Welcome to chapter two. For some reason I feel that this will not be as popular. I can't explain it, but it feels different from "Titans Rising". Maybe it's just me. I'm writing some of the chapters in chunks to make up for the long wait between "Titans Rising" and this one. But if this story gets flamed, I'm removing it. My motivation comes from y'alls reviews, so leave 'em with pointers and/or anything else that will contribute. And naturally, no flames please.
In this chapter, we find out that Terra used to work for a ganglord. If this does not go over well, I'll change this to something else, but for now it's all I could think of around school and band practice. Just leave whether you want it changed or to keep it. Terra's "garments" are meant to show what kind of person the ganglord is, not to be perverse, so please don't take it this way. I can also change this, but I can't think of anything else that might need to be changed.
Enough rambling. Onto the story...
Warning: Some language, implied malicious acts, slight drug use.
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Warren City was not a big city, smaller than Metropolis and dwarfed by Jump City, but it was fairly big, larger than the neighboring Fairview City. But one thing separated this one from all the others. It was the busiest city out of them all.
If you were into the underground, that is.
Terra landed on the docks silently, looking around for any sign of movement. All was silent, and she didn't like it. Beast Boy, who had long since returned to his eagle form to patrol ahead, landed silently next to her, becoming human to relay what he had seen.
"Hey Terra, I..."
The girl slapped a hand over his mouth, stifling the rest of his sentence.
"Shhh, don't you know anything about the docks?" she whispered to him fiercely, looking at him like a veteran looks at a rookie who has made a mistake.
She slowly removed her hand, and Beast Boy took the hint and whispered back.
"What's wrong?"
"This is the docks. Worst part of any town. It's where all the... let's just say there's more business than the stock market."
"Drug trafficking?"
"Not quite. There is some, but it's mostly either the high ranking pimps and their goons. After being caught by them, take my word that I'm not going back."
Beast Boy did not inquire her about her stay, and instead asked of the dangers at the pier.
"So there's some bad guys around, big deal. We took down Slade, remember? And he had hundreds upon hundreds of robots, much more capable than any human could do."
"Beast Boy, just trust me on this. There are two ways we can leave this pier. Silently into the streets, or floating face down into the ocean. If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer the former to the latter option. Follow me, don't make any noise, and by all means stay out of sight."
Beast Boy nodded, and both ducked into the man-under-fire position and ran as quiet as mice across the dock towards the safety of the well-lighted streets. They got halfway to their destination when without warning they were surrounded by a large group of thugs, all of them wearing gang clothes and carrying either pistol-grip 12 gauges or Colt .45s. One of them stepped forward. He was white, with a black cap on backwards with a Jolly Roger symbol on the front. He had a white sleeveless shirt with a gray skull on it and black jeans that hung until they were just barely above the ground. He had a shotgun and had it slung across his shoulders so that the barrel was pointing across the width of his chest behind his neck.
"It seems we have illegal immigrants, boys. Shall we give them a wholesome USA welcome?"
The others grinned in silent agreement and many cocked their weapons, pointing at various places on the two teens bodies. The one that had spoken held up his hand to hold back their fire, looking at Terra with surprise.
"Is that you? Terra?"
A sinister smile formed on his lips, and he talked to her like she had been a naughty child.
"Ran away from Sweetooth, did we? You were one of his favorites. But I'm sure you can catch up over dinner at his mansion. May I escort the lovely lady?"
He held out his hand as though he was going to walk her to a dance, and his gang laughed at the gesture, throwing back their heads to howl with hilarity at the sky, while the ringleader continued to mock the girl for the sake of his crew.
"Come now, our host is waiting, and you know the punishment for being tardy." He said grimly, and Terra winced at the memory of his methods of punishment.
The group fell silent, even their life on the street making them humble at the thought of their boss's ways of dealing with unruly hired hands. Beast Boy was about to attack, preparing to transform when Terra stopped him.
"Beast Boy, don't. These guys could gun you down before you even finished morphing." The girl mumbled out of the corner of her mouth so that the leader of the mob wouldn't hear. She then spoke up to the man, who was barely 18 years of age, and already up to the equivalent of a captain for his boss.
"I hope you also remembered how I escaped. About what happened to those who tried to stop me."
