The Titans returned home late that evening- it had taken a long time to satisfy the police investigators that they had to told all they knew. The investigators had seemed certain that there was more to the case than the Titans were telling- Robin could understand that, he supposed. For all his time in Jump City, Doctor Light had been a standing joke, but now he seemed to have changed overnight into a real threat. For his part, the Boy Wonder intended to put Oracle's considerable investigative abilities onto this mystery. By the time that they finally reached the Tower, however, he and his team were so tired that he decided that would have to wait for morning. With little ceremony, the young heroes split apart and headed for bed.
Starfire, however, took a moment before her slorvax to compose a training plan for her dear friend Raven. She did not wish to push her friend too far, as she seemed to have done during their aborted rooftop run, but she wished for it to be challenging enough to ensure that Raven would grow stronger. She sat down at the small, Tameranian computer and began to write down ideas for exercises. At the same time, she consulted an Earthly health book she had acquired when she was newly arrived to this planet, and needed to know more of the natives. She was careful to follow the suggestions laid out in the text, and was soon nearly done with her planning when a chime alerted her to an incoming electronic message. Frowning, the princess opened her mail system while wondering who she knew that would write to her rather than simply coming to talk to her. With a smile, she noted that it was from Foe-turned-Friend Kate. The two girls had written to one another frequently, ever since Kate and Fang had fled the city during the reign of the most hateful Joker.
From: KittyKate101
To:KoriandrSF
What's up Red? Sorry I didn't write sooner, but its been nuts around the garage this week. I don't know why everyone seems to have ruined their cars, but so long as I get my paycheck, I'm sure not complaining! LOL. Glad to hear that Robbie-Poo's finally come to his senses- even I knew there was something going on between you that night at the prom! I cant believe it took him this long to do something about it!!! Boys can be so dumb, huh? Speaking of which, you'll never guess what Fangy did...
Starfire read the rest of the letter happily. Although she did not understand all of the slang being used, she was glad that Friends Kate and Fang had found happiness together. When she was finished she began to craft her reply. With that done, she checked her plan one more time before shutting off the system and going to bed.
Raven's alarm jangled her out of dreamless sleep at six o'clock the next morning. Fighting the temptation to blast the timepiece out of existence, she swung herself out of bed and headed to her closet. Most of the space was filled with copies of her uniform- black leotard and dark blue cloak-but yesterday before bed, Cassie had given her a new work out costume. Grey jogging pants, blue leg warmers and a grey shirt were duly taken out and put on, before the empathy headed out to her first workout session. All through the long walk to the Tower's gym, Raven wondered what her friends would be doing to her before the day was out- and whether she would be up to the challenge.
She found her teacher in the Tower gymnasium, warming up next to the treadmills.
"Good morning, Friend Raven! I trust your slorvax was a pleasant and restful one?" Starfire said, smiling. The alien girl wore her own workout clothes, purple running shorts and a purple tank top- both garments far skimpier than anything Starfire had ever worn previously. Raven paused, a little surprised- Starfire's combat uniform aside, her friend was surprisingly conservative in her dress.
"It was all right, Starfire" she replied, moving towards the treadmills. "Uh...what's up with the short shorts?"
"Ah! I had hoped you would inquire!" Starfire said with a proud smile. "Friend Cassie stated that you might not wish for Boyfriend Tim to know of your troubles with the vile Doctor Light. Yet, given that we are using the Training Room, it is almost certain that he will see us. Therefore, I have chosen garments which will ensure that he is... distracted."
Raven gave a small smile. "You know something, Starfire? You're a lot more clever than you let on. I have to remember to get myself something like that, for Gar"
"I thank you, my friend, I should be most happy to assist in that as well. Now, let us begin with a light jog of no more than, let us say, one half mile. Then, we shall commence the true exercises."
Twenty minutes later, Raven remembered why she so purely hated running. She was out of breath and aching, while her friend wasn't even winded. She was grateful for the stretching exercises which followed, as they allowed her to get her wind back. Once they were done stretching, Starfire lead her to an open area in the center of the room.
"Now, Friend Raven, Friend Cassie has already agreed to train you in combat, so we shall work on improving your stamina and general physical state. Now, observe me and repeat!"
What followed was a long, grueling session of jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, sprinting, leg lifts and chin ups. Starfire had clearly crafted this workout to give attention to every muscle in the empath's body. From her toes to her neck, every muscle was worked to the point of exhaustion. Long before it was finished, Raven wondered why in the world she was putting herself through this torture. Then, she remembered what had happened in the bank, and the way it had made her feel, and redoubled her efforts.
