Chapter 5: Operation Market Garden
SR: A bad forth wall breaking comedy sketch while Savior is 'investigating'.
"Are you SURE you want to do this Noel?" Robin asked.
"Yes. I know what happens to superheroes that are one-trick ponies. I can't rely on the Shimmer all the time. I need to improve my other skills.'
"So you want to fight ME, in hand to hand, without the Shimmer? Without myself holding back?" Robin asked.
"No pain, no gain." Savior said, and assumed a combat stance. Robin's eyebrow arched.
"Noel, first forget EVERYTHING you ever saw on TV. That stance leaves you open and you look ridiculous."
"Ok ok…." Savior said, wondering if he should go into the crane stance to annoy Robin.
"Do you have any actual martial arts training?"
"Some when I was younger. About three months worth."
"Why?"
"I'd rather not say."
"Ok then." Robin said, as he assumed his own stance. "Ready, BEGIN!"
Savior swung the first punch, but Robin ducked under it and rammed his elbow into Savior's back. Had he been in an actual fight against a human, Robin would have aimed for a pressure point to quickly end the fight. Then again, most people did not possess such combat skill to do that, so he figured it would be better if he used simply strikes to try and train Noel. It wasn't like Noel was going to try and pick a fight with Lady Shiva. On the other hand, Noel had said no mercy, and Robin used none. He aimed his strike in such a way that he wouldn't damage Noel's spine, but besides that, no punch was pulled.
And Noel felt it as he half-grunted, half-yelled before spinning around with a backhand. He telegraphed it badly, as Robin dodged it and blasted Noel with three punches across the face. Noel stumbled back as blood began to drip from his nose.
"Too much?"
"No, keep going!" Noel said as he did a roundhouse. It wasn't half bad, but Robin still saw it coming and ducked under it. He slammed his hand into Noel's other knee, causing it to buckle, and then he twisted his body and swung his leg up, slamming his foot across Noel's face. Noel flew a few feet from the impact. He coughed and spat.
"Sorry about the floor."
"Don't worry about-OOOF!" Robin gasped as Noel kicked him in the gut. Noel got to his feet and swung at Robin again, but Robin blocked it and grabbed Noel's arm, flipping him over him and slamming him hard to the floor.
"Not a bad kick. It would have worked better against someone not wearing body armour." Robin said as Savior got up. Blood was flowing freely from Noel's nose now, and one of his eyes was blackening. He didn't look mad though, just determined.
"Use your staff."
"What? Noel, this is one sided enough. I don't want to seriously hurt you…"
"I would rather be seriously hurt by a comrade in training then by a foe in mortal combat. The staff, please."
"Are you SURE?"
"Deathly." Noel said. Robin didn't like the way he said that, but he popped out his staff anyway.
"YAH!" Savior yelled as he charged. Robin prepared to dodge him, but Savior did a fake and came at Robin from the left. Robin altered his plan and tripped Savior with the staff. He hit the ground hard, almost landing full on his face. Robin winced.
"That was foolish on my part…don't feel bad…HAH!" Savior said as he started getting up and then tried to backhand Robin. Robin blocked it and twirled, whacking Savior with his staff across the back before spinning again and bringing it up across Savior's face. Savior hit the ground again.
"Is this enough Noel?"
"NO! I can handle the pain…" Savior said as he got back up. Robin's stomach sank when he saw Noel: one of his eyes was severely blackened and beginning to swell shut, and now his upper lip had been split open. He felt like a bully.
Robin heard a sudden gasp, and turned his head to see Starfire looking in shock at Noel and then at Robin.
"Robin! How could you! I told you not to hurt Noel, and here you are doing it anyway!" Starfire said.
"What? NO NO STAR! This isn't what it looks like!"
"I thought my opinions matter to you! But instead you decide to follow your brutal urges…!" Starfire said, looking like her heart had been broken.
"No Star! It's…"
"STAR!" Savior suddenly said firmly. Starfire looked over to Noel, her heartbreak at Robin's "betrayal" temporarily put on the back burner.
"Oh Noel I am sorry he hurt you! I should have listen and not watched the movie!"
"What are you talking about Star? Robin is training me. I asked for this."
