Titans: Elemental

Chapter 9: Final Exam, Part 1

We see a screen full of static, which resolves into a school crest.

The field is hexagonal, black-and-white checkered within a gold border. A large H is superimposed on it in gold script; across the bottom is a white banner bearing the letters, "H.A.E.Y.P." Behind the crest, a square corridor can be seen, with yellow walls, ceiling, and floor marked in a honeycomb pattern.

"The H.I.V.E. Academy for Extraordinary Young People is proud to introduce ..."

A platform rises into view in front of the crest, carrying three young individuals on it to block the crest. One is a very short, bald boy in a jumpsuit; a pair of goggles is propped on his forehead, and assorted controls are mounted at chest and waist level. Behind him is a very tall, beefy fellow with collar-length brown hair and a small beard. His sleeveless shirt and pants are black, and studded gold bands cross his chest and run around his shoulders. Off to the right of these two, is a slim girl in an off-the-shoulder black dress trimmed with blue ruffles, black-and-blue striped stockings, and black platform boots with blue soles. Her lavender hair is bound into two large horn-like tufts that stick up above her ears, her catlike eyes are the same color, and her skin is an odd shade of bluish-pink. A small pendant hangs from a black ribbon that encircles her throat.

"... This year's top graduates."

They leap from the platform; the big one and the girl drop out of the frame, and the camera zooms in on the runt. The big one's motion reveals studded gold wristbands.

"Gizmo, the boy genius whose intellect can conquer any problem with an inventive solution."

Gizmo presses a button, and a pair of large metal wings sprouts from his back. He takes hold of the device at his waist, and the wings respond and carry him into the air. Lasers pop out from the wall panels and open fire against him, but he easily avoids all the shots and goes for another button. Now a small missile launcher comes up between the wings and unleashes a salvo that destroys all the guns with remarkable efficiency.

Gizmo lands on the platform he and his classmates originally stood on, then glides away as two large robots step in from portals that open up in the walls. The girl takes his place.

"Jinx, the enchanting sorceress whose powerful hexes mean bad luck for her enemies."

Jinx extends her arms to both sides and does a 360-degree twirl, throwing off a wave of energy that causes a couple of wall panels to fall away. She leaps high off the platform, and the panels crash down on the robots' heads. Two others have moved in during this sequence and meet the same fate. She backflips down the corridor a short distance.

Three large laser cannons emerge from recessed panels in the floor, but the giant drops into view and bends the barrel of one of them as if it were a piece of taffy.

"And Mammoth, the genetically enhanced giant whose unstoppable strength speaks for itself."

Mammoth tears the cannon from its moorings and does an Olympic-style hammer throw to sling it away. It skids across the floor and wrecks the other two. He looks very pleased with himself; a robot looms up behind the strongman and catches him in its huge hands. Gizmo jumps onto its back and attaches a small unit. This sends up a small puff of smoke. Gizmo jumps free and sparks start to fly from the head; he has hot-wired the thing to put it out of action.

"Well-organized, highly trained, and combat-equipped…."

Mammoth throws off the robot, which collapses, and Gizmo lands in a crouch before running off again. Jinx runs to Mammoth and springs up just before reaching him; he catches one foot and boosts her into a series of flips that carries her down the corridor.

"... These new H.I.V.E. agents are the perfect fighting force."

Batteries of lasers emerge from behind the walls and cut loose against Jinx, who continues her gymnastic advance. Not one shot hits her, but the positioning of the turrets on opposite walls results in their blowing each other to bits by the time she has reached the end of the gauntlet. She lands with her back to the camera filming the team, surveying her triumph, then turns to face front.

"And for the right price…."

Gizmo and Mammoth slide up on either side of Jinx.

"... This ideal team can be yours."

The image gives way to static, which resolves into the H.I.V.E. Academy's crest against a dark field.

This has been a sort of highlight reel and sales pitch that was displayed on the monitor.

A gray-haired woman steps into view; severe dark outfit with a hexagonal gold patch on one sleeve. This is the school's headmistress.

The Headmistress, "well, Mr. Slade?"

We see the same man from before.

He says, "it's Wilson. Slade Wilson."

But now we have a name for him.

Slade.

Slade Wilson.

Slade's shadowy form stands behind a railing on a slightly elevated platform across the area-the same industrial machine room seen before. Wisps of steam rise from the floor.

The Headmistress, "sorry. What do you think, Mr. Wilson?"

