Chapter 18 (Part 2): Race War
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"Men are more easily governed by their vices then their virtues."
Napoleon Bonaparte
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It was the morning after that atrocity in the woods on the outskirts of Jump City.
Right on time, the Teen Titans' main computer powered up and began dispensing paper. Tim Drake, his mask off but besides that in full costume, walked up to it and began looking at the paper.
What was being printed was a complete police report of all the crimes that had happened, in some form or another, during last night. After Jack nearly succeeded in framing Noel for his murders, Robin had set this up so he could check all the crimes he and his team had missed. And there was a fair amount. The Teen Titans usually handled all the "glory" cases: metahumans and costumed crooks that had something that would be very dangerous to normal police. The Jump City police force handled the rest. And they were a good set of officers (no small part in Robin rooting out the corruption himself), who dealt out law and justice without fail. But they were only human, and most of the Titans were not, so…
But it was usually humdrum stuff. DWI's. Complaints about too much noise. A domestic dispute or two. A bar brawl. Nothing the officers couldn't handle. A breaking and entering, possible date rape…
And then it leapt out at him.
The body of a young black male had been discovered in a trash dumpster on the city's west side. Death had been attributed to loss of blood: his throat had been cut. What leapt out at Robin was the other stuff. He read all of it, and then over again, his face growing grim. He did not like the thoughts this event was arising.
Starfire walked in, cheery and eager to share it, but she saw Robin see her and make a gesture that meant he needed to not be disturbed. Starfire changed direction and wandered into the kitchen, where and Terra ganged up to pester Raven.
Robin picked up the phone and dialed a special number. It connected him directly to the chief of police on the west side of Jump City. He said hello and a special code so that the chief would know it was him, and then he started asking for any info that had been uncovered since the report.
It wasn't as bad as he thought. It was worse.
"WHAT?" he said at what the chief told him. "HOW?" But Robin knew how. He knew all too well.
"You're certain. CERTAIN? Dammit, are you sure you can't arrest them for SOMETHING? Argh! Sorry chief, this is VERY frustrating." Robin said. "Anything else? Uh huh….really? Dammit. Well, don't worry, I'm going to look into this myself. I will not allow this kind of shit in my city. Er, our city. Sorry chief. All right. Yes, I will. Bye." Robin said, hanging up. He cursed silently under his breath. Of all the things he had theorized that could happen to his beleaguered city, this one was near the very back of the list. Yet the writing was on the wall, so it seemed…
"Nahhhh nahhh nah nah nah, Britannia rules the waves!" Rob sang as he walked in, fresh from a shower. He did a goofy dance. "I don't know the words to this dinky song! All that I know is that Britannia rules the…!"
"Rob." Robin said quietly. Rob spun, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"Tim! How are we this…"
"Not now Rob. We have a problem. Gather the others, we're having a meeting. NOW." Robin said, the last word firm but not harsh. He turned and headed towards the kitchen to tell the women in there.
Letting his goofy exuberance slide, Rob wondered why Tim was so grim. Heh, that rhymed!
Robert Candide would find out soon enough.
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"Ok, what's the sitch Robin?" Terra asked. All the Titans, minus Noel of course, were sitting around the meeting table.
"It's not good guys…" Robin said.
"What is it? Slade? The Lord? Trigon?" Beast Boy asked.
"No…" Robin said, and his gaze slid to Cyborg.
"What?" he said.
"Victor…this may get personal."
"For us?"
"No. For you."
"What? Why?"
Robin took a deep breath.
"The police found the body of a young black man named Curtis Green. Murdered. He had his throat slit. But that's not what bothering me. You see, the wounds on his body indicate that he was…whipped."
"What?" Gar Logan said.
"Not just that. It looked like before his death he was…branded."
"WHAT?" Cyborg, Beast Boy, Terra, and Raven all said, nearly at the same time.
"Branded? You mean cow, red hot iron brand?" Rob said.
"Yes."
"You don't think…" Cyborg said.
"I didn't at first. This clearly has racial undertones. But I was pondering that that might be a cover. Misdirection. But when I called the Chief, I found out it wasn't…apparently...well…there's no point in sugarcoating this. A hate group has set up camp outside Jump City."
"WHAT?" All the Titans except Starfire, who was mostly looking confused, said.
"Wait, are you saying the Klan's come to town?" Gar said.
"Not the Klan. This is a unit called the ASP. Stands for Anglo-Saxan Patrol. They're a white supremacy group, paramilitary style. More like the Neo-Nazis then the Klan. But they believe the same basic things."