"You…did?"
"He's only attacking me with his fists, not the Shimmer. That's why he looks so bad. Plus, he asked me not to hold back. We're not fighting Star." Robin said.
"But…Noel, why would you engage Robin in hand to hand? His skills in that field are many times greater then yours! Why would you wish to be hurt?"
"Because it will make me a better person, Starfire."
Starfire looked confused.
"It will? How?"
"There's an expression on Earth Starfire. "Pain is weakness leaving the body." I asked for this. Don't blame Robin."
"I…well…oh my I'm confused…" Starfire said.
"Just watch. And Robin, don't you hold back just because your girlfriend is watching."
"What? She's not my girlfriend!"
"She's NOT?"
"NO!" Robin said, blushing slightly.
"Well you could've fooled me." Savior said as he assumed his more conservative combat stance.
"Don't hurt Savior Robin! Oh, and don't hurt Robin either Savior."
"HE gets the first worry? I must be...WHOA!" Robin said as he did a Matrix-like ducking move under Savior's improving but still clumsy punch. He swung and whacked Savior across the ribs with his staff, and when he bent over he rammed the staff across Savior's back. Starfire gasped.
"ROBIN!"
"I'm ok…" Savior said, though his words lacked conviction as he tried to get up, holding his ribs.
"Enough Noel, at this rate…"
"I can take it! I can!" Noel yelled, and much to Robin's surprise he took a swing at him again.
Enough. It had to put Noel down before he seriously hurt himself with this strange act of masochism.
Robin dodged the punch and rammed the staff into Savior's gut, and then he grabbed him and slammed his knee into his face. Savior reeled back, and Robin gave him four quick solid whacks across the face with his staff before he swung and slammed him with a golf-club like swing that actually sent Savior flying backwards several feet before he hit the wall.
"ENOUGH! NO MORE TRAINING!" Starfire cried, as she ran over to Savior as he tried to get up and couldn't. "Oh Noel I am sorry I watched that movie and made Robin mad at you!"
"Not your fault…I asked for this…I really did Star…" Noel muttered.
"You are not fighting him any more! I will help you!" Starfire said as she easily picked up Noel. "This was mean Robin!"
"But Star…"
"Don't blame him Starfire. If anything, blame me because I was stupid enough to challenge Robin to a no holds barred fistfight…"Savior muttered.
Robin followed the two as Starfire carried Savior out, trying to remember where he kept the medical supplies since he had moved them…
"WHOA! What happened to you? Are we being attacked?" Beast Boy asked when he came into the lounge and saw Starfire pressing a bandage on Noel's battered face.
"I was training with Robin…I didn't want to hold back…"
"Geez, that's brutal! And stupid."
"I know, I know…" Savior said.
"I'll get Raven! She can heal wounds!" Beast Boy said.
"No wait…don't trouble her…" Savior was saying, but Beast Boy was already gone.
"I think the bleeding has stopped. Oh my god Savior I am so sorry…" Starfire said.
"Star, for the last time, IT IS NOT ROBIN'S FAULT. Don't blame him. He was careful. He didn't break or dislocate anything. It looks worse then it is." Though it feels about as bad. Savior added mentally.
"Savior, are you sure? Robin did not beat you up because of the movie or because you said I was his girlfriend?"
"No…and I'm surprised you're not…"
"Why?"
"You're always together…and not just that…there's just…something…" Savior muttered.
"Why do you see that something and Robin doesn't…" Starfire said quietly to herself.
"What Star?" Savior said, and winced. He was starting to get a headache.
"Oh nothing! Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
"No…" Savior muttered. Starfire's normal loud cheery speaking tone was making his headache worse. "I'll be ok. Go do something…make out with Robin or whatever…just leave me alone…"
"Make…out…?"
"You know, kiss! Or whatever! Just go, please!" Savior said, his pain starting to make him cross.
"Will that make you feel better?" Starfire asked, confused.
"YES! Just go, please!"
"Ok…" Starfire said, as she got up and left, still looking confused.
Savior was alone for about ten seconds before Raven rose up in the shadows near him.
