Welcome to my first attempt at writing action! At first i tried making it exciting but it sucked so i started over by just overly describing everything so the reader can get an image in their mind and then make it as exciting as their imagination permits. (mwahaha- notice how i shifted the responsibility. pretty weasely no?)
Chapter 4: Of Poultry and Pyrotechnics
"Ok Titans." Started Cyborg staring into his forearm. "Looks like our last pyro has finished setting the stage."
The upper industrial sector was perhaps the ugliest part of town. Here was where land was allocated for space intensive industries that everyone relied on but no one wanted in their backyard. It was here where asphalt was refined, chemicals were synthesized, and coal was burned. The area was made up of a wide variety of different landscapes, from gargantuan hangars, to structures which looked more like huge tangles of pipes and smoke stacks than any type of building, to expanses of flatland with piles of some sort of gravel or another. Where there wasn't a structure, pavement, or gravel pile, there was brown unkempt grass and rusty junk lying on the ground. Everywhere, oversized dump trucks and containment vehicles could be seen, heard, and smelled traversing the abused roads and making their early morning deliveries. Despite the expanse, the air was stale and smelled of exhaust and sulfur.
The Titans stood on the roof of a tall factory farm where eggs were produced. They had arrived on the scene after most of the blips on Cyborg's scanners had stopped moving. They followed the last moving concentration of explosives to this building.
"There!"
A figure in a dark green commando getup and black ski mask could be seen leaping from a window to the pavement below. He looked around thoroughly before dashing to his motorbike- he made it within ten yards when Cyborg landed in front of him with enough force to crack the pavement where he hit. Up close he could see that the man was wearing a bulletproof vest beneath his dark green shirt. It would do him no good in this fight, thought Cyborg as he charged his sonic cannon and grinned menacingly.
"Goin' skiin' black head?"
The figure was startled but only for a second. In one fluid motion his hand disappeared behind his back and reappeared firing an automatic pistol. Cyborg covered his face with his arms but luckily, Raven was already beside him and formed a bulletproof dome of dark energy around Cyborg and herself. The masked man was still firing at the dome when a bird-a-rang from above knocked the weapon from his hand. He looked up to see where the projectile had come from and instead saw a pair of starbolts heading for where he stood. He avoided his fate with a leap and roll towards his weapon, oblivious that he had also just dodged a charging green bull. He grabbed his weapon off the pavement with one hand and stood up aiming to his right to send a burst at Starfire. His weapon became encased in a dark orb but the man produced a second gun from his left hand and stealthily aimed it towards Raven without extending his left arm. Raven caught the glint just in time to release her hold on his right weapon and zoom away to avoid the barrage that came her way. At this point a blow to the man's left elbow caused him to drop that weapon and a second one to his right wrist sent his other skipping across the pavement. The man panicked and leaped away to avoid any incoming starbolts but slammed right into a giant green gorilla and fell to the ground. Before he recovered, Robin had him in a lock. Cyborg finally lowered his arms and realized the fight was over. It had taken all of several seconds.
The man struggled against Robin's hold but to no avail. The titans gathered around to witness the unmasking. Robin tried to think of something flashy to say but decided just to pull off the ski mask. When he did, the group's eyes widened in shock. The man was not a man at all but a young teenage girl. The shock caused Robin's grip to loosen slightly. The girl wore a look of fear but soon shut her eyes very tightly. There was a flash and the wide eyed Titans were blinded. Robin lost hold of the wriggling girl and in an instant the motor bike could be heard starting and screeching as it took off.
The sound of the motor waned as the Titans sought to get themselves reorganized. Robin stood up still unable to see.
"Cyborg, Raven; disarm those explosives. Starfire and Beast Boy, follow me!"
"Huh?" Came Beast Boy's voice. "Where exactly are you?"
"DAMNIT!"
Everyone turned in the direction of Cyborg's voice, concerned for his health.
"How could she have gotten away?" He whined angrily. "She wasn't even a super villain! I can't believe we got beat by a girl!"
*CLANG*
"Ow!" Yelled Cyborg. "I know that was you Raven."
"We're not beaten and she didn't get away." Said Robin, his vision finally recovering. "You and Raven worry about those explosives. The rest of us will track her down."
***
The smell was unbearable.
"Eeucht." Said Cyborg. "It sure don't smell like KFC in here."
"You'd smell too if you had to sit in your own excrement." Raven replied, recalling the smell she had suffered earlier that morning.