She returned his grin, sneering at the man who still looked like a teenager.
"We wouldn't want that again, now would we?"
"No we wouldn't. Which is why..."
Quick as lightning he pulled out a revolver, pointing it at her chest. Pulling the trigger, there wasn't a gunshot, only a hiss and thus as a dart hit her in the chest. Terra looked up from the dart to the man, and her eyes glazed over as the tranquilizer went to work.
I brought along a new toy. Now, about the fate of grassboy here..."
He looked at Beast Boy with a blank expression, taking stock of him as he twirled the pistol in his hand as he contemplated his next move.
"What shall I do with you..."
One of the gang spoke up. "Let's kill 'im. I need a moving target."
"Yeah, let's have some fun with the freak."
The leader held up his gun, silencing the hooligans as he decided on the changeling's fate.
"I say we let Sweetooth decide. Come on, let's bring them both back."
He turned his attention to the shape-shifter who was about to forget Terra's warning about their aim.
"Will you come quietly, or will I have to put you to sleep as well?"
"What did you do to her?"
The man chuckled, regarding him with sick humor as he talked to the boy that had had enough of his taunting.
"Are we smitten with the lovely lady? Don't get your knickers in a knot; it's only a tranq. She'll wake up feeling drowsy and that's about it. Or she might feel even worse if boss decides to... well, I'll let your imagination run wild with that one."
He turned to his gang and signaled for two of them to carry the girl that was knocked out cold from the tranquilizer. Beast Boy didn't trust the men who stepped forward for the job, and picked her lithe form up himself.
"I'll take her, if it's all the same to you."
The man shrugged. "A nod's as good as a wink, man. By the way, did I tell you that they call me Ace?"
"I think you forgot to mention that earlier."
"Ah well. But I'd enjoy your little walk between here and the bosses place. I think he has a special job for your girlfriend. But don't worry." He said calmly, seeing Beast Boy's reaction to his statement. "He wouldn't do that. As unbelievable as it may seem to you, he has some scruples, few and loose as they are. She'll be more of a... servant. Perhaps serve his workers after a hard day enforcing his law. But you... the most you can hope for is that he'll take a liking to you and use you as an exotic pet. If I even cared, I'd feel sorry for you. But since I don't..." he spat on the ground in front of the morpher, and smiled at him. "Well, that's your problem."
He gestured to his crew, who enclosed the two in a circle in case Beast Boy tried to run for it.
"Come on, the man himself awaits."
The group began walking off, the thugs talking amongst themselves about their find.
"Boss's gonna be real happy we found his little runaway."
"Maybe he'll let us, you know... play with her."
"Nah, man, he wouldn't do that. Stick to the others. Beside"
"Damn, and she's a fine one too."
"Get over it, Plug, you'll never get 'er."
"Ah, can't a man dream?"
Beast Boy held the girl closer to him protectively, and Ace noticed this. He suddenly felt a slight pity for the two. Having to live with Sweetooth was a dangerous business. He would "execute" on a whim, but other than the angry slaying every now and then he was quite the gentleman, as far as ganglords went. And that was what made him so dangerous. You never could tell what he was going to do next. But he knew that Terra was going to bear the blunt of his punishment, though it would be slight. He had taking a liking to her when she had been brought in after being ambushed while she slept in an abandoned control tower. She had been handing out beer and cigarettes to the gang members when Ace had first met her. After receiving his beer, he had sat down and managed to strike up a conversation with her. He remembered the memory lightly, remaining alert to keep an eye on the two prisoners as he walked automatically towards the lord's hideout, where he had lived for as long as he could remember.
()()()
Ace had just gotten back from a special mission that the lords had sent him on, which was to recapture a warehouse that a rival gang had claimed as their own. Sweetooth had sent Ace on the team because of his reputation as a marksman. That had been the mission that had put the boy into the high position as a leader. He was out celebrating their victory and the swearing in of several members that had surrendered to the task force. He had popped open his can of beer and sat silently near Terra, whom he didn't know that well. She was clad in a bikini top and loincloth, and that was pretty much about it. He saw the disgusted look in her eyes as she surveyed the festivities of the thugs. He began to speak to her, looking at her face to show that he had no bad intentions.