"My, Beast Boy wasn't kidding. What possessed you to do this act of madness, Noel?" Raven said as she looked at her battered comrade. The bleeding had stopped, but one of Noel's eyes was still severely blackened and the other was heading that way as well.
"Just trying to improve…Raven don't tax yourself…"
"Nonsense. You may have messed up my room but there's no need for you to be hurting. At least let me fix your face up, you'll be nearly blind if that swelling keeps going.
"……..Ok…but just that…this is my fault, you shouldn't have to bear my crosses…" Savior said, as Raven gently laid a hand on the side of his face. He hoped she didn't feel the different kind of pain that awoke in his chest.
Raven winced as Savior's ache from his injuries flowed into her, and cut if off as the bruises in his face lessened, though they didn't go away totally.
"Thanks." Savior said.
"You're welcome. Now, again, are you stupid? You must be! Challenging Robin to a fistfight! You stupid macho men!"
Starfire ran into Robin as he was carefully carrying a cup down a hallway.
"Robin, I am confused! Savior has requested a kind of medicine that I have never heard of!"
"Oh? What?"
"I am not sure if it s right Robin, but he said it would make him feel better…" Starfire said.
"Well if he says it will you should go get it or…"
"Ok!" Starfire said, and then reached out, grabbed Robin, and kissed him full on the mouth.
Robin's shock was so great he dropped the cup. He would have said that hearing it shatter pulled him out of his shock and made him break the kiss, but that would have been a lie, as it took him nearly eight seconds after the cup's demise to get his arms up and push Starfire away.
"Kory, what are you DOING?"
"He said that making out with you would make him feel better! That is what you do, right? Did I do it wrong?" Starfire said.
"No! Yes! I think there's been some confusion! Aw man I broke the special drink I made for Noel, now I have to go back and make another one…" Robin said as he turned around.
Beast Boy and Cyborg stood at the end of the hallway, both their jaws wide open. Robin's eyes widened and he blushed slightly.
"That was a mistake! A misunderstanding! Go somewhere else you two! I, uh…drink for Noel, um, er…" Robin sputtered, and then ran at the two and past them, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Did I do something wrong friends?" Starfire asked, confused again.
"I don't know Star, what the heck was that for?"
"Well…"
"That mixture is a special one from Batman. It'll help you heal quicker, and make you feel better. Now be careful, it's…"
Savior drank it in two gulps.
"Bad-tasting…" Robin finished. "Now Noel, just what did you tell Starfire?"
"What?"
"What did you tell her!"
"What happened?" Raven asked Beast Boy. Beast Boy whispered in Raven's ear and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh."
"Robin, be specific. What happened?" Savior asked. Beast Boy bounded over and whispered in Savior's ear as well. "Oh."
Before any more could be said, an alarm suddenly went off. Robin immediately forgot his semi-interrogation as he leapt over to the computer.
"Did that monster come back?" Beast Boy asked.
"No, the Injustice League broke out!" Robin replied.
"Better late then never I suppose…" Beast Boy muttered.
"Let's go Titans, villains breaking out of jail tend to be in a VERY foul mood!" Robin said.
"Ok guys, maybe this time…" Savior said as he started to get up.
"No Noel, you're not coming. You're hurt, partially because of me, and I don't want to risk you aggravating those injuries out in the field. You stay here." Robin said.
"But Robin…"
"Savior as your leader I am giving you a direct order, STAY HERE!" Robin yelled.
"……..Ok." Savior said, sitting back down again.
"See you later alligator!" Beast Boy said, as he turned into the animal he had just spoken off and left the room. In a few seconds all the Titans were gone.
"Alone again, naturally." Savior said.
Elsewhere, a small and mean looking boy turned away from a computer he was manipulating, a wicked grin on his face.
"The morons fell for it!"
Savior had turned on the TV and then turned if off again. He sighed and felt the side of his face that Raven had touched.
"I say something to make Starfire leave and Robin gets a kiss out of it. All I get is a dream which becomes a nightmare." Savior said, and sighed.
Something started beeping, the computer that Robin usually answered. Savior sat on the couch for a few seconds, wondering whether to answer it, and then he got up and walked over. He felt better, but he was still hurting some as he pressed the button.
"Titans Tower."