Slade, "impressive. Truly. However, robots and obstacle courses only prove so much."

The monitor is one of several in a row, and the platform on which the headmistress stands stops short of them in an overhang. Slade's vantage point is at the other end. He leads her away from the screen and deeper into the machinery.

Slade, "my plans demand operatives who can function in the real world", they step onto a catwalk, "if your students are going to serve me…."

They reach a darkened area with two spotlights shining down from above. One pool of light is occupied by the three graduates; the headmistress steps into the other while he sits in the blackness.

Slade, "... They'll have to pass one final exam. Destroy the Titans, and then we'll talk."

The light on the trio goes out, and the headmistress bows before hers is extinguished as well. Only the outline of Slade's figure and his eye are visible now. The remaining light source is switched off, leaving the area in darkness.

….

Back at Titans Tower.

Vic, "aw, man, come on!"

We see the kitchen. The sink and counter are piled high with dirty dishes, and the floor is strewn with garbage.

Jack cringed as he tried to clean up.

Vic, "it's gotta be around here someplace!"

BB, as a bloodhound, sniffs at some of the trash as a frustrated groan is heard from Vic's direction.

Vic, "I don't believe this!"

The entire area is in total disarray. BB keeps nosing around on the floor while Vic hoists the couch and shakes it in search of whatever has been lost. Raven is reading a book at the kitchen table while Jack pours some food into Percy's bowl.

Vic, "how could you lose the remote?"

BB returns to human form.

BB, "what makes you so sure I lost it?"

They lean into each other's faces.

Vic, "uh…. 'Cause you're you."

BB, "hey! Just because I lost that video game-"

Vic, "-and the toothpaste, and my football, and the waffle iron-"

Jack, "-and Percy's mouse toy!"

BB, "things disappear. How am I supposed to know where they go?"

Raven lowers her book on this line to give Jack a good look at the annoyance in her eyes. A vein starts to throb in her temple.

Jack thinks, 'oh no….'

Vic, "well, how am I supposed to watch TV without a remote?"

Raven slams her book shut and stands up.

Raven, "simple. You just get up and change the channel."

The two squabbling boys give her and each other a very long and puzzled look.

Vic, "don't even joke like that."

Raven, "I wasn't joking."

Vic, "good, 'cause it wasn't funny! Now either help us look for the remote, or go back to your nasty old book and-"

Raven, "this is a pointless argument over a useless device."

Jack, "so an average argument for Beast Boy and Victor?"

A big drop of sweat appears in Raven's temple briefly.

Raven, "you are wasting your energy and disrupting my concentration."

The side door behind her opens to show Dick, Blackfire and Starfire.

BB, "I'm telling you, I didn't lose it! You were the one watching TV last!"

Starfire, "-and that is the secret to traveling faster than light."

Blackfire, "it took us forever to learn it."

BB, "so if you want to blame someone, look in the mirror, buddy!"

Dick, "whoa! Take it easy, Titans! Combat practice is this afternoon!"

Jack, "I said that ten minutes ago."

Starfire, "we must mend your dispute by the sharing of unhealthy junk foods. I shall fetch them."

Vic, "I don't need food, what I need is a time machine, I didn't-"

BB, "back me up here, Dick! Have I ever lost any-?"

Dick, "okay! Okay!"

Vic, "-to stop him from taking the REMOTE!"

Dick, "hey! Come on! Settle down! ENOUGH!"

Blackfire, "I can't even follow what they're saying."

Jack, "you and me both."

Starfire looks into the refrigerator. There is a jumble of half-eaten leftovers, all covered with a thick layer of blue mold; this thing has not been cleaned out in who knows how long.

The growth on a wheel of cheese starts to move and screech. Starfire shrieks in alarm and throws a starbolt, blowing up everything inside and splattering blue crud throughout the living room. The six Titans have just had the living daylights scared out of them, not to mention a healthy dose of the mold dripped on their heads.

Dick, "maybe we should just go out for pizza?"

Blackfire, "good idea."

….

Later at a pizza joint in the heart of Jump City. It is built at the intersection of two streets at an acute angle, with a second-story patio that takes advantage of this detail. The floor's coloring and the placement of tables makes this entire affair look like a huge slice of pepperoni.

There is arguing from the Titans. BB squats on his stool instead of sitting. When the dispute over toppings finally stops, Raven speaks up; she is the only one who did not take part in it.

Raven, "can we please just order something?"

