then.

I was not ready for a broken-down Tower. A Cyborg who literally can't leave without dying. A frozen Jump City. The saddest soundtrack I've ever heard. It's heartbreaking, and it only gets worse: Beast Boy has exiled himself to a traveling circus's sideshow, where he does tricks and tries to avoid the rocks that people throw at him. In a cage. A freaking cage.

Raven's no better off. She's become paranoid, hiding away from the world and even refusing to believe Starfire when she tells her that she's there to help.

"It is Starfire! Your friend!"

"...No...such...thing."

And to cap it all, the other Titans come back to help even though they know they're going to stop existing. Heck, Cyborg's probably going to die first since he left the Tower's power supply.

I mean, yeah, eventually everything's okay, but man it's tough to watch. There's some funny moments, and Starfire saves the day like a boss, but honestly, that's all completely overshadowed by how incredibly sad this story is.

Lighthearted stuff!: Well, seeing Nightwing was pretty cool. Helped me stop bawling for a while.

In the beginning of the episode, I'm pretty sure Starfire's alarm clock was Mumbo. (As you may remember, he's basically my favorite. Mumbo Mumbo Mumbo.)

Robin stares at a boombox, frowning like it's done something wrong. This is not explained, and I love it.

"Great, Robin. More yelling will definitely stop all the yelling." Raven gets sarcastic when she's mad.

Starfire rattles off like three different phrases in Tamaranean, and Beast Boy just blinks. "Um... gesundheit?"

Time travel literally looks like flying past a bunch of clocks. Why didn't I think of that?

"You just ran out of time!" Even twenty years in the future, Robin's still obsessed with puns.

Warp... turns into a baby. I don't know why. Baby Warp.

At the end, instead of somberly contemplating his future, or agonizing over the horrible things Starfire has seen, Beast Boy freaks out about going bald. That's what he's worried about. Classic.

Starfire celebrates friendship by draping colored cloths and stuff over Raven, who deadpans, "Okay, I feel like a windchime."

Logistics: It seems I accidentally derped away three weeks. Sorry about that. But hey, I finally got started with Season 2, so... focusing on the positives, I guess?

Moving right along. Hopefully to something a little happier.

Next: Every Dog Has His Day. Sounds promising, I guess?