"Robin please." Came a husky metallic tone, the kind that one could only muster if one was a robot or was speaking through an electronic voice scrambler.
"Robin's not in at the moment." Savior replied. He wondered if he should ask to take a message.
"Who is this?"
"Savior. I just joined."
"Savior you say? Why are you there?"
"I asked Robin to teach me a lesson in the School of Hard Knocks. It was a hell of a lesson. So I'm here while the Titans deal with whatever problem they have run off to stop. Robin's direct order."
"Oh. Well tell him that Oracle needs to contact him. Gotham may be having problems with the Clench again."
"Ok miss."
"I can see you on the cameras. Robin really beat you up bad, didn't he?"
"My fault. Goodbye."
Savior wished he hadn't bid adieu so quickly in a bit, as again he was left with his thoughts.
"Maybe I should ask Robin and the others about Raven…see what they say…"
And then Savior got an idea.
Some time later, Savior stood in front of Raven's door. He tried it. It was locked this time. He wasn't surprised. However, the morphing nature of the Shimmer made an excellent lock pick.
"And I'm not even the master of unlocking." Savior said as he went into the room.
He felt rotten. Raven had every right to privacy as he did, and he was violating it. But on the other hand "love made fools of us all". Savior didn't know if what he was feeling was love (yet) but it was intense, and such feelings generally demanded reciprocation.
But he knew enough to tell that Raven was rather aloof. A sudden declaration would probably just be met with scorn and mockery. No, it would be better to be subtle and try to make her feel the same way he felt. Such a deed was quite difficult, but Savior was determined to try anyway. But to start he needed to know stuff about Raven,
He hoped to lessen his bad deed (hopefully) by the fact he wasn't going to touch Raven's personal stuff. Her mirror, obviously. But if she had any private journals or books in which she wrote in he wasn't going to read them. But the rest of her books…fair game. Also anything else he could deem useful.
(Removed scene here, where Svaior looked around Raven's room)
Savior sat on Raven's bed. He ran his fingers along her pillow and brought them up, trying to see if he could find a perfume or other scent that he could link. He sighed again.
"What am I doing, I'm turning into a stalker. Ugh! This was a bad idea." Savior said, getting up. He quickly smoothed out Raven's bed and made sure all her books were in the same place as before, and then he carefully left her room, locking the door behind him.
He heard voices as he headed back to the lounge. Were his teammates back already?
A high, nasty sounding voice suddenly speaking very loudly made him reconsider that possibility.
"I told you their security system would be easy to hack! Amateurs!"
Intruders! Savior got ready to run out and confront them when his body suddenly reminded him he was still beat up. "Damn, better to be Solid Snake rather then Duke Nukem…where did THAT come from? Beast Boy and Cyborg must be rubbing off on me…"
"Robin, I think you got some bad information." Beast Boy said as he carried two beefy men over his shoulders. This task was made easier by the fact he was an even beefier gorilla.
"Maybe, but I could have SWORE they said the Injustice League was breaking out." Robin said.
The directions had led them to a prison break, all right. It had only been a human one though. The guards were starting to handle it when the Titans had shown up, and while they were annoyed at the sudden presence of metahuman teenagers showing up to do their jobs they had let them help. It had been quick.
"Whatever it was it's done. Let's go home." Raven said.
"Seconded." Cyborg said, as he tried to smooth out a dent that one punk had made in his arm with a crowbar. The punk had come out of that particular fight a lot worse then Cyborg.
"Yeah, let's. Probably just a computer glitch." Robin said.
"You know I'm so brilliant I surprise even myself!" Gizmo said as he worked on the computer.
"Cram it shorty, you're not impressing anyone." Mammoth said as he went through the fridge again. "Hey, they actually have food that's fresh this time!"
"Don't start pigging out Mammoth, we need to be alert. If we fail again…" Jinx said.
"We're NOT going to fail! The only reason the Titans won last time was because they used our own tactics against us! When we ad surprise on our side, we beat them, rather easily I might say! Same tactic! We wait till they come back, and then we turn their own security system against them! And after that wears them down, we attack! And this time we finish them, FOR GOOD." Gizmo snarled.
"Sure sure. Just make sure the systems are ready to actually turn on them." Jinx said.