"Hey babe, why the long face?"
She looked at him as though he had just asked the dumbest question she had ever heard.
"Let's see, I'm being forced to serve the scum of human society with nearly nothing on, surrounded by perverts and murderers serving them beer and unable to stop them from getting roaring drunk with absolutely no way of protecting myself should they decide to attack me. What's there not to like?"
"Chill, just trying to start a conversation with you. How'd you get here anyway?"
"They found me sleeping while they prowled around. Why, where you one of them?"
"Nah, I'd remember you. But why'd you choose to sleep at the docks, of all places? Didn't you know about the guys here?"
"Well I do now."
"Huh. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about being attacked. The guys know not to mess with Sweetooth's girls. If they do, he'll do something about it."
"So he has a heart after all."
Ace chuckled at her statement. "He's not that bad a guy. Yeah, he's got some morals, although they have more loopholes than clothes of a hobo."
"That's a comforting thought."
"Ah, if he doesn't, I'm sure someone will. Hell, I'd do it."
"Yeah, that's gonna happen. The thug risks his life for the damsel in distress."
"I ain't kiddin'. I really would."
"And why the noble rescue attitude all of a sudden?"
"Because you don't deserve to be violated like that. I have morals too, and letting harm come to those that are in your position is one of them. Besides, it's either that, or you're left with them."
He jerked his head at the gang members, who were laughing uproariously at some joke one had just told. Ace looked at her with a casual look but serious tone.
"You don't want to get into the middle of them. They'll rip you to shreds for a good laugh when they get like this."
"And you don't?"
"You see me joining them?"
Terra looked thoughtful for a moment as she mused over his words.
"You're not like the others, are you?"
"And she sees the light. Anyway, I'd watch your back. The guys will party until the beer runs out, then they'll bring out the real stuff. Weed and crack and all the rest of it. That's when you need to get out, and stay away from everyone."
"Thanks for the tip."
"Anytime. Just find someway to avoid meeting people. It should be safe in an hour or two, but until then, stay low and stay silent."
He then saw that some guys had started to notice them, and he whispered to her out of the corner of his mouth.
"I'd scram right about now. They're noticing you. Leave now, or else they'll try and stop you. Go, now!"
Terra hurriedly walked towards the exit when one of the bouncers that were stationed inside to prevent the girls from leaving stopped her.
"Where you goin'? You ain't supposed to leave."
Ace walked up to them and talked to them casually.
"It's alright guys, let her go. She's getting' us some more beer. Come on, go have some fun with our crew. I'll escort her so she doesn't run off."
"Uh... alright, but Sweetooth ain't gonna like this."
"Let me worry about that. Now go have a good time."
The two left to join the others, and Ace made a show of dragging Terra out of the door.
"Come on, we're getting some beer."
As soon as they were out of sight, he released his hold on her, and she rubbed her arm where he had yanked her. They were in a two-direction hallway heading left, towards the storage area.
"Did you really need all that force?"
"Sorry, had to look convincing. Come on, let's get out of here."
The two walked in silence for a little ways, and it was then that Terra asked the question that had been bugging her for the longest time.
"Why help me?"
"Because it felt wrong leaving you to the mercies of the boys, alright? I don't know why, but you don't deserve that. I've never seen them like that. Usually they just trip out and go to bed. Must have been a bad harvest. Anyway, they were liable to forget the boss's rules, so you were in the wrong place at the worst of times."
He arrived at the stock of beer that lay at the other end of the hall, and he grabbed a cooler chock full of alcohol to bring back to the guys.
"I'll take the beer. You go upstairs to the servants' quarters and stay there. I'll see you later."
"See ya. And thanks for the help."
"Anything to keep the damsel in distress from harm."
He grinned cockily at her and started back towards the party, which was hopefully dying down. All he had ever taken in was beer, and only minimal quantities of that. Which made him the quickest one of them all mentally, earning him the nickname Ace. He looked back to see Terra walking up the staircase that led to the living area for the servants, which was off limits to the gangs, and they knew it. He turned back and brought the beer to his men, who howled with joy at the prospect of more celebration. He soon retired back to a corner to sleep, glad that they had finally settled down to a few scattered groups here and there, the couches and comfy chairs soon piled with snoring thugs, each with his hand on his gun, a habit from living on the streets.