Silence.
"What the HELL is a group like THAT doing HERE?" Gar finally said. Cyborg had sat back down, his eyes cold.
"THAT, I don't know. But here's what I do know. They've been in the woods for about two weeks…"
"Two WEEKS? Why didn't we see anything?"
"Possibly because we were dealing with Eyesore." Raven said dryly. "And Aberration. And Mad Mod. And those guys with the stolen disintegrator guns. Did we fight Killer Moth again? No wait, that was last month."
"Your point being?" Beast Boy said.
"We've been occupied. Distracted. Easy enough for them to build a camp out in the woods." Raven said.
"Not just any camp. The police went in there to look for evidence. They've already got a small village out there. Barracks, storage, even a church. When the cops showed up, they were actually running military maneuvers."
"You're kidding." Terra said.
"Wish so. These folks are hardcore. You would think that would be enough to make some arrests. Unfortunately, no."
"WHAT? But they're…!"
"I know. But having beliefs can't get you arrested in this country. You need something more concrete. But the damn thing is, the cops couldn't find anything. The brand mark was in the shape of a cross, but they didn't find a branding iron with that shape, or any branding iron at all. Ditto the knife that cut this poor kid's throat. Or a whip. Or nothing that could link them to the death rather then the fact they're a hate group. They own the land legally. All the weapons that had stashed there were registered and legal. They didn't even have any hate literature. Guy who runs the place, name's Dunagan, he put on this line saying that they wouldn't kill black people, oh no." Robin said, as he went into his impression of the chief's impression of the officer's impression who had seen the original. Er, I don't think anything was lost in translation. "We don't advocate any laws that would hurt the Non-Anglo-Saxan races. They just want separation. Let people work and play 'among their own'. He said this with a straight face, despite the fact that his men were calling him 'Grand Dragon Dunagan.' When questioned about this, he said it was an old tradition started about a million years and he'd been trying for years to get them to call him 'President Dunagan.'"
"Is this for real?" Beast Boy said.
"Unfortunately. According to the letter of the law, ASP is nothing more then a legitimate, fully registered, lobbying organization designed to promote political change. Though I'm pretty damn sure we know what kind of change that is."
"So what do we do? Go out and trash the entire camp? Surely we can do that!" Terra said.
"We can't unless we find evidence that they actually committed the crime." Raven said, even her dry tone begin to show traces of distaste.
"WHAT? THEY'RE A HATE GROUP! Who ELSE could it be?" Terra said.
"Right. We KNOW that. But legally we have squat. All the men there alibied each other, and we have no murder weapons or witnesses. If we go there and beat them up, they'd probably press assault charges." Robin said grimly. He hated this more then any of them, but he had to swallow this bitter pill. As flawed and as easy to manipulate as the laws of men were, Batman had beaten respect of them into Tim. If they didn't follow the laws that the criminals didn't, how much better were they?
"It would be just like them to hide behind legal nonsense." Cyborg said quietly.
"Look guys, don't despair. Like Beast Boy said, this isn't the Deep South. Coming here is pretty bold. They must have a reason. We have to be careful and observant, and find that out. And find a reason. But we will. I promise. And when we do…"
The phone rang. But not just any phone: it had the specific tone that the special line Robin had to the chief of police had. He excused him to answer it.
With Robin gone, all attention turned to Cyborg, who was sitting with his hands crossed in front of his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. They had a dark, thoughtful look.
"Vic…I mean…I…" Gar said, beginning to raise a hand, then putting it down, then raising it again, not sure what to say.
"It's ok guys. I will do my best to handle this with grace and dignity." Cyborg said quietly.
And he meant it, sort of. The truth was, Victor had no idea how to react. He had been fairly insulated from racism his entire life, both before and after the procedure that made him a cyborg. Oh yes, his father, Silas, had told him some stories, but lacking any personal experience, the whole concept of hate that seemed to be invading his city seemed distant and uncongenial.
But he knew enough. This murder wasn't just an undeserved death. This was a message. And Victor Stone was pretty sure he was part of the message. Hell, he was probably the center of it.
And that was all he got to think, as Robin walked back in. His expression was almost comical, an intense expression of absolutely disbelief mixed with rage and disgust.
"Guys…" he managed to say. "You are not going to BELIEVE what is going on."
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The streets of Jump City. Most stir to life this morning with the certainty that they will see nothing special, the same as the day before, and the day before that.
But on several streets, surreal had come to visit.
