The Uncanny Titans

Chapter 36: Welcome to the Titans

By

The Uncanny R-Man

Disclaimer- All familiar characters belong to DC Comics.

Titans Tower-

The T-Jet with Cyborg's team of Titans had just returned from their recruitment drive in El Paso with their new team member Blue Beetle. Not the hero who was heterosexual life partners with Booster Gold, this Blue Beetle was Jaime Reyes, a high school kid with a hi-tech alien scarab thing stuck on his back.

Cyborg let rip with a rather large burp as he and his team walked down the corridor leading from the T-Jet bay.

'Man, you gotta tell me your mom's recipe for those ribs, Beetle.' Cyborg complimented the younger hero as he patted his stomach in satisfaction. 'I haven't tasted ribs that good since forever.'

'Sorry man, it's a family secret.' Blue Beetle apologised. 'Besides, if I did tell you, my mom would have to kill you.'

It didn't take the group to meet up with Nightwing and the rest of the team, who had just returned with their new recruit. The former Boy Wonder had put in a call to Titans East for a prospective new member, and they had sent over Miss Martian to help.

The face section of Blue Beetle's armour folded back to reveal his face underneath. His jaw dropped once he saw Nightwing. It was clear that he was a huge fan of Batman, or anything remotely related to the Dark Knight.

'I can't believe that I'm one of the Teen Titans now!' The young hero grinned as he grabbed Nightwing by the hand and shook it vigorously. 'I can't tell you how much of an honour it is to meet you, dude! I am such a huge fan!'

'Uh… thanks.' Nightwing smiled uncertainly. He had met plenty of grateful people before, but nobody like this. 'Any chance I can get that hand back?'

'Oh. Sorry…' Blue Beetle blushed slightly as he released Nightwing's hand. 'I'm just so excited to be here. It's the Teen Titans, man!'

'Greetings, Blue Beetle.' Miss Martian smiled sweetly as she offered the fellow hero her hand. 'My name is M'gann M'orzz, but my friends call me Megan.'

Blue Beetle held out his hand to take the hand offered, but he halted mid-gesture. He cocked his head as if he was listening to something. He was actually conversing with the Scarab that granted him his armoured suit, but nobody else could her it.

'Yeah, I know she's a Martian.' Blue Beetle told the Scarab. 'It's all there I her name. Fine, White Martian, if you're gonna be racial about it.'

Superboy looked at his fellow heroes.

'Am I the only one that thinks a guy talking to himself is weird?'

'Forget all this meet and greet crap, I'm getting out of here!' Rose muttered to yourself. 'Pat each other's backs as long as you want. I'm going to my room.'

Miss Martian's face fell as she watched the grouchy young heroine stomp away. An idea began to form in the young Martian's head.

'Rose seems upset.' Megan surmised. 'I was taught not to snoop into the thoughts of others without asking, but I couldn't help but sense her sadness. I have just the thing to cheer her up!'

'I don't think that would be such a good idea, M'gann.' Robin told the young Martian. 'I doubt Rose is in the mood to be cheered up.'

The Boy Wonder's warning came too late as M'gann had already flown away to set about her plan to cheer up her new prospective friend.

Rose's room, a little while later-

Rose lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She felt bad about her boyfriend Bart, the young speedster known as Impulse, quitting the team. Rose blamed herself for Bart leaving the team, even though she was totally innocent of any blame. He had been seriously injured by Ravager, Rose's uncle, during Dr Light's attack on the Titans. After recuperating from his wounds, Bart decided to take a leave of absence from the team to live life at a normal speed for a while. It was his foolhardy rushing into a fight that had gotten him injured in the first place.

A knock at her bedroom door earned a frown from the silver-haired heroine.

'Rose… It's Megan.' The muffled voice explained from the other side of the door. 'May I come in?'

'Go away.' Rose retorted. 'I don't want to talk to anybody.'

'If you don't open the door I can't give you the gift I brought.' Megan explained. Rose simply cursed under her breath and rolled onto her side. Couldn't this girl take a hint? Wasn't she supposed to be a telepath?

Another knock on the door announced that Megan wasn't going to give up just yet. Rose swung her legs up over the edge of her bed and she headed over to the door to give her new teammate a piece of her mind. Rose swung the door open only to receive a custard pie in the face for her trouble.

'Amusing, yes?' Megan smiled sweetly. Unfortunately, Rose was anything but amused.