Ace fell asleep hoping that Terra would survive the ordeal that the servants faced being under the control of Sweetooth. And when she finally found the opportunity to use her powers to escape, when she was about to be shot by a thug that blocked her path in a one-man ambush was gunned down by a shotgun blast to the head. Not even waiting to see her savior, she tore out into the cold night air towards the safety of the streets as Ace watched her leave, cocking his 12 gauge in case she had any pursuers. Seeing none, he went back inside to another warehouse where a search party was being formed. He burst into the door and called out to the gangs who where about to track the blonde.
"Guys, she popped Grizzly and headed across the docks! Hurry up; I'll have reinforcements on the way soon. Go!"
Not questioning their newly appointed leader, they charged out in the direction he had indicated, which was away from the fleeing girl entirely. He went in the direction she had last taken and found her pinned behind a wall with some thugs keeping a steady stream of bullets at her as she sent rocks in return. She looked around the corner and nearly got a bullet to the brain and ducked behind the wall, sending more rocks at them before peeking out to see what damage she had done. Ace saw a sniper on the building ahead of him and pulled out his revolver as the sniper trained his sights on Terra's leg, wanting to wound the girl for later capture. Ace's bullet took him through the chest and he fell down with a scream that distracted the gangsters long enough for Terra to bring down a hail of rocks that sent some of the dock crashing into the waves below and allowing her to escape into the streets, where she tore into like a bat out of Hell, as the remaining thugs sent bullets in her wake as she made her escape. A few days later, she left the city to go wandering, and neither she nor Ace saw or thought of the other until this night, when there was a reunion for the two friends, one who risked execution so the other could find a better life.
()()()
Ace snapped out of his reverie when they arrived at the same warehouse that Terra had escaped from earlier. Putting back on his casual attitude, he turned to Beast Boy, who was looking at the other goons, ready for an attack from any direction. Ace walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder.
"I'd hand over the little lady to me. Methinks it would be bad if Sweetooth found out your connection to her."
He turned his orders to his crew. "None of you are gonna tell what happened tonight. If anyone asks, we stumbled upon grassboy and the lovely lady under the control of the Assassin Gang. We drove 'emem off and took the two prisoner for him to decide on what to do with 'em. Any objections?"
He cocked his shotgun threateningly, and his minions nodded their agreement.
"We got it Ace."
"Sweetooth won't find out about it."
"Yeah, our lips are sealed."
"Good."
He opened the sliding doors that led into the large room that was not unlike the place where the Titans had gone to with Blackfire.
He turned to the changeling and smiled cockily at him.
"Welcome to your new home. Enjoy your stay."
Once inside, Beast Boy took stock of his surroundings. There was a staircase that led to a second story, and that was all that seemed to be originally there. A mirror ball was hanging in the center, and it was packed with people, all dancing to rap music that blared out from a large stereo Ran by a DJ in the back on the wall opposite the stairs and on the same side as where they had come in. The staircase itself was in the far left-hand corner, and the upstairs went into the wall and turned, which was darkened from the lack of light. There were various disco balls that put a rainbow of color on the ground, giving the people an eerie appearance as the group headed through the people toward the stairs, which led to the living quarters and the lair of Sweetooth himself.
Ace had Terra slung across one shoulder, having removed the dart so it wouldn't pierce her chest and into her vital organs as he led his crew and the unhappy Beast Boy to Sweetooth's domain.
Ace reached the top of the stairs and turned to his gang.
"You guys go have fun. I'll take care of these two."
"You sure man?" One of his closer members asked him, and Ace patted the young man's shoulder heartily.
"I can handle a KOed fugitive and her boyfriend. You need a break. Besides, it would be pointless for you to listen to me and Sweetooth talk while you stood outside the door. Go on, and save me a beer, will ya?"
The other man smiled and ran down the stairs, calling to him over his shoulder to his friend.
"Sure, man. Don't take too long."
"I'll do my best."
He turned back towards the hall that led to Sweetooth's room. Arriving at the door, he turned to Beast Boy, and handed him Terra.