Its first indication was a distant sound of tinny, blaring music. As it gets closer, we can hear that it is a martial tone, a John Phillip Sousa flag waving special. It gets people's attention, as might the fact that there are no cars driving on these roads. That is because they have been roped off.
And then they appear, a wave of green camouflage outfits with burning crosses on their chests. Dozens, maybe hundreds of them, nine across, rows deep, all marching in lockstep. Some hold placards that proclaim their name, the ASP, and their reason for being here: to save the true people of this city. The rear guard carries with them a huge cross. This is not the same cross that Curtis Green was tortured on: that had been carefully disassembled and fed into the flames of the fire. Indeed, the campfire was the only evidence that the police had found that could connect this group of Curtis Green, and it was far too vague. A campfire? They were out in the woods, they had no electricity or running water, of course they had one.
And they march. People see them, with mixed reactions. But no one tries to stop them despite the terrible outrage that many feel. All of the men are large and muscular, and more then a few are carrying weapons: pipes, crowbars, two by fours.
But those who call the police find, to their disgust, that this is all legal, a march organized through City Hall. Freedom of speech in all its glory.
And so the ASP marches, as they turn around the corner that will take them down another road and eventually back to their camp.
And they stop. The music halts. And the group stares at the Titans who stand in the street.
Robin is at the front, his arms crossed and an indignant, irritated look on his face. The others are spread out behind him, and while no one has armed weapons or charged abilities yet, you can tell the Titans are on a hair trigger alert. With some, it was more like a desire. Give us an excuse.
Quiet for a moment.
"Which one of you is Grand Dragon Dunagan?" Robin asked.
The crowd parts, and a man steps to the forefront. Robin was, from the little he had heard, expecting a physical incarnation of evil.
Instead, he saw a short man, with a beltline that was decent but still showing some middle age spread. He was balding, the last remnants of his red hair clinging to either side of his bald head. He wore glasses and had a generally healthy, ruddy appearance. In short, he looked like any man might be in his early fifties…perfectly…ordinary.
"I am Dunagan." He said, and then he actually offered Robin his hand. Robin glared at it as if he hoped it would burst into flame. It didn't, but Dunagan got the message, lowering his hand.
"We don't want any trouble." He replied.
"Funny, that's not the message I'm getting."
"We have a permit to march. I have it on my person if you wish to see for yourself." Dunagan said, pulling a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket. Robin looked in over, his eyes narrowing. He had better take a look at City Hall when he had some free time. This stunk to him of some cash exchanging hands.
Robin handed it back.
"I don't know why you came here, but you're not welcome. I think it would be best for all parties if you left and didn't come back." Robin said.
"Brother Robin, we are not your enemy!"
"I see how your men back there are looking past me. I don't need three guesses to tell who they're looking at." Robin said. Cyborg was near the front, his arms crossed. He was handling this remarkably well.
"Brother Robin, do not be deceived! You believe that…THING to be your ally, your friend? He is a tool of Satan! He will stab you all in the back and leave you to burn."
"Go back to your camp and GET OUT." Robin hissed.
Dunagan did not back down, though as he realized that Robin wasn't going to side with him for any reason, his supposed camaraderie vanished.
"So, you too are a traitor to God and your Aryan race! I should have known! You taint yourself worse then most! Worse then one of them, you lie down with a creature not even of your own SPECIES!"
It took everything Robin had not to crack Dunagan's skull open right then and there. All his teammates shared the same proclivity. And the odds were in their favor: large men with bludgeons meant nothing to them. They could mop the floor with this entire group in ten minutes.
But they didn't. Because Robin had made them swear they wouldn't if he didn't give the signal. And Robin had sworn to himself he would not be the aggressor. That was THEIR way.
But it was a lot harder when you had the leader of a hate group call your girlfriend what he just had.
"We will not be intimated, by your abilities or your betrayal! We were invited to this city by one of your own! He offered us a place here, and we will take it, and when the apocalypse comes, we WILL stand tall, while you all perish in the flames. Now stand aside!"
For a moment, the two stared down each other.
Then Robin turned away, much to the shock of his group. He signaled for them to go, and grudgingly, they listened.
A look of great satisfaction filled Dunagan's face, and with a face of his hand, he and his group marched on.
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"ROBIN! WHAT THE HELL! YOU BACKED DOWN TO THOSE RACIST FU-" Beast Boy yelled on a nearby rooftop.
"Calm down Beast Boy." Robin ordered. "I didn't back down. What he said…he said one of our own invited him here."
"He MUST have been lying." Gauntlet said.
"No, I saw his eyes. He believed it." Robin said. His eyes looked over the group.