Meanwhile, in the main repair bay, Cyborg was in the midst of a thorough check of all the systems in all the Titan's vehicles. This served two purposes, both of vital importance. First, with all the strange things going on in Jump City, it was vital that the team's equipment all be in perfect working order. If, for whatever reason, the Titan's were called upon to battle a villain at the bottom of the ocean, then by God he was going to be sure they could do just that. Second, it kept his mind occupied and kept him from dwelling on the damage he might have done to his best friend's psyche. It had always been this way for him- he found he coped best with trouble when he had something physical to do.
The Tower's repair bay had been designed to be able to service a wide variety of vehicles and equipment. As such, it was a vast underground chamber with hydraulic lifts, a vast number of specialized tools, and very high ceilings. Normally, Cyborg had the place to himself, but the whoosh of the door told him that today was going to be different. He turned to see his leader enter the room, once again in civilian garb- a wife-beater and tight jeans. "Hey, Tim, what's happening?" Cyborg said "Any news on Light?"
Tim shook his head, and leaned against the doorpost. "Nothing yet. I asked Oracle to search for any info on him that might explain this change, but so far she hasn't found anything. Believe me, I'll let you know the minute I hear something."
"Good to know" Cyborg said, turning back to his work. "So what brings you down here? Not that I'm not happy to have company but usually I'm the only one down here"
"Oh, just sorting through the events of the last little while. Been a crazy time, you know? So many weird events, and catastrophes. Just for example, there was your little prank of a few days ago. Remember? When you stripped me naked in front of Superman?"
Cyborg turned around, a nervous grin on his face. "Aw c'mon, man, that- that was just a joke"
"Oh, I know" Tim replied, his voice still friendly and calm. "Don't worry, Cy, I can take a joke. I mean, we're all good sports here, aren't we?"
Put at ease by his leader's calm demeanour, Cyborg resumed his check with a chuckle. "I like to think so, yeah. I mean, you gotta be able to laugh at yourself a little, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah." Tim said, fishing a small remote control out of his pocket and pointing it at the ceiling. "I'm glad you feel that way, Cy, because it makes this a lot easier." He pushed a button on the control, and a soft humming began.
"Makes what easier, Ti-WHOAH!" Cyborg yelped as he was mysteriously pulled off his feet and yanked straight up into the air. After a few seconds, he slammed into the metal ceilinf of the room with a loud clang. Once he recovered from the jarring impact, he found himself pinned to the ceiling, totally unable to move.
"I admit, I was a little baffled by your prank, Cy" Tim said, as though nothing had happened. "I mean, how can you retaliate for something like that? Then, I remembered that electromagnet at JetAge Labs, the one the Joker used to immobilize you. I think spending some time just hanging around, thinking about what you've done, will be very good for you."
"Let me DOWN, Robin" Cyborg growled.
"Down?" Tim repeated, as though he couldn't believe his ears. "Well, if you're sure..." He pressed another button, and Cyborg fell to the ground.
"NOOOOO!" WHAM!
"No? Make up your mind, Cy." Before the metal teen could respond to that, Tim held up a hand. "Tell you what, I had them install a blink function on this remote. I'll be back in a while, and you can tell me what you decide" Pushing a third button, the smaller boy left the room, as Cyborg once more shot into the air.
"YAAAH! I'LL!" CLANG!
"WHOA! GET YOU!" WHAM!
"AHH! FOR THIS!" CLANG!
"TIMMMM!" WHAM!
Out in the hallway, the leader of the Teen Titans smiled at the sound of a job well at his watch, he saw that it already nine o'clock- time for a mid-morning snack. Batman's detailed and scientifically formulated meal schedule called for a small snack before training, preferably one high in protein and low in fats, to provide lasting energy. Nothing too large, so as to avoid becoming logy, yet substantive enough Having had a small breakfast at six, Tim eagerly headed for the kitchen, visions of a roast turkey sandwich already dancing in his head.
Back in the Tower's gym, Raven felt as if she were going to collapse. She doubted she had exerted herself so much all year- her gray outfit was almost totally black with sweat stains, and her body was already starting to ache. Finally, though, her best friend turned tormentor clapped her hands, signalling an end to the pain.
"Most well done, Friend Raven!" Starfire exclaimed. "A most wondrous start to your training, yes? We shall now perform some light, cooling exercises before concluding with stretches. Three minutes of jogging, followed by ten jumping jacks and we shall be done!"
Just as Starfire headed over to the treadmills, the door opened and Tim stuck his head in. "Oh, are you using the gym, Star?"
Starfire winked at Raven and smiled. "Yes Boyfriend Tim but we are very nearly finished with our workouuu...." the alien girl trailed off, staring.
