Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, all rights to the owners.
ROBYN
"You are worried." Star says. It's a statement, not a question. "Does our mission concern you?"
"Not specifically." I bark. I'm on the R-Cycle right now, so I have to yell to be heard over the wind and noise of the engine. Not being able to use the communicator in my helmet is annoying. "I'm concerned that we don't know where Rose or Ternion are. Those are our two big threats at the moment and we have no information on them."
"Ternion does not strike me as particularly stealthy, which is all the more suspicious that it has gone unseen so far." Starfire agrees. "I think we should be more worried if they are not at the power plant."
"I think the most likely spot would be town hall, which means Cyborg's group would encounter them." I mutter. "Crow is there, so they should be safe enough, but I think I'd prefer they don't run into Rose."
"I agree." The boy says. "However, unfortunately, I doubt the power plant is Rose's main point of defence. Cyborg's group is the most likely to find Rose, whether we like it or not."
Yeah, probably a good idea to keep facts in mind and not wishful thinking. Good call St-
"DOWN! NOW!"
I immediately dive off my cycle and roll on the pavement to reduce the impact. An explosion sends bits of pavement clattering down the road, and I take a few scratches from but nothing major. I'm lucky none of the shrapnel hit me.
"Move! Move!" Starfire barks. He's landed right in front of me, facing away from myself and towards where I presume our attacker is. I roll to my feet and move to hide behind the nearest building as Starfire returns fire. Someone fires another rocket, and Star takes it directly. He stumbles back, grimacing and coughing, but it's nowhere close to fatal. He slings a few starbolts in return before taking to the air where he'll be harder to hear. "Stay behind cover!" He instructs. "Hostiles are occupying the rooftops and shops up ahead. They are armed with rocket launchers and laser pistols. I will strike down those on the roofs, then we can proceed to take the shops themselves."
I don't like the idea of needing to just wait while Starfire does the heavy lifting, but it's probably for the best. I'm not rocket-proof, and I can't make explosives from my hands. "Understood."
Starfire flies straight for the enemy position while I focus on finding a safe way to approach. We're fighting in a commercial area with a lot of squat shops and a strip mall across the street from me. Almost all windows face the street, with few on the side. I would have considered making progress down the street by breaking through windows and running through the shops, but without side windows that's not going to work.
I'm really not equipped for a firefight like this. If there were places for me to hide that were closer together I could jump between them to advance and get into melee where I'm strongest. For now, if I want to close the distance, I have to move out into the open which would basically be suicide. I suppose I could use my smoke pellets, but that would just be relying on shots missing me in the smoke. A dice roll.
This really is an awful situation. I've got foes in front of me, probably occupying a few blocks, which means I can't push into one area without getting flanked and making my cover useless because my cover isn't all-around cover.
No amount of tactics are going to help me here. Thankfully, I have Starfire.
I can hear explosions and the whine of laser pistols. I intermittently poke my head around, assessing the situation, but never stay that way for more than a few seconds. I don't want to draw attention and get shot.
I can hear the clank of metal footsteps as Rosebots approach from behind me. I quickly snap two birdarangs together into a sword and cut the lock on the side door of the shop next to me. I slip into the shop and close the metal door behind me, then press my ear up against it.
I wait patiently as the Rosebots pass my position. Once I've determined all of them have passed me by, I open the door and lunge. Striking from the front is a great way to get shot, so that's why any good Batwoman trainee knows to viciously stab people in the back with a sword.
Well, actually we tend to kick or punch people, but these are robots. It's still somewhat surprising that I can deal substantial damage to a robot with something like a sword in the first place. I know Rosebot armor is actually quite thin, but it's still metal. Of course, I still need quite a bit of brute-force and good aim to damage these things, but that's something I can manage.
There's five Rosebots in the alley, and I take out one within a second of exiting the door. My sword thrusts through the glass that makes up the robot's eye, which is conveniently much less tough than metal, and goes right through to the thing's CPU causing it to freeze in place as it's robotic "brain" is destroyed. I take the chance to snag the laser pistol out of its hand, which makes the rest of the fight a lot simpler.
Usually we of the bat family don't use guns. Specifically, we don't use it on people. Robots though? No such restraints. That's why the Tumbler (sorry, T-Car now), has gatling guns in it. So I use the pistol to shoot down the other four Rosebots without issue while using the non-functioning body of their buddy as a shield.
"Robyn! The rooftops are clear!" Starfire barks. "Move in!"
I do as he orders. I make a break across the road as Star lands beside me. I break the window of the shop with a birdarang before I dive through. None of the Rosebots inside the shops have rocket launchers thankfully, so we don't have to worry about the shop getting blown up. WIth all the counters around I thankfully have plenty of cover to use. With sword and pistol I ambush our foes, cutting them down before they can retaliate.
Starfire does most of the work though. He doesn't have to sneak around and use ambush tactics. He attacks head-on and crushes the robots without effort.
We move from shop to shop, cleaning out the Rosebots as we go. Aside from the initial excitement with the rocket launcher the fight isn't particularly difficult. This whole situation has reminded me that Starfire is, in fact, part of a military (or was, I guess he isn't at the moment). Usually I'm the one commanding battles, but Starfire was in control here.