"Already done! Oh I am just SO brilliant!" Gizmo said as he turned around. "Victory is at hand! Nothing can stop us!"
"Sorry, your plan is about to be Operation Market Gardened."
A Shimmer strand lashed down from the ceiling and slammed against the computer, and it violently sparked and then blew up, throwing Gizmo across the room. He screamed in rage and activated his jet pack before he landed.
"What the hell…?" Jinx said as she got up from where she had been sitting.
Savior slowly lowered himself down from the ceiling he had crawled across, using the Shimmer as a gripping tool. Man, he was really ripping off Spider Man now! He wondered if a lawsuit would be coming soon.
"Who the snot are you?" Gizmo snapped.
"Was that an insult? Geez. I'm Savior. I'm the new guy."
"New guy? You didn't say anything about the new guy Gizmo!" Mammoth said.
"There wasn't anything in my last observations!" Gizmo protested.
"Ah, Operation Market Garden strikes again." Savior said.
"What the crud is Operation Market Garden?" Gizmo yelled.
"Aren't you supposed to be smart? Fine, I'll tell you…" Savior said, even as he frantically hunted around behind him with the Shimmer, looking for the emergency switch that would get the Titans back ASAP.
"Operation Market Garden was a battle plan that happened during the Second World War. I don't recall all the details, but the basic gist was that a big group of troops would go around the German's main army and strike at Berlin. It was apparently a great idea and well planned: the general who was directing it was known for his conservation so no one would expect him to try such a bold and aggressive move, the Germans were having other problems, etc etc etc. Anyway, the crux of the plan was three bridges would have to be taken in order for everything else to work. But since these bridges weren't considered ultra-important they weren't guarded too heavily. So everything was in place, and a big bunch of troops started marching as a group of planes went ahead to take the bridges. They took the first one, no problem. Second one, ditto. But the THIRD…" Savior said, chuckling. Where's that bloody button?
"You see, something happened that wasn't in the plans because it was so random that it couldn't have been prepared for: a German artillery division just happened to be in the town next to that bridge on leave. They didn't know the attack was coming, the Germans had no hint, they just by sheer bad luck happened to be at that third bridge on leave. So they attacked and ultimately the whole plan fell apart. All because a single bit of bad luck caused that artillery division to be there. Nothing that could be planned for, nothing that could be expected. Unless you're a god, and men are quite famously not that." Savior said. Blast, the switch must have been destroyed along with the computer! I'll have to go find one of the others, but how do I do that with Short, Pink, and Ugly here?
"What's the point?" Mammoth asked.
"The point is, you expected to ambush the Titans and had all the details worked out…except me, who you didn't see coming. Operation Market Garden."
"Oh yes, but now YOU see boy…" Jinx said. "The Allies had to retreat when that division messed up their plans. But WE…just have to pound you into the ground. Which we WILL do."
"You think you can?' Savior said with false bravado.
"Looks like someone did half the job for us. Pounding you into mush will be both simple and a pleasure. Then we'll prepare for the rest of the Titans." Mammoth said as he cracked his knuckles.
Savior was acutely aware of his previous sustained injuries. Robin's drink had helped, but he was far from tip top shape, and he was all alone against a group that had actually bested the Titans in combat.
"Gonna run, chicken?" Gizmo taunted as Savior took a step back. Have to stall them long enough to either find another switch or until my teammates get back…but can I?
"I'm gonna pound you so bad your momma will cry when she sees you!" Mammoth said.
Savior's apprehension was suddenly flooded away by a surge of hot rage.
"What did you say about my MOTHER!"
The Shimmer snapped out of both his hands, lashing around like an animal fighting to the death.
"Ohhhhh, scary." Jinx chuckled. "My lone piece of advice, little boy. Run away."
"General Macarthur said it best…I shall not retreat…I SHALL ADVANCE IN ANOTHER DIRECTION! HAH!" Savior yelled, as he leapt at the Troika.
It was on.
Oh my, Savior alone and injured against the whole Troika? Will the Titans save him, or will the lone deed Savior ever made as a Titan be a brave last stand against those who would destroy them…
Raven:…………I almost wish we were closing with the theme.