"Gauntlet, Beast Boy, Terra, follow them. They so much as sneeze at anyone, you have my permission to thrash as many as you see fit. Starfire, Raven, come back to the Tower with me, we need to do some research, know our enemy better, find a crack in the legalities they're hiding behind. Cyborg…well, for obvious reasons, what do you want to do?"
"I'll come back with you Fearless." Cyborg said.
"Ok. Let's go Titans. These kind of things have a nasty habit of only ending after something bad has happened. Let's try and make Curtis Green's death that bad thing, ok?"
"Right." They all replied.
"Good. Titans, go." He said, and the group split up and headed off.
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Some time later, Robin was looking over some printouts and waiting back from a call to Batman when Starfire approached.
"Tim…" she said, sitting down. "I, er…"
Tim had been dreading this moment. Trying to explain racism and hate crimes to someone like Kory was like removing wisdom teeth: a necessary yet incredibly unpleasant experience.
"Kory…it's very hard to explain why these men think and act the way they do…"
"Oh no Robin, I understand that." Kory said. THAT surprised Robin. "My own species has some history of…persecuting other races simply because they are. And I have read your history. I can understand this ASP, and why they hate black people, and Asian people, and myself." Kory said.
"…..Oh." Robin said. "Then why…"
"Well, what I do not understand is…how can these men do these things so blatantly? I believed from what I read that such behavior had become…er…unfashionable?" Kory said, hunting for the right word.
"That's fairly accurate." Robin replied.
"Then why can they get permits to march in the name of such terrible things? Why can we not arrest them for a crime they clearly committed, despite a lack of hard evidence? Why, when it could ensure that this behavior could be stopped, does this city and its leaders allow it to continue, almost with its blessing?"
"Because that's the way the human race is." Raven said, suddenly walking in. "We condone such thinking, yet we allow it for the sake of freedom. Typical humanity. Above all else, we're a walking paradox."
"But…still…" Starfire said. Raven sighed.
"Kory, the problem with systems is that the people who make them tend to make them, sink them in, and leave them. But no sooner does this happen then the smart villains out there, like this Dunagan, start to learn it. The reason a lot of people get away with stuff like this is because they know the system that defies it far better then the rest of us, know where the holes are, the vague parts, the uncharted territory. And they take advantage of that. Free speech for all, right? Well, that means them too. As well as their camps and all that. That's pretty much why there can be ASP's today. That, and there seems to be a taint of stupidity running through the whole mess that is whatever humans design. There always is. You know, I wonder why they call it common sense. It doesn't seem to be all that common."
Starfire looked sad.
"Well Kory, where the system fails, there's us. We'll find the evidence that they did this and put the men behind bars for the rest of their natural lives."
Raven thought of making a cynical comment on sentencing and parole and prisons in general, but Kory looked confused and depressed enough.
"Robin, I found some stuff online. You should take a look."
Robin did so, and a minute later he was surfing through the ASP's main website.
"Geez." Robin said. Racism had gone high-tech. He clicked on one link that said "Gooks" and was rewarded with a cartoon drawing of a leering, malevolent Asian male.
"A yellow, thieving baboon." The text read. "He will steal your job, your wife, your daughter. He will live on welfare while taking everything you have. He is the enemy."
"Smart people. Love how the first and second lines contradict each other." Raven said.
Robin didn't know why, but he read on, clicking other links.
It pretty much said the same thing for everyone not of the Aryan race. Jewish people were the enemy. Black people were the enemy. Hispanics, Communists, Catholics (that made Robin arch an eyebrow, until he read on and found the ASP had their own religion, the Aryan Christian Church), and so on. They were all planning to destroy America, and that Armageddon would soon be here to burn them off the earth and leave a nice, pure world filled with non-dirty by birth white people. Apparently the Second Coming was a Caucasians-only affair.
The worst thing was a song, a hymn actually, probably for the ASP's own church. Robin read it. By now he was comfortably numb to the line these people had.
White and proud
That's what I am
Storming the streets
Getting rid of the trash
What's wrong with knowing your race is strong?
Aryan people unite against:
Drugs, race mixing and crime.
Brothers and sisters, stand by my side,
Join the fight for what's right.
Then Robin read the line after that. Apparently a twelve-year old girl had written the song.
The comfortable numbness abandoned him.
"My god…" he said, leaning back and putting his face in his hands. "What's happening to this city? How did people like this wind up here?"
"They ARE acting fairly bold." Raven agreed, moving in and typing. "I logged onto a few websites by groups who specialize in fighting people like this." Raven said. She called up the website of an organization called Hatewatch, who had a file on the ASP.