"Wake her up as quick as you like. Then stay silent unless Sweetooth or me addresses you."
"Why should I listen to you?"
"You want her to get popped with a shotgun? Trust me, I know how to handle this. She knows Sweetooth. Escaped from here about a year ago. I can tell you, he's gonna be jumping for joy to get her back. Just follow my lead and don't speak to her at all, or both of you might be on the receiving end of a 12 gauge."
"Why help us?"
"Let's just say me and her go back."
Beast Boy was about to question him further when the guy sighed, walking over to Terra. He crouched down and gently slapped her face. When that didn't work, he shook her hard.
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty, it's time to face the man himself."
She groggily woke up, and he stopped shaking her and stood up. He turned his attention to Beast Boy.
"Finish getting her up and movin'. She's gonna need all her wits when dealing with Sweetooth."
Beast Boy decided to follow his instructions, and made her sit up. Terra got up with a groan, rubbing her head as she recovered from the effects of the tranquilizer. She looked from Beast Boy to Ace, looking at him dazedly. Ace opened the door and walked in. He looked one last time to Beast Boy, his voice deadly serious as he warned him for a final time.
"Not a word."
With that, he immediately put on the attitude that he had had when they first met. Grabbing Terra by the scruff of her neck, her hauled her into the room, and Beast Boy followed silently, knowing that their lives depended on his words. Upon entering, he noticed that the room was packed with people, each one seemed to either be drunk or stoned, but a few here and there were still sober. Ace tossed his shotgun to a gang member who caught it and laid it on the ground, being sure that the barrel was pointed away from Sweetooth and his fellow gang members. The three approached Sweetooth, and Beast Boy took note of the man that sat before them.
Sweetooth was black, and he was quite obese, looking like a gangster version of Fat Albert. He was wearing a white shirt with a red jacket, and black pants hung down to the ground around his legs. He looked as though he had never stood up from the lounge chair he was sitting on, his feet laying on the ground covered by sneakers that probably were above size twenties. He was surrounded by guards, who were standing around wielding AK-47's; each with a different gang symbol tattooed on them somewhere. Sweetooth saw Ace approach, and called out in a voice that reminded Beast Boy of someone that had taken a rake to the inside of their throat.
"Ace, mah captain, what news you brang meh?"
"Not news, but something better."
He threw Terra down at the man's feet, and she raised herself on her hands and knees, staring at the ground so he wouldn't see the murder in her eyes as the man laughed blissfully at the girl before him.
"Iss you, that runaway gurl! What you doin' back here, eh? Come to see uncle Sweetooth, yes?"
"Not quite." She said softly, letting a little malice slip into her voice as she addressed the humongous lord in front of her.
"Then why you come back? You run away, and you know the penalty for runnin' away from meh."
He leaned forward, grinning evilly at her to emphasis his word. "Death."
"So go ahead and do it, better than what I was doing before."
"Ha ha ha! You really expect me to shoot you? Oh, what a cahd you ah. Nah, I ain't gonna gun you down, but what to do... Hmmm... Mebbe you go back to old job, yes? That'll show you my generosity."
He laughed at his own joke, and several others joined in, all except for Beast Boy, Terra and Ace. Sweetooth again began talking to the girl, speaking as though she was an old friend.
"Stand up, lemme see how you grown."
She did so, staring right back at the man with a look that would have made a lion flee in terror. All it did to the obese ganglord before her was make him laugh again, which he seemed to do a lot. He talked to her as though she was a toddler who had just shown him something that they had made.
"My my, you grew up. I 'member you when you was half a head shorter. Plus you weren't under... these circumstances. Ah well, those times are behind us. Ace, where you find 'er?"
Found 'er under attack by the Assassins. Blew them away and brought 'er to you."
"The Assassins, huh? They be gettin' too full of themselves as of late. Gonna have to send out some boys to get 'em if they don't settle down. They know all this territory belong to me. It makes me wonder why they won't join me. Lost a lot of good men to 'em."
"Their just too stuck up to see what's good for 'em."
"Mebbe they are, mebbe they ain't. What's this?"
Sweetooth for the first time saw Beast Boy, and was stunned by his color.
"You got some badass grass stains on yeh boy. What happen to you?"