The two were in a large, high-ceilinged, one roomed structure tracking down their fourth bomb in their second building. This building was the same as the first: From wall to wall and floor to ceiling there were rows and tiers of hen cages, each over a metallic collector for the eggs. White feathers and grey steel was all one could see while clucking and motors were all one could hear. Amidst the nauseating combined smell of hundreds, perhaps thousands of chickens, our heroes tread the walkways between endless rows of hen-stuffed cages, following Cyborg's blip.
"Don't see why Beast Boy is so protective of these things" Said Cyborg, looking about with a disgusted expression.
He saw a particularly ugly creature head butt one of its cage mates repeatedly. The aggressor did not appear to have a beak.
"Man, I don't know if some of these are even chickens."
"Can we please just find this bomb before we suffocate?"
"Almost there." Said Cyborg, returning his attention to the task at hand.
They continued walking, Cyborg looking at his forearm and leading the way with a hooded Raven behind him. She was checking this way and that for any signs of trouble. There were no employees to speak of in the sea of hens. Apparently the entire operation, from feeding to collecting was automated. They walked a bit further when Cyborg rounded a corner and stopped. He looked up from his forearm and immediately spotted the device at the base of a large support column.
"There it is. Cheap piece a junk just like the others. They're all remotely detonated."
Raven lifted her right hand and it glowed black as she prepared to dismantle the detonator.
"Wait." Said Cyborg.
Raven discharged her hand and looked at him.
"If four of these use the same cheap design, chances are the rest do too."
He lifted his other forearm and a panel opened up, revealing an interface of sorts.
"If I can isolate the exact frequency." He said pressing keys on his arm. "….Got it. Alls I gotta do now, is modulate my transmitter to jam that frequency and GI Jane won't be able to detonate any explosives for at least a 500 meter radius, which means." He switched arms to look at his scanner. "We only hafta disarm two more bombs and then just wait for the others to bring her down."
Cyborg crossed his arms on his chest and stood tall and proud with a huge toothy grin.
"You're amazing." Responded Raven sarcastically.
She dismantled the bomb with a wave of her hand and turned towards the exit.
"And you're honest." Said Cyborg striding after her.
***
"There!"
Robin had spotted the girl on the freeway bobbing and weaving through rush hour traffic with her motorbike. Her ski mask was off and her light brown hair was flapping in the wind. Beast Boy shifted his hawk wings to swoop in for the attack.
"Hold it Beast Boy," said Robin, suspended by his underarms from Starfire. "If she'll blow up a workplace she won't hesitate to injure innocent bystanders. We'll have to wait until she pulls off the main road."
The three followed her from high in the air for a few moments longer when suddenly she came to a long truck and sped up along side it. Robin became worried as she disappeared behind the truck. A flash was seen and the Titans watched in horror as the truck began to swerve wildly. Robin felt a surge of adrenaline and thought quickly. He ordered Starfire to fly him to the truck's cockpit. As they approached they noticed the girl's motorbike had fallen and was skidding along the highway sending sparks flying and cars swerving. She must have abandoned her bike for the truck! The bike skidded just beneath Robin's feet as Starfire closed on the truck. She carried Robin to the passenger's side door, flying back forth as the truck randomly swerved toward and away from her in turn. Robin decompressed his attack rod and smashed the window. With a snap of his body he was in the passenger's seat. The girl was nowhere in sight but a slightly overweight and grossly unshaven trucker was desperately trying to straighten his vehicle. Robin could tell he had been blinded by the way he looked past him in fear.
"Wh-who's there!?"
"Sir I'm here to help."
Robin grabbed the wheel and began trying to right the huge truck while trying to avoid the guardrail and other vehicles. The driver was cooperating by gradually slowing the truck down and blowing the horn to alert other drivers. The method was working as vehicles in front of the mammoth truck were giving the beast all the space they could. Robin's heart pumped adrenaline rich blood as he swerved just in time to miss a lagging station wagon. Presently, he realized the eighteen-wheeler would not be able to right itself and would soon flip and cause a disastrous pileup. He quickly considered his options and decided there was only one thing to do.
"This thing got airbags?"
"Driver only."
"Fair enough."
Robin's eyes narrowed in determination. As the truck veered back and forth, he steered it gradually to the right. Starfire and Beast Boy watched helplessly from the sky as Robin maneuvered the truck towards the side railing. He veered one more time to the left and then turned hard to the right and crashed the side of the rig into the railing. Sparks flew and a terrible screeching signaled the grinding of metal against concrete. The cockpit filled with the smell of burning rubber as all 5 of the truck's rightmost tires dragged against the guardrail.
"What the hell are you doing to my truck?!"
"Saving your life!"