"This group's been chasing after ASP for years. Apparently they've left, in theory anyway, a trail of bodies all over the country. Killing Curtis Green would be right up their alleyway, in theory anyway. But again, no hard evidence. Still, they've been very secretive lately. And I can understand why. Hatewatch and their fellows have been having more success lately in their civil lawsuits. Plus, society, while it still has a long way to go, a lot of it seems to finally accepting the concept that a different skin color doesn't mean you're bad. Still, it doesn't really fit. The ASP has set up camps before, but in areas that tend to be more remote, where more people are in tune with how they think. Why here?"
"They said that one of us invited them. Did he mean…one of the Titans?" Robin asked.
"Impossible." Raven replied.
"Maybe their boldness, with the march, and the murder, is due to the fact that they think they have a powerful ally would will provide protection, help them get a foothold in this city for the upcoming racial war they seem to think will be happening very soon." Robin said.
"Robin…seriously…should we think…?"
"In a purely logical sense. Ok, I can safely say we can eliminate Victor and Kory. Gar is out because if he's a vegetarian and can't stand eating animals, I doubt he would go for the killing of his fellow man, not to mention he's best friends with Victor. If I may say so, I am sure as hell not a racist…"
"Agreed." Raven said.
"And neither are you. Rob? Forget it. And though we don't know her very well, I haven't seen the slightest indication of it in Tara (Terra's real name. Convenient, eh?). So unless Tara is one of the greatest actresses in the world…that just leaves the one Titan who isn't here to defend himself…"
"NO. Noel is NOTHING like that." Raven said, anger creeping into her tone.
"I wasn't saying he was. But think about it. Wouldn't he be a great beacon, even if he doesn't know about it? His clothes, his look…pure white. A great metaphor, especially for people who like to look at things so that they fit their reality…"
"And it looks like that's exactly what they did." Beast Boy suddenly said, walking into the room. He tossed some pamphlets at the two.
"ASP left town and went back to their camp without causing any trouble. But a few strays hung around. I managed to get some propaganda they left behind. Take a look at who's on the cover."
Robin and Raven took a look, and their eyes widened as they saw the picture of Noel and Victor, in the very uncompromising position.
"Methinks something is afoot." Beast Boy said, sucking on a candy pipe he had gotten from somewhere. Robin picked up his communicator.
"Vic?"
"Yeah Fearless?"
"You might wanna come up here."
Victor did so, and was mystified as the rest of them at the picture. For a bit anyway.
"Wait, I remember that! That was when Noel caught me after I fell when we were fighting the Puppet Giant." Victor said.
"He caught you by the NECK?" Robin said incredulously.
"He didn't mean to! He was just trying to catch me, and he did…there. I barely felt it, and if he hadn't I could have been seriously hurt."
"And someone snapped a picture, and it found its way into their hands, and the ASP saw it as a calling card that Jump City was good territory, and here we are now." Raven said.
"You think they noticed Noel wasn't there?" Gar said.
"I think the more likely question is how they're spinning the fact Noel wasn't there." Robin said.
The Titans were silent for a bit.
"Ok guys, we can't brood on this. Instead, we need to stay alert. Everyone, keep doing research. The ASP has gotten away with what its done so far because we were busy with other things and didn't notice what they were doing. But they know we can see them now. Hopefully they'll keep trying to act like they're just some misunderstood group of people with different opinions until we can find some evidence to link them to the murder. And we will. I won't stand to have those kind of people in my city, and I think you all can say the same."
"Yeah." Was the general reply.
"Good. Shall we call Noel and tell him?"
"Not unless we have to." Raven said. "I think we can handle this by ourselves."
"Hopefully before anything else happens." Beast Boy said.
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"DAMN THOSE TEENAGERS!" Dunagan thundered, slamming his fist onto his desk. His small office was as cramped as a sardine can with him and his three main officers in it. "I should have known! They must have locked up our brother in their tower so he couldn't greet us! Traitors!"
"Grand Dragon…" one of the officers said. "I know we've been planning this for some time, but…"
"SOLIDER, ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME?" Dunagan roared.
"Sir, no I am not sir!"
"Good." Dunagan said. "We can't let them intimidate us. This country doesn't have much more time! Every day, we see more street gangs, race riots, more crime and rape and sodomy! None of it being told to the people due to those bleeding heart left wingers who own all the papers and media and think that we owe all those pieces of shit something! And to make it worse, our gene pool is being tainted by interracial marriages and copulations! It cannot be allowed to continue! We must get our holy crusade ready! We MUST purify the land before we are consumed with corruption!"