"They aren't grass stains." He growled fiercely, and the man acted taken aback by his tone.
"Whoa boy, let's keep that temper down in heyuh. Ace, why you bring him in?"
"Let's just say he's got a talent that you might enjoy."
He turned to Beast Boy, talking to him impatiently like he had already asked him multiple times.
"Well? Show him what you got."
Beast Boy decided it was better to listen to the boy, and became a gorilla, still standing behind Ace as he demonstrated his abilities to the lord. Sweetooth was taken aback by this, and was quite impressed with the display.
"You got some talent there, boy. You do anything else?"
The gorilla became a snake, then an alligator, then an ostrich, and Sweetooth was shocked at the boy's power, staring in awe at him like he was a new toy that his mother had bought for him.
"My my, you are quite the catch, aren'tcha boy? I think I'm gonna keep you. You can stay, well... find a place to sleep. You should be able to find one with that impressive ability of yours. Ace, take her to the servants' quarters and the other guy to the first floor. Oh, and send Twitch up to meh. I have a special assignment for his crew."
"As you wish."
He dragged Terra out by the back of her shirt, and Beast Boy by his hair. Once they were around the corner, he released them and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew. I thought he'd figure us out. You did a good job in there kid. Nice acting."
He began to walk to the servants' quarters, motioning for them to follow.
"Terra, you know the drill. I'm sorry, but I had to bring you back. He woulda had me and my crews heads hangin' off the edge of the pier."
"Dude, this isn't the time to joke around."
"Who said I was joking?"
He looked at Beast Boy with a blank expression as he told him about the methods of the man known as Sweetooth.
"If it ain't getting' chopped into pieces from a fan, he cuts of your body at the joints. First your hands and feet, then your arms at the elbows and knees, finally your arms and legs at the shoulders and waist. He waits for you to bleed to death, then hangs your severed head at the docks for the seagulls to pick at and the waves to rot. Eventually as the time passes the heads fall into the water from sheer wear and tear, and that's the last of you. The body is left for any stray dogs to eat. You don't want to piss him off."
Beast Boy gulped at the prospect of being punished by the sadistic man that had captured them.
They arrived at the quarters, and Ace opened the door and motioned for her to enter.
"Your... garments, for lack of a better term, are on one of the pallets on the ground. Find some that fit and get out to the party at the beer stand. Beast Boy, you keep an eye on her when she gets there. No tellin' what the guys will do anymore."
Terra entered and Ace closed the door, giving her privacy and began to lead Beast Boy down the hall back to the stairs.
"Man, never thought I'd run into her again."
"She's been here before?"
"Long story. Anyway, what the Hell were you two doin' out there? Didn't she mention this place?"
"No, not to me at least."
Ace shrugged his shoulders. "Can't say I blame her. I would want to forget this place as fast as lightning if I had been in her place."
"What was she?"
He sighed. "Look, I don't know exactly how to say this, but the servants, well... Let's just say their more eye candy than anything."
He noted the shocked look on Beast Boy's face. "Yeah, I know, the guys a frekkin' pervert. Keepin' girls like that and all. But I wouldn't worry about him. He has a sort of codes that he makes sure we all follow, and one is don't mess with the servants. She should be fine from him and most of the guys, but there are some who you'll need to be extra cautious about if they're ever in the same room as her. Some guys will just say "To Hell with the code." and try to "party" as they call it. I had to stop a few of them from killin' one girl a few days ago. They always seem to be tough guys until someone points a shotgun at them."
"But why not worry about that guy back there? He didn't look like the friendly type to me."
"He's not friendly, but he has some scruples, as small as they may be. He has never violated anyone as far as I know, and he never kills those who can't shoot back. But watch out for him. He'll be happy on minute then flaming mad the next. Just do as he says and you should be fine."
They had reached the staircase by now, and Beast Boy heard his communicator go off. He slapped his head. How could he have forgotten that? He opened it to reveal Robin on the small screen, the picture slightly scratchy because of the metal and distance that separated the two.
"Beast Boy, how's the mission."
"Really, really, bad. We've been caught by some sort of ganglord and now he's turned me into his personal entertainment and made Terra his slave. But on the plus side, we do have an ally."