'What the hell is wrong with you?' Rose yelled at the young Martian. Megan's face fell at the verbal onslaught.

'You didn't like the custard pie? The people on the television seemed to find it hilarious. Rose let rip with a torrent of curse woods that Megan had never heard before.

Robin and Superboy had been alerted by the sound of shouting and arrived just in time to see a sobbing Megan fly away in the direction of the roof. They both turned to see Rose stood there with a face full of custard cream. The silver-haired heroine glared at the pair and slammed her door before they could utter the world.

Superboy looked at Robin. 'Don't tell me Megan did what I thought she did.' The Boy of Steel grimaced.

'Yeah, I think she did.' Robin shook his head. 'We'd better go check on Megan.' Superboy held up his hand, stopping his friend.

'I'll go find her.' Superboy said. 'I think she headed up to the roof.'

The roof-

Superboy made it to the roof and saw Megan sitting on the edge, her shoulders wracked with sobs.

'Megan…?' The Boy of Steel ventured softly. 'You okay?'

'It was a bad idea for me to come.' Megan sniffled between sobs. 'I have barely been here for one day and already somebody hates me!'

Superboy sat down beside Megan and put a comforting hand upon hers.

'Aww, that's okay.' He reassured the upset Martian. 'That's just Rose. She might act like a real harass on the surface, but she's pretty cool once you get to know her. Just give her some time and she'll soon lighten up.'

'Maybe throwing a custard pie in her face was a bad way to make a friend.' Megan sniffed as she wiped a tear from her eye. Superboy cleared his throat nervously. Now may not be a good time to hit on a new teammate, but he was going to do it anyway.

'So, you like those Choco Cookies things, right?' Megan's face lit up at the mere mention of her favourite snack brand. 'I know a place that makes the best Choco sundae that you've ever tasted.'

Megan enveloped Superboy in a great big hug and smiled happily, the upset she had caused Rose momentarily forgotten.

'Oh, Superboy! I can't tell you how happy that makes me! I love Choco cookies!' Superboy simply smiled to himself. Mission accomplished!

Santa Prisca, meanwhile-

In a dingy bar somewhere in the scummy Caribbean island of Santa Prisca, a frail old bespectacled man was meeting with a contact. This old man was not any old fellow that had wandered into the wrong cantina, he was Mad Mod, and old foe of the Teen Titans.

'You got what I paid for?' Mod asked as he took a seat opposite a shady-looking local.

'Hey, what's the hurry, gringo?' The guy asked. 'Don' you want a drink first?'

'Just give me the bloody map.' Mod snapped at the man. 'I hate the jungle. There are mosquitoes the size of cars and the humidity's playing havoc with my rheumatism.'

The guy simply shrugged as he tossed a tattered map upon the table in-between them. Mad Mod went to make a move for the map, but his contact pulled out a gun and pointed it in the British villain's face.

'Money first.'

Mad Mod rolled his eyes as he placed an old battered suitcase on the table. His contact opened the suitcase to make sure that his payment was inside and that Mad Mod wasn't trying to screw him over. Once he was sure that everything was well he closed the suitcase again.

'The money ain't gonna cut it, my friend.' The fellow stated with a smile, flashing nasty yellow teeth at Mad Mod. 'That's one nice ruby you got on your cane. I'll take that as well.'

Mad Mod simply shrugged and handed over his ruby-topped cane. The contact placed a hand on the ruby end just as Mad Mod pressed a switch on the other end of the can, sending thousands of volts coursing through the poor fellow's body. The man screamed in pain for a few seconds before tumbling backwards off his chair, his body smoking. It was clear that he wasn't going to be able to take another old man's cane again.

Mad Mod retrieved his cane and dusted himself off. He was about to make an exit when he noticed that the rest of the patrons of the bar had all pulled guns on him. With a smug grin he pressed another button on his ruby-handled cane. A giant robotic foot came crashing down through the roof, crushing the patrons within.

Mad Mod struggled up onto the foot of his giant robot, modelled on the soldiers that guard Buckingham Palace in London, and tapped its leg with his cane.

'Time to make a move, old chap.' Mad Mod told his robot. 'We have the Fountain of Youth to find!'

TBC…

Next: Reign of Blood

Beast Boy returns to the Teen Titans. Hooded goons under the command of a new Brother Blood have kidnapped the unconscious Raven and he needs their help to rescue her! Also: Mad Mod continues on his search for the Fountain of Youth!