"Yes sir!" the officers said.
"Good men. Don't let them scare you. They have hope. They just need to be convinced. And before we can do that, we need certain elements removed. That alien Gook whore for one. And I think that green boy is a tool of the Devil as well…but above all else, we must get rid of that robotic nigger! We must finish what our brother Savior could not do, in thanks for his gracious offer for us to come here! Even if we cannot convince his fellows, we will have him!"
"Grand Dragon, we may want to try and convince Robin…" one of the officers said.
"No! He is a traitor to his race and us! We will burn him with his slut!"
"Maybe…but I was thinking…that that might just bring the Bat down here…and that could be very bad for our cause…"
Dunagan paused. His officer had a point. Batman saw everything in one color, and he carried a grudge. He didn't care for any crusade except his own.
"You make a good point soldier! We will take that into consideration. Now…"
A knock at the door.
"Enter!"
Another man entered.
"Sir, we have obtained the necessary information, sir!"
"Excellent. But are you certain this is good?"
"Yes sir! Our contact says everything is in place or will be!"
A grin, almost feral in nature, spread across Dunagan's face.
"Excellent work soldier!"
"Thank you sir!"
"Officers, prepare. Our Lord God has smiled on us. This is our sign! We will strike at the heart of those traitorous Titans, and remove the corruption that hinders our brother. Tonight, we make this city ours. Tonight, that mecha-coon dies!"
"YES SIR!"
"BLOOD!"
"BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD! KILL KILL KILL!"
"CAN YOU GIVE ME A HALLELUIAH!"
"HALLELUIAH!"
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"Hey Rob. Anything?" Terra said, as Gauntlet came in.
"Nope. They behaved themselves. Almost a pity." Rob said. "You knowe, I've been thinking. Non-racists, like us, say we don't care, as I heard it once, if you are black, white, purple, or green."
"Yeah?" Beast Boy said, not really paying attention.
"Well, I was thinking…purple? You know, maybe those racists have something! To hell with the purple people!…Unless they are suffocating!…Then help them!" Rob declared. He was trying to lighten the mood, and the looks his fellow Titans were giving him said they knew that, but it wasn't working. "Er, anyway…on the plus side, I got something great!"
"What?" Robin said, looking up from the computer.
"Tickets to The Producers!" Rob said, holding up eight pieces of paper. Starfire gasped.
"But they have been sold out for weeks!" she said. "How did you get them?"
"I have my ways." Rob said, smiling.
(flashback)
Rob walked up to the theater ticket window.
"Eight tickets to the Producers please!"
"Kid, we're sold out." The woman at the window said.
"But…eight tickets!" Rob said, sounding wounded.
"Look kid, I said…" the woman snapped as she keyed in the command to show that all the seats were sold out, so she could spin the computer around and show it to Rob.
But that plan went down the drain as she looked, in some surprise, at the fact that a reservation can been cancelled not ten minutes ago and that fifteen seats were now available.
'I don't believe it." She said. She looked at Rob. "Hey, you're a Titan. You didn't hack the system, did you?"
"Ma'am, I can't program a VCR." Rob replied.
"…Right. Well, I guess you can have your tickets after all…"
(end flashback)
"But, can't be giving away my secrets!" Rob said.
"Weren't those expensive?" Gar asked.
"Don't worry. I used Noel's credit card." Rob replied. Raven, reading a book nearby, smacked her hand into her head at that.
"Can we go Robin? Please! I really don't want to look at all these ugly things all night." Kory said, giving Robin puppy eyes. They didn't really work, but Robin at least had a considering expression on his face instead of outright denying it.
"Well…I don't think any sudden magic evidence is going to appear. Now, whether the ASP will try something else…"
"I don't think so. You gave a pretty strong impression you didn't like them Robin. If this Dunagan is as smart as he seemed, he'll think you're watching him like a hawk. I think he'll try something else, but not tonight." Rob said.
Robin sighed.
"It would be nice to get a break from all this. Ok guys. But we're bringing our communicators and we leave at the slightest hint of trouble."
"Deal!" Rob said.
"Wait, there are only seven of us." Raven said.
"Yeah. Us, and I figured Cyborg could bring Latrisha." Rob said.
"Er…you mean like a date? Then what who would be all be…er…" Beast Boy said, trying to avoid looking at Terra. She was doing her own innocent whistling.