He handed the device to a very stunned Ace, who looked at the screen to see the masked hero looking at him intensely.
"And you are?"
"Name's Ace, and who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"
"That's my business. Now tell me what's going on."
"Me and my crew found your guys in the docks and had to bring 'em in. Terra's having to be a servant and the green dude's a pet. I can't do too much except make sure that they stay out of harm's way, so you gotta do something from your end."
"I'll do my best. Who's the ganglord?"
He's called Sweetooth, black, and as big as a beached whale. Uh oh..."
He saw two thugs heading up the stairs and he quickly closed the communicator and slipped it in his back pocket. The two passed on by them, staring at Beast Boy for a second before moving on into Sweetooth's room. Ace pulled out the communicator and flipped it back open.
"That was to close. Anyway, just do something to get them out. They aren't gonna make it if they stay for too long. Eventually, Sweetooth will get tired of them, and then they'll be fair game for the others, who'll rip 'em to pieces for a good laugh. Here's your guy again."
He handed Beast Boy the communicator and went to find Twitch, leaving Beast Boy alone in the dark staircase, and he moved back into the shadows so that he wouldn't draw attention to himself. He looked at Robin and spoke to his leader urgently, trying to convince him of Ace's idea for a rescue attempt.
"Come on, dude, we need to get out of here. Send over the police, I don't care, just get us out."
Robin sighed, holding his forehead with one hand as he sorted through his options. He couldn't leave them there, so that gave him little to work with. He looked back at Beast Boy and told him his decision.
"I'll be over there as soon as possible. Just hold out until I get there."
"Alright, but I don't know how long we have to hold out."
"I'll be there soon. See you soon, I hope."
Robin shut off the connection, and Beast Boy placed the communicator back in his pocket just as he heard a voice behind him.
"Beast Boy?"
He turned around, looking at whoever called his name, and nearly fainted from shock.
Terra was clad in the same thing that she had been in almost a year ago, walking by with her head held high as she passed him up, heading towards the masses of hoodlums that were getting' aggravated with the lack of drinks.
"Where's the beer?"
"Hurry up, I's thirsty."
"Come on, give us some booze, girl."
"The Hell you strollin' fo? Get out here and serve us up some beer!"
Beast Boy got over his shock and remembered Ace's words of caution. Becoming a rat, he found a dangling wire and climbed up to the support beams on the top of the roof. From here he could watch Terra and survey the rest of the room easily. He wondered why he had allowed them to get in this mess. Now Terra had to go back to being some powerful thug's servant...
Beast Boy diligently watched over the girl like a guardian angel, keeping an eye out for anyone that might try to harm the girl that couldn't fight off the numbers of armed gangsters regardless of her powers.
As the two Titans and their collaborator tried to find a way to get them out, another rescue attempt was being prepared by the leader of the team, who was packing up for the trip to Warren City.
()()()
Robin had again donned the trench coat outfit he had worn during Slade's reign over Jump City. He had packed various rations for the journey, and was priming the T-Sub for launch when he turned around and almost ran into Starfire. She looked at him like one looks at a person who has broken their word again after the final promise.
"You said you would not go after Slade."
"I'm going after Beast Boy and Terra. I can't leave them to the mercies of the gangs."
"But you are still breaking your word."
"I know, Star. But they will die if I leave them there. I have to go, regardless of previous commitments."
"So you again betray my faith in you."
Robin yanked his communicator out of his pocket, tossing it to her as he forcefully told her what was happening on the other end.
"Terra and Beast Boy have been captured by a ganglord. She's being used as eye candy for a bunch of men who have probably killed thousands altogether without hesitation, and the only thing keeping them alive is the fact that Terra happens to know one of them. Their lives are at a great risk, which gets bigger and bigger with every second I waste here, putting them in more and more danger. And you expect me to sit back and watch them be killed? I'm going Starfire. Now is the moment of choice. I either go around you or through you. Hurry up and decide, because I'm getting on that sub, and I'm getting on it now, whether you want me to or not."
He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently but firmly pushed her out of the way.
"I'm sorry, Starfire, but I won't let them die because of my mistake. I'll make it up later."
"How can I trust you this time? How, Robin?"