Tim stood in the doorway, clad in tight jeans and a white sleeveless vest, munching on a turkey sandwich, and seemingly oblivious of the effect he was having on the alien girl. "You okay, Star? Oh, no!" He exclaimed, glaring furiously at a drop of mustard that had dripped from his sandwich and onto his vest. "Jeez, this was my last clean vest, too. And it's soaked right through the fabric and onto my skin." With that, the Boy Wonder removed his vest revealing that there was, in fact,a small blob of mustard on his right pec.
From her position next to Starfire, Raven could hear the alien girl emit a high-pitched keening sound, and a small bit of drool leaked from her mouth. While she wasn't one hundred percent sure what those things meant in a Tameranian, she was reasonably certain that it would be best for them to leave. Grabbing her friend's hand, Raven hurried to the door.
"Actually, Tim, we're just finished. Come on, Starfire, let's do our stretching up on the roof." As quickly as she could, she dragged the alien girl outside.
Tim stared after the girls slightly bemused. He'd been surprised to see Starfire in such a revealing outfit, but he guessed it was probably normal exercise clothing on Tameran. He was a bit puzzled by her behavior just now, though. 'Maybe she just doesn't like to see anyone spill mustard. That's probably it.'
Pleased to have resolved that minor mystery, Tim headed for the locker where he kept his workout uniform, and readied himself for another days training.
Far away from Titans Tower, in a darkened room, Jervis Tetch painstakingly fitted together the components for his latest device. It was tricky business- the design would be an amazingly subtle piece of mind-control technology, and subtlety had rarely been the Mad Hatter's forte. Most of his control chips were like siege engines- they achieved their objectives by smashing through the subjects mental barriers and implanting his commands. This latest design, however, would be far more subtle- like a burglars tools, they would allow the directives to enter the subjects psyche without them ever being aware of it. It was unbelievably difficult, and had taken a great deal of time (and would require a great deal more), but it would be worth it.
He heard the door to his workspace open, and the familiar tip-tap of high heels on tile announced the arrival of his...well, that was the problem, really. He didn't know WHAT she was to him- an employer? A friend? A superior? An assistant? Vanessa Hollignridge seemed to fit all these roles, and more. One moment they would be having a very pleasant tea in the (garden? Lab? Forest?) the next she would be ordering him to move faster. It was all so very confusing, and the Mad Hatter did not like confusion.
"How is it coming?" Vanessa said, placing her hand on his shoulder in a familiar matter he wasn't altogether sure he disliked. "Are you nearly finished?"
"If everyone mined their own business the world would go round a great deal faster than it does." Jervis snapped, a little peevishly.
"I'm sorry, Jervis" the tall woman sighed, fiddling with her hair bun. "It's just that I'm under a lot of pressure to deliver your chips, and there're so many other problems..."
Jervis Tetch was by far the most emotionally open of the male Rogues- not that that was saying much. He wasn't friendly, he didn't have much empathy, and he rarely connected with others. But he was warm enough to sense that Vanessa was under a great deal of stress. He patted the stool beside him in an inviting manner, and said "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop."
Vanessa gave him a tired smile and sat down. "This project is a very big deal to my employers, Jervis. So big, in fact, that they're starting to get restive about how long it's taking. It would be a very bad idea to make them angry, Jervis- I don't know very much about them, but I do know that much. It's just starting to get to me, I suppose." She turned another smile on him, one that made him feel positively frajulous, and asked "What about you? I can tell that something's got you worried yourself. I've told you my troubles, why not share with me?"
Jervis pushed aside the control chip and sighed. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat, How I Wonder Where You're At."
Vanessa nodded. "Batman. I told you, Jervis, as far as anyone in Gotham knows, you're working for a government research center- I can't even begin to imagine the strings our employers had to pull to make that story work, but it seems to be working. Neither the police nor the FBI have questioned it, and I can only assume that the vigilantes aren't suspicious either. Batman won't come looking for you because he doesn't even know you're free. You're safe"
A mischievous glint came into her eye, and suddenly the world appeared to shift around him. Instead of sitting in a dim laboratory who knew how many stories below ground, he was seated in a rather pleasant garden. A vast table filled with teacups stood before him, and Vanessa (Alice) suddenly seemed to shrink.
"And now" she said "Let's have tea"
A/N
Sorry it took so long to get back to Tetch. When I brought him in, I thought the biggest problem would be the quotes and rhymes. But in fact, it's capturing his worldview. As a schizophrenic/psychotic (depending on who's writing), Tetch lives (at least partly) in his own personal Wonderland. The 'real' world is more like his vacation home, a place he visits occasionally when he needs to. That is VERY difficult to capture properly. This was the best I could do, and I'm not really thrilled with it.
Thought I'd forgotten about the prank war, didn't you? Shame, SHAME!
I know it seems odd that Kitten and Starfire would be friends, but remember Starfire is an incredibly friendly person. Like a good guy version of Harley Quinn.