"Hey save it, I have to bring Mr. Stick Up The Ass's girlfriend." Rob said. Raven's eyes glowed. "Er, what a joyful experience that will be!"
"I dunno guys…Tish and I have been…er…I better go…" Victor said, walking out. Beast Boy recognized Cyborg's tone and followed him. He caught up to him on the stairs.
"Are we thinking along those lines again Vic?" Gar said.
"Really Gar, you don't understand. You saw how people stared at us."
"Who cares?"
"Maybe. But what you didn't see was her suddenly flinch when she tried to touch me and touched one of my metal parts. It was the sudden cold, I know, but still…as great as it is to finally have someone in my life, I wonder if I should. Heck, I kind of wonder if I have a right. I'm only half man…"
"Oh stop that. You're no more inhuman then a man with a broken arm. It's all in your head Vic."
"But we've been having problems…"
"Try and work through them! Don't use that as an excuse to slowly drift apart! Really Vic, that's just plain weak."
"I suppose."
"That's not good enough Vic!"
"Geez, since when did you become Cupid?"
"Seriously Victor. You worry your, um, special status will drive a wedge in the bud you have? Fine. Make up for it in some way. You may be only "half a man" technically, but you can still prove you're 100% gentleman."
Victor smiled. Well, half a smile, half a smirk.
"You're right. Now, you wanna turn that around for Tara?"
"Dude, what are you talking about?"
"NOW who's playing dumb?"
"Dude, really…!"
************************
They say what you don't know won't hurt you. In the case of the Titans though, that opinion was completely wrong…
"AH CRAP!" Cyborg yelled. He was back at the computer, and as Rob and Gar jumped up, it had apparently told him something he didn't like.
"What's wrong Vic?"
"I made a mistake. I might not be able to bring Latrisha with you guys."
"What? Why?"
"Because today's the day of my…hmmmmm." Cyborg said. He wondered how to describe this. "My cleaning."
"Cleaning?" Rob said.
"There are certain details one must take into account when you have a body of flesh and metal. Every month or so I have to do this. I usually time it so that you guys don't notice. But I could have sworn I had it next week! But the computer says its today."
"Well, skip it."
"It's not that simple guys. If I put it off, it could cause me severe problems."
"More so then breaking your date with Latrisha?"
Cyborg stewed.
"Can you cut any time off of it?" Rob tried to suggest.
"Maybe…" Cyborg said, as he tapped keys. "Well, some. But even if I start now, I'll only finish at nearly 8:00 PM, which is when the play starts. I'll make you guys all miss the first part…"
"Nonsense. And you aren't using this as an excuse!" Gar said. "Here's what we'll do. We'll go on ahead. You stay here. Latrisha can come here, and you can drive her here with the T-Car. If we time it right you can just make it, and you can have some personal time with her!"
"But…"
"NO BUTS! Get moving!" Gar said, pulling Cyborg up. "Is the procedure ready?"
"Yes…"
"Then go!"
"Gar, should you really leave me all alone here? What about the ASP?"
"We'll turn on all the defenses! Latrisha is programmed into them, they aren't! You'll be fine!" Gar said, shoving Victor out of the room. A considerable task considering the size and weight differences.
"Well, that's one problem averted." Rob said. The shadow of the ASP might have been putting a damper on their day, but it wouldn't be ruining their evening. They could get back to getting rid of them tomorrow.
Rob had no idea how wrong he was.
************************
Remember what was said about not knowing and the supposed result of no pain? That needs to be considered.
For you see, Cyborg had been right. His treatment wasn't until the following week.
Someone had hacked into the TT computer and altered it. The Teen Titans had a very complex system, but most of it revolved around their defenses. Messing up their personal schedule, on the other hand, was very doable.
And it had been done.
Just as the reservation at the theatre had been cancelled. There would be some angry people tonight when they showed up and found they had somehow given up their seats without meaning to. It had been as easy as reading some of Starfire's e-mail and her desire to see the musical.
And as this hacker worked, a slight ding sounded nearby.
"Your payment has been made." A computer voice said.
The figure looked it up, and then chuckling madly, he went into a storm of computer commands. Within thirty minutes he had the cash in hand. Greatly pleased, he began setting up the final stage. This was the hard part, but he was a genius. It would be done.
And he always made sure people got what they paid for.
He didn't know why these people wanted the info and situation they were being asked for though. One of the problems of the computer age: clients, if they wanted to, remained faceless. Oh well. It was probably some supervillain with a grudge against Cyborg. Maybe he or she'd succeed. That would be one less problem when he and his friends next struck and finally defeated the Titans.