Robin stopped his march to the sub, looking at the floor. He remained silent as he began again his walk towards the T-Sub when he was stopped by a hand on his own shoulder. He turned to see Cyborg and Raven with grim looks on their faces as they stared at their leader.
"So that's it? You just gonna up and leave?"
"And this is why. So I wouldn't be delayed by you guys insisting I don't go save two members of my team who I sent to their possible deaths, whether by neglect or by gun I don't know. Now are you going to help me or stop me? Because that sub is going to Warren City, and I'll go around you, with you, through you, anyway I can to leave this Tower. Now what'll it be? Condemn Terra and Beast Boy to death, or let me go get them out of what I sent them into in the first place?"
Cyborg removed his hand, and began walking towards the T-Sub, something he had built with his own two hands.
"Hope you packed enough food for two, 'cuz I'm going with you."
"So am I." Raven said, staring at the Boy Wonder with a cold look. "So make sure there's enough for me."
"As well as I. We all are going or no one is going."
"Y'all can't go. Who's going to protect the city?"
"We already cleared it up with the chief of police. He says he can handle our absence for a while. It's all ready. We're going with you Robin. Whether you like it or not."
Robin gave in and hopped into the front seat, preparing to launch out into the open sea and swing into Warren City to break out his friends that were walking on a tightrope that he had sent them on.
Robin clenched his teeth as he hit the launch button, not caring if the ship was in peak condition.
The T-Sub shot out into the water like a bullet, the dismal Titans heading towards the docks where Terra and Beast Boy were being held captive, Robin swearing that he was going to rip apart anyone who had laid a harmful finger on either of his friends as he sped off towards Warren City and the horror that Slade had created in the dark depths of the sewers.
()()()
The journey was uneventful, the most exciting thing was the various marine life that zipped by, creatures like tuna and marlin and the occasional shark. But other than that, they were completely isolated from all manner of life, the ground of the coast being nothing but sand, unable to have any nutrients or provide a secure location for the protists that made up seaweed.
All the beauty of the open ocean by which they had to travel was lost to Robin as he urged the craft on towards Warren City, where Slade was waiting for him, unknown to the enraged and fearful boy. Robin heard his communicator go off and he opened it to find the man known as Ace on the display.
"Dude, where in Hell are you?"
"We're on our way. How are they?"
"Terra's handling herself fine, but the green guy can't seem to stay out of trouble. Hurry up, if this continues he's gonna get capped."
"Just keep him out of trouble. What's Terra doing that's making her fit in so well?"
"Hang on."
He saw as the screen was jostled around as it was passed to someone, and Robin then saw Terra clad in the garb that the ganglord Sweetooth had forced her to wear. Robin looked shocked at the articles of clothing she was clad in, talking with deadly seriousness as he interrogated the girl, who looked at the screen without a trace of embarrassment.
"Who made you wear that?"
"Sweetooth, who else?"
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, but BB isn't. He just got smacked around by a couple of guys that he tried to talk to. I'm trying to keep him unnoticed, but he's a magnet for trouble. He just can't figure out how to work here."
"I assume you've met Sweetooth before."
"I'll spare you the details."
"Whatever floats your boat. We're pulling into the harbor as we speak. Tell Ace to arrange us a meeting with Sweetooth. We'll get you out of there, somehow."
"As long as you do it fast, I'm all for it. And on a happier note, I overheard some of the thugs talking about Slade. Maybe Sweetooth knows something about him."
"I'll take that into consideration. Stay low and wait for us. Robin out."
Robin deactivated the communication line and put his communicator back in his coat pocket. He saw the docks through the rippling waves and made a beeline for them, preparing to disembark into what most would cower in fear from.
The T-Sub pulled into the pier silently as a ghost, its passengers morbid as they walked towards the warehouse that contained their friends and the man known as Sweetooth, who held them prisoner in the docks of Warren City while something worse was prepared to be unleashed upon the hapless citizens, unable to comprehend what was stalking the sewers underneath their feet, snarling in bestial rage as it wandered around looking for its unsuspecting targets as they shot toward him on a path of destruction.
The moonlight shone down on the sub as the Titans disembarked and entered the lair of Sweetooth, the most notorious criminal in all of Warren.