BB, "as long as it's vegetarian."

Vic, "come on, man, how can you deny me the all-meat experience?"

BB, "dude, I've been most of those animals!"

Jack, "that would be like if a pig ate a plate of ham. It's wrong on so many levels."

Blackfire cringed at the comparison.

Starfire, "I suggest a large pizza with pickles, bananas, and mint frosting."

She beams at her suggestion, but BB is visibly repulsed by the combination, and Vic and Raven think just as little of it.

Jack, "do all Tamaranians have weird taste buds?"

Blackfire, "sadly, no. My sister just has strange tastes."

Dick leans over to her.

Dick, "uh, Starfire? Not everything on the menu is a pizza topping."

Starfire, "oh!"

She blushes over the gaffe she has made.

….

Meanwhile, someone is watching the Titans through green lenses.

Vic, "double pepperoni!"

BB, "I'm not eating meat!"

Vic, "there's no meat in pepperoni!"

Jack, "where did you hear that?"

The argument begins anew as crosshairs appear on each Titan's head. At the bottom of the view, the words "INITIATE MISSION" flash red. Gizmo's voice is heard, as he is the one, spying on the group.

Gizmo, "Gizmo to Jinx."

Jinx is standing next to a parked bus and with a hand cupped to her ear; she is receiving his transmission on a hidden radio.

Gizmo, "begin Phase One."

She looks around for any bystanders and tosses a spell at the bus, causing it to start rolling downhill.

….

Back to the pizza joint; as the vehicle's horn blares from down the street, the Titans stand up from the table. The sound of a baby crying from ground level elicits a shocked gasp from BB. Their is a carriage on the crosswalk, and the bus is on a collision course with it!

Dick, "Titans! Go!"

They immediately spring into action while the bus keeps bearing down on the crosswalk.

Starfire pushes the carriage out of the way, and Vic, Blackfire, Jack and Raven plant themselves in the vehicle's path. When the bus reaches Vic and Blackfire, they push back against the front fender to slow it down, their feet grinding against the pavement.

Raven casts a spell on the bus' gear shift lever. It is in neutral, but under her influence it slides into park.

Jack starts freezing the tires in order to stop the bus.

The tires go into a tearing skid. Vic and Blackfire have finally brought the thing to a stop with only a foot or two to spare between them, Jack and Raven. The doors have come open, revealing an empty driver's seat.

Vic, "um…. Don't buses normally have drivers?"

Jack, "the last time I checked, yes."

BB and Starfire look on, while Dick is peering into the carriage.

Dick, "and don't baby carriages normally have babies?"

The two Titans near him look in as well. Dick is holding a teddy bear that had been taking the place of the typical occupant. Its eyes are green, the same color as the lenses of Gizmo's goggles, and his voice is heard next. This was the source of the crying as well.

Gizmo, "are you pit-sniffers normally this stupid?"

Jack, "pit-sniffers? Seriously?"

The bear's head swivels slightly toward them, and the eyes suddenly glow and fire laser beams.

Dick, BB, and Starfire are projected screaming through the air as a result of the hit, with smoke trailing behind them. Jack, Blackfire, Raven and Vic are still standing in front of the bus, which suddenly seems to tilt back onto its rear wheels of its own volition. They look up, completely flabbergasted as the shadow falls over them. They then see the reason for the spontaneous wheelie. Mammoth has seized the rear bumper and levered the mode of mass transit into the air, and he brings it down on top of them. As the dust clears, he walks forward and brushes dust from his hands, and Gizmo's nasty laughter is heard. He and Jinx step into view.

Gizmo, "that was too easy. What a buncha cludge-heads. You guys want to get pizza?"

Dick, BB, and Starfire, have ended up in an alley. BB is in a trash can, with a banana peel on his head.

Dick, "this isn't over!"

He dusts himself off a bit. Back to Mammoth and the bus, which, without warning, gets blasted to one side. Vic's sonic cannon, protruding from a hole in the ground, is revealed as the driving force.

Vic, "we're just getting started!"

Jack pokes out of the hole and says, "cludge-heads? Seriously? Who writes this guys insults?!"

A bird-shaped shadow looms up behind him. It resolves into Raven as she brings her arms back in and wraps her cloak around herself.

Blackfire emerges from out of the hole with Vic and Jack.

BB, "who are these guys? And what's a cludge-head?"

Jack, "the million dollar questions, Beast Boy."