When the fight is over I check on the R-Cycle. It has some scratches and dents from bits of asphalt and shrapnel, but it's functional. The gas tank is fine, the wheels are fine. It's usable.
"Was that set up for us specifically, do you think?" Robyn asks. "The ambush?"
"Unlikely. They would have needed more powerful weapons to injure myself." Starfire says. "Likely it was intended to delay anyone who was moving for the power plant, not us specifically."
That's fair enough. Still, those rockets would have taken me out if not for the fact that Starfire noticed them. That fight would have been a lot more dangerous too if Star couldn't take a few rockets to the face.
"We need to keep moving." Starfire urges. He glances behind us towards the town hall. He frowns. "There were clouds there before, and now it is gone… I hope that is a good thing."
"No one one has come for help yet." I mutter. "Just keep faith."
Starfire's expression becomes neutral. A carefully projected calm. "Of course. Let us be off then."
ROSE
My mouth thins into a line as my radio stays silent. No response. Priscilla is down. That makes two of my commanders gone. Mayz is working fast.
I look to Mumbo, my last commander, and Ternion and Terrance, my most powerful weapons. I still have the upper hand, not to mention a dozen other minor commanders left, but this is not going as smoothly as I wish it was.
"Hey Rosie, got some druggie smashin' up bots over here!" DDD's voice calls through the communicator. "Slippery bugger! Need some help over here!"
I sigh. More standard Rosebots isn't going to stop a superhero for the most part unless you use them in truly overwhelming numbers. Rosebots are used to deter weak foes or to delay supers. If DDD can't handle the opponent, the hero Hysteria by the description of "druggie who smashes", then Rosebots won't be much use.
I could send a few rocket launchers over to DDD I suppose. That might solve the problem. "I'll send some help your way. Stand by."
While I'm sending assistance over to DDD, Mumbo rushes up with a warning. "Rose! Thunder and Lightning got their act cut short! We've got three Titans moving towards us! The little one, the green one, and the metal one!"
Not Robyn or Starfire? Well, that's interesting. They must not know I'm here, or those two would certainly have come. Still, a competent mage is always a danger, and I would be a fool to underestimate someone who managed to carry out several calculated killings before the age of eleven like Changeling. Cyborg, on the other hand, is certainly the least dangerous Titan we could face.
"Get Ternion inside the hall." I instruct Terrance. "Keep it quiet. We'll ambush the Titans when they step in."
In an enclosed space, hopefully they won't be able to avoid Ternion's attacks so easily. It might hamper Terrance's ability to fight, but that's an acceptable loss in exchange for the element of surprise. Terrance's main job is to direct Ternion anyhow.
"Well then, places everyone!" Mumbo cries. "The show's about to start! Remember your lines, we have only one shot at this! Show your best side to the audience!"
Terrance rolls his eyes at the magician and I'm not really paying attention. I'll let Mumbo be… Mumbo for a bit. I know she can get her act together when I really need her to. She's one of my commanders for a reason. However, it is even more imperative I keep control of Ternion. So long as I have Ternion, I won't lose. Not even all the Titans together could take down Ternion.
But this can't last forever. I only have so much time to make my point before the Justice League intervenes. It is essential I leave this fight on my own terms. A demonstration of power is useless if you flounder at the end.
You heard that right. This is a demonstration. I'm no fool. I don't expect to keep the city. I only need to make my point, that heroes are incompetant when it truly matters. That's all it will take to give me a foothold in the mind of the public. This isn't a military takeover, it's a political move. To accomplish my goals, to reform society, I need a way to legitimately influence the city… even if I start that process through illegitimate means.
Until that point though, I need to deal with these pests…
You know, what the heck was Slade's plan in the original show? Even here Rose's plan is fairly stupid, but what on Earth was Slade planning to do after he took the city? What use does he have for a city he won't be able to keep?
Origami Stars: Starfire hasn't been getting a lot of attention lately (a side-effect of my usual heavy Crow/Changeling focus I guess). It's a shame. He's a great straight-man.
Possibly! We'll see.
Yep. It runs in the family.
Rose and Co. are going to have a little bit more fight in them than punching bags, but yea.
Thunder and Lightning are indeed fun, and for that exact reason. Kinda like Mumbo.
Azarath Cat: Sleep more!
Ocean melodies: I think Raven's extra eyes are magic, unlike Crow's which are biological. Crow's extra eyes are a by-product of being half demon, and demons have extra eyes literally just to have spares, because they tend to lose eyes by fighting.
yqyoung: Oh I completely agree that the anti-magic crystals are way too powerful. I didn't think it through when introducing it. All I knew was that I needed something to keep Crow from invalidating every villain they go up against. Changling's transformation powers are magical. Her normal body is magically-induced, but otherwise biological. It made no sense to me that her ability to transform wasn't magic, so I made it magic. I respectfully disagree that magic is ruining the story, but I will agree that the anti-magic elements are getting in the way.
Thanks for the review! It's nice to hear from you.
Guest: Yep. I have more for them planned, but I have no idea when or if I'll ever get around to it.
Changeling is tough, and she really doesn't care about pain.
Starfire, hands down, no contest. The second most durable is Cyborg, but there's a fairly large gap between Starfire and Cyborg and Cyborg and anyone else.
Trase: Aye. Finally giving her some love. I haven't been using her character potential enough.