************************
Some time later, Gar Logan, in a nice suit (and one he hadn't worn since the dinner that had been interrupted by the Welder), knocked on Cyborg's door. He hadn't seen his friend for nearly four hours.
"Vic? We're leaving? Anything…." Beast Boy trailed off as he saw what was behind the door.
There was a reason Victor Stone had never told any of his friends about this procedure: it really didn't look pleasant.
And we can see why. In the center of Cyborg's room is suspended half a head, with a small chunk taken out of it, held up by four small, delicate arms. And all around him are a myriad of puzzle pieces, all of Cyborg's body broken down into its separate parts, some of which are being cleaned by other arms. It really isn't a pretty sight.
Beast Boy, not being able to help himself, stared for a bit.
And them Cyborg's lone eye opened.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Beast Boy yelled. "Oh sorry Vic, you startled me! I thought you'd be asleep!"
"I was. What is it Gar, it's hard for me to talk like this." Victor Stone said with some effort.
"Well uh, we're leaving…you want anything?"
"Check to make sure the defenses have been programmed to have Latrisha in them and then turn them on. And leave the bridge up so she can get over here."
"Will do…uh Vic?"
"Gar, really…"
"I'm sorry but uh…where's the rest of you?"
"My remaining organic parts are soaking in a nutrient solution. If you really want I can show them to you."
"No no, no need! Sorry to pry! Well, see you there, hopefully in time!" Gar Logan said, and ran off.
"All is forgiven." Cyborg replied, and closed his eye again.
And so the Titans left, leaving Cyborg alone. He was not worried. He was well protected.
Or so he thought.
For approximately seven minutes after the Titans had left, all the defenses shut down.
************************
Back at the ASP camp, Dunagan got the call he had been waiting for.
"It's done. You know what to do." He said to the men he had assembled. Six of them. His best. But even that would have hardly made them a challenge for Cyborg.
But they had an equalizer, which one of the men, who also happened to be the one who had wielded the bullwhip the night before, held in his hands. It was large and mean-looking. Much like him, and his feelings towards the nigger they were going to kill tonight.
He could hardly wait. It would be glorious.
************************
The best laid plans o' mice and men are ever led astray, or something like that. For you see, that was happening, as Cyborg opened his eyes.
What surprised him was that he was finished nearly forty minutes before he had expected. Strange. Wondering if there had been an error, he went to the computer. Nope, everything had been done. He was now fresh and new.
What Cyborg didn't know, and what no one had predicted, was the fact that since Cyborg had been tricked into having his treatment a week early, not as much effort was needed. Hence the early finish.
Cyborg wondered what to do. His friends were all at the theatre by now. And he still had some time before Latrisha showed up. Hmmmm…
And then, what Gar had said some time ago occurred to him.
You may be only half a man but that doesn't mean you can't prove you're not 100% gentleman…
Perfect. He'd grab a bike (Not the T-Car, he'd just cleaned it and he wanted it to look good for his lady) from the garage and zip out to get some flowers and some chocolate, or something in that vein. She'd love it.
And that was what Victor Stone did, as he hurried down to the garage, borrowed one of Robin's bikes, and zoomed off.
And now the second Operation Market Garden factor. Latrisha showed up twenty minutes earlier then expected. Why? I do not know.
But the car that slowly followed her onto the TT bridge…we know one thing…their intentions are not good.
************************
"Well, what does she like?" the clerk at the flower store was saying.
"Uhhhhhh..errrrrr…." Cyborg stammered. The female clerk gave him a well meaning, "oh you didn't bother finding out did you you stupid male" smile. "Aw heck, just give me one of everything!"
"As you wish." The clerk said, and collected flowers for Cyborg's order. He paid and left, heading back for the bike. Now, should he get chocolates? These flowers were very nice, as he turned his head to smell them. Ah, refreshing…
And then the laser blast exploded near his foot.
************************
"Hey, Cyborg! Are you in there! You stupid metal punk! If you made me get all dressed up and come out here and keep me waiting…!" Latrisha said. She had gotten out of her car and rung the bell. No answer. So Latrisha had walked back and was yelling at the windows. She didn't know why she put up with him. Yeah, he was kind and brave and he knew how to treat her, but at other times he was a moron who didn't think before he spoke, and he hadn't even given her his real name! Did he know…
Perhaps Latrisha should have guessed that the reason that Cyborg had not given her his real name was to protect her.
And in the end, that failed anyway.
As Latrisha let out a muffled scream as a pair of powerful hands clamped around her mouth from behind.
To Be Continued