The truck screeched along the railing for several more seconds before an explosion was heard from out the passenger side window. One of the tires had burst! Moments later another explosion indicated the loss of another tire, then another, then two more. The right side of the truck sank and the weight of the cargo began to tip the truck onto the railing. Robin braced himself as he felt gravity take control of the cockpit. The moment of freefall ended abruptly as metal groaned and glass shattered. The truck was riding the railing on the right and its tires on the left. They were now in an exit only lane and traffic was no longer a concern. The driver blinked a few times as he felt his vision returned to him.
"Brace for impact!"
The driver blinked one more time and opened his eyes to see the thick metal tube of an exit marker come rushing towards where the windshield used to be. The truck plowed right through it and the airbag blew up in his face. This made it very difficult for Robin to steer but it no longer mattered as momentum was the only driver at this point. The truck continued to grind the railing up the off ramp. A red stop light could be seen in the distance, complete with a line of 5 or 6 stopped cars! The sight instilled in Robin the cold sweat of fear but it was soon a blur as the railing ended and the truck fell completely onto its side. Robin slammed painfully into the passenger side door as the abrupt change in height had detached the truck from its cargo. The cockpit picked up a bit of speed, spinning on its right side completely out of control towards the stopped cars. Robin knew disaster was imminent as he could hear nothing but screaching metal and could not tell which direction was forward. He shred the driver's side airbag with a bird-a-rang and reached across the driver's chest to his fully open window. He pulled himself out of the vehicle and was soon standing on top of the spinning truck. He pulled open the door, grabbed the disoriented trucker by his flannel collar, and cut him free from his seat belt. He pulled him out of the window and reached for his grapping hook but it was too late- The shriek of a hawk was heard and a gigantic brontosaurus tail materialized in front of the truck. It collided with a crash, sending Robin and the trucker flying into the air. Robin held the driver's collar in a white-knuckled death grip and desperately tried to find his orientation amidst the spinning world. His heart jumped when both his shoulders seemed to have caught onto something and his back impacted against something soft. He tightened his grip on the driver who had continued to fly despite Robin's impact.
Starfire flew them down to the sidewalk and set them down gently. The light turned green but the drivers of the cars were too busy checking out the accident so close behind them to notice. The truck driver was also looking at his mangled and dismembered rig, his hands on his head. Starfire looked at Robin.
"Where is the girl we were chasing?"
Robin took a moment to figure out where he was and then replied.
"Got away. The truck was a decoy." He sighed. "She must have hijacked a car or something."
At this point Beast Boy came running across the street.
"Yo, did we get her?"
Robin shook his head and showed his empty hands.
"What!? After all that?" Beast Boy was visibly upset. "Aww mann!"
Starfire looked thoughtful.
"I hope the others have met with more success than we have."
***
"Whaddaya mean we hafta leave?!"
Cyborg was yelling at an all too serious man in a black sport suit.
"Young man, please leave now or I will be forced to arrest you."
"Arrest me!? I'm here fighting crime! Who do you think you are drivin up in here with your fancy black sedans and telling me where to be?!
"I'm federal agent Sparks young man. This is a terrorist situation and therefore falls under federal jurisdiction. This area is now a federal crime scene and your continued presence here is in violation of federal-"
"FEDERAL MY- Ooff"
"With all due respects agent Sparks," Interrupted Raven retracting her elbow. "There are remotely detonated explosives in these buildings and our presence here is crucial to prevent-"
"The prompt removal of your presence from this area is crucial to prevent me from throwing you both in jail." Said agent Sparks without raising his voice. "I will not ask you again."
"People… will die." Raven was crackling slightly but her voice remained level. "Are you prepared to take responsibility for that?"
A shriek of a hawk was heard and Robin, Beast Boy and Starfire landed just in time to see agent Sparks take out a pair of handcuffs. Their arrival was enough to divert him from the potentially fatal mistake he was about to make.
"Woa woa woa," intervened Robin. "What's going on here?"
"Didja guys catch the girl?"
Robin shook his head in disappointment.
"She got away. Almost killed a lot of people in the process."
Cyborg stamped the ground in frustration, his hand on his forehead. Beast Boy spoke from behind Robin.
"What's with all the suits?"
The entire area was crawling with federal agents escorting people out of buildings, asking questions, taking notes, and talking on cell phones. It was a strange juxtaposition, so many sharp and freshly pressed sport suits wandering around the ugly and stagnating landscape. Sparks spoke towards the newly arrived three.
"You are all trespassing on a federal crime scene. Please remove yourselves immediately or I will be forced to arrest you."