Gizmo, "we are the H.I.V.E.!"

Mammoth, "your worst nightmare!"

Jinx, "and this is Attack Pattern Alpha!"

She and Mammoth scramble, and a jetpack on Gizmo's back carries him into the air. He fires a volley of laser shots at the alley, chipping loose large hunks of masonry so that they fall on the three Titans.

Jack, Raven and Jinx are in close quarters spell-to-spell combat, while Vic and Mammoth grapple with Blackfire trying to get a clear shot at Mammoth. The H.I.V.E. Alumnus is pushed back down the street as Dick and company emerge from the rockslide Gizmo set off.

Mammoth, "what do you call an idiot with a rocket on his back?"

Gizmo zooms over and sticks one between Vic's shoulder blades.

Vic, "huh?"

Gizmo, "doomed!"

Blackfire tries to blast Gizmo, but he dodges as he gets clear and touches a control; igniting the rocket and sending Vic veering crazily over the buildings. Dick, BB, and Starfire watch from the alley as his yells of panic drift down to them.

Starfire, "Cyborg!"

She takes off to catch up with him with Blackfire close behind, but a sudden change in direction throws her off. Jinx comes at Raven with a jumping spin kick, but she ducks away and gets behind the funny-haired sorceress. Dodging two more strikes, Raven counters with a backhand. Jinx manages to block it.

Jinx, "you fight like a boy."

Jack tries to hit her with his staff, but she manages to grab it in her other hand.

Jinx, "you fight worse than her!"

Gizmo is overhead, now balanced on four tall spider-like legs.

Gizmo, "and you're gonna croak like frogs!"

The contraption fires a blast that hurls Raven down the street and squarely into the charging Dick. Jack is tossed away, only managing to balance himself with his staff. BB passes Dick and Raven.

BB, "hah!"

He turns into an elephant and continues his rush, but stops short suddenly at the sound of grunting from Mammoth. The big lummox has lifted him clean off his feet; his fellow graduates are watching.

Mammoth, "Mammoth's gonna make you extinct!"

Jack runs to Dick and Raven, on the ground.

Dick gets up and charges at them, "Beast Boy! Hang on!"

Mammoth throws the green elephant straight up into the air and hits it with a jumping punch on the way down. Dick suddenly finds himself directly in the path of his teammate, who changes back to human form just before slamming into him. They skid to a stop near Raven and Jack.

BB, "is it me, or are we getting our butts kicked?"

The others stand up.

Dick and Raven, "it's just you."

Jack, "that's debatable right now."

Dick, "listen up, team. I have a plan."

Two of Gizmo's shots flash into view and send Raven, Jack and BB flying. Dick manages to get out of the way; they end up almost a block away.

Gizmo, "gee, scrum-buffer. Sure hope your fancy plan includes getting fried!"

Jack, "ugh, 'scrum-buffer?' Who writes your insults? Fire them as soon as you can!"

The weapon that fired those shots is poking over his shoulder. It levels itself at Dick, who stands his ground.

Dick, "you'll just have to find out the hard way."

He takes up a fighting stance, holding one hand out with its back to the trio, and flicks the fingers toward himself.

It clearly means, "bring it on."

The shoulder-mounted laser zeroes in and fires a shot. A long crack opens in the asphalt ahead of the strike; Jinx leaps backward into view, landing on her knees, and throws a spell that breaks the fissure wider. Mammoth leaps in with a mighty yell and brings all his weight down on the fault line. The net effect of this three-way combo has been to open a very wide chasm, which runs straight down the middle of the road toward Dick. Dick tumbles screaming into the darkness beneath Jump City and is lost to any eyes around!

Just beneath the road surface, looking out past the edge of the massive fracture zone. Jack, Raven and BB arrive at the scene, the surface of the murky tide that flows down here. The Titans' leader is nowhere to be seen in the murky tide.

BB, "Nightwing!"

….

Reviews:

raven 2012: im glad ypu enjoyed the chapter and Percy.

DaV1nc136: well, I'm glad you liked all of that. And honestly, I'm not sure what Blackfire's civilian name would be.

….

I plan on Jinx being a double agent for the Titans, going deep undercover for the H.I.V.E, but is always secretly telling our heroes about their plans, and she gets found out when the whole thing with Kid Flash and Madame Rouge happens. Also, expect more of her and Kid Flash being romantic in future chapters, (the ones I'm gonna set after Season 5.)