Robin wouldn't have it.
"Federal crime scene? What interest does the federal government have in an arson case?"
"Not arson." Replied Sparks coolly. "Terrorism. We've been tracking this group for over a decade.
"Man, why would terrorists wanna blow up chickens?" Demanded Cyborg, still angry.
"All public information will be disclosed at the press conference. If you don't leave now I will arrest you. I'm not joking."
Cyborg clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Robin prevented disaster once again.
"Alright sir… Let's go Titans."
Cyborg turned to him.
"We didn't get all the bombs man. My transmitter is the only thing keeping this place from blowing."
Robin thought for a moment with his hand on his chin. Suddenly his fist went up and pointed a finger to the sky as his expression changed to one of cocky triumph.
"Sooo…"
His hands went out to either side of him as he shrugged his shoulders, grinning.
"Why don't you leave the transmitter here?"
Cyborg stared at him for a moment then returned his grin. He closed his eyes in a look of concentration and, moments later, and a depressurization was heard.
"Doorknob!" Yelled Beast Boy.
Everyone but Starfire and agent Sparks glared at him. He gave a nervous grin and cowered, blushing. Cyborg grabbed his right arm with his left hand and jiggled it until it detached with a sound similar to a sword being unsheathed. He held it in front of Raven. Her eyes became white as she surrounded it in one of her dark orbs and levitated it skyward. All eyes followed it until it came to rest entangled in an antenna on top of a nearby recycling center. Agent Sparks looked on without astonishment and then turned to Cyborg.
"I'm… not entirely sure if you're allowed to do that."
**********[end chapter 4]**********
Next time: Patch keeps his promise, Beast Boy is right, Cyborg eats meat, Raven kicks herself, Starfire asks for mustard, and Robin gives in to peer pressure.
Responses to reviews:
Jysella:
::stares in slight amazement for several moments:: wow!! what a kind review! I didn't realize anyone would actually like Patch. My aim so far was to make him seem a little too perfect, something like a Christ/Buddha/Gandhi character, and i know people tend to hate 'perfect' characters (remember aqualad?). I also sought to glorify his "peaceful nature" but beware that i am quite a devious author- his peacefulness may not end up being what it seems (as a hint to what i'm getting at, recall how he didn't help the fallen Beast Boy in chapter 1). likewise with the nurturing. Patch doesn't speak unless he needs to so everytime i make him say or do something its for characterization (the other titans just act according to their personality from the show- they come pre-characterized). If you really like Patch, i recommend paying close attention to everything he does and looking for inconsistencies and perhaps trying to read his thoughts (i don't intend on ever narrating from his perspective and you can't trust the opinions of other characters). That's great that you can relate to him because it'll make the story more interesting for you when he is presented with his lessons he needs to learn (remember, this is essentially a story about spiritual transformation). And if you're a vegan you'll love this story because veganism will be a central theme (i intend to use it to explore the nature of morality, idealism, and good/evil distinction). Also, expect another vegan character introduced (a girl) by...ohhhh....say, chapter 11 or 12. As for comic Raven vs TV Raven, i predict that sleeping Trigon is probably the only significant thing i'll bring from the comics. But it is definitely a big deal because every romance story involving Raven seems to have Raven throwing caution to the wind and deciding to love freely without any mention of Trigon (things blow up, sure, but no devils awaken). And that's also wonderful that we have the same idea of what Raven should be like (do all we herbivores think alike perhaps?). In this story i'm going to put her under a lot of stress so we'll see if we stay in agreement as she reacts to unnaturally stressful situations (it will get VERY ugly around ch6 or 7). Oh, and if you're serious about being vegan/vegetarian, make sure you do your nutrition research. I've heard too many horror stories, especially about teenagers. Raw, dark leafy greens (spinach and kale are my favorite) pack the most nutrition. I wish you luck!
Kishi
Thanks for the encouragement. I've heard that alot of christians fear the mind stillness type of meditation because the ministry puts alot of emphasis on "This is the way it is and to think other religions are correct is heresy." In actuality, despite what the new age movement likes to have us believe, true meditation isn't anymore a religious activity than brushing your teeth, it's simply a time for the mind to stop thinking for a moment and allow 'non-thoughts' to bubble to the surface. There are many benefits to this but i won't bore you. The point is that religion and meditation can mix. I actually hated christianity when i was younger (too many bad experiences) but it turns out i simply didn't understand it (or rather let a few incompetent priests give me a watered down understanding which wasn't satisfying). Meditation helped me to break free of old thought patterns and understand the gospels for myself and now Christ is my goal.