Disclaimer: I don't own the show Teen Titans, but do reserve the rights to all original characters I introduce and the plots behind them. Don't steal them.
Chapter 4: Adjustments
12:39 P.M. Recovery Room.
It was the light that woke him; a bright piercing light that dragged him away from the blissful slumber that had taken him over. It was with great reluctance that he finally gave up on sleep, and once again, opened his eyes. The room was flooded with sunlight, and somehow in that light, made it seem like a whole different room. He grunted in pain as he pushes himself to a sitting position to look out the window. The snow had stopped, and the sun was high over head, glaring harshly off the white mantle that covered the ground. Feeling a little braver than last night, he slowly edges to the bedside, and stood on wobbly legs. " Hmm…still I bit weak. Someone did a real number on me."
He paced back and forth in the room to try and get some blood to them, but growing tired of that, he turned his attention to the window again. It was only a few moments later, that someone entered the room. Matt turned to look at his guest, to discover what could only be a cyborg.
" Your to come with me." Cyborg says with no preamble, his sonic cannon at the ready, just in case.
" Understood." Matt said. He knew he was in a hard spot, so he decided to do whatever he was told. As he was leaving, he shuddered visibly.
" Cold?" Cyborg asked.
" A little, yes." He said. He was only wearing a pair of tattered pants.
" Maybe I can help you with that. Come with me." Cyborg then points him out the door, and to the right, Cyborg right behind him. " The tower's never had very good heating, just too big." Cyborg mentioned as they walked along.
" Tower? So, we're in a tower?" Matt queried.
" Yeah, where'd ya think ya were?"
" A hospital." He responded, still a bit perplexed that he was in a tower.
" Hmmm…yeah, guess you would think that. You were unconscious when we brought you here." Cyborg said. " Take a left up ahead."
Matt did so, wondering where this mechanical marvel was leading him. " So, you brought me here? Thanks."
" No problem, I guess. Hold on." Cyborg walked up to a door and entered a code. After a series of beeps, the door slid into the wall, revealing a large storage room. " Go on inside, and walk straight forward to the end of the middle row."
" What is this room?" Matt asked, more to relieve himself of the fear, growing inside him.
" It's a storage room, where we put that doesn't have a practical everyday use." Cyborg said. It took them only a couple of seconds to reach the end of the row. " Stop there, and hold on."
" Alright." Matt stood stock-still. From behind him, he could here the mechanical man rummaging through some of the boxes.
" Here, take these." Cyborg hands Matt over some cloths.
Matt takes a close look at them. Thought they were obviously old, they were still in great shape. A pair basic cargo shorts, a simple brown belt, and a blue silk button up shirt, with a black dragon design running across it. " Thanks."
" Hurry up and change into them, I'll be outside. You've got five minutes, any longer, and I'm comin' back in here." Cyborg said over his shoulder as he exited the room and shut the door.
Matt quickly changed into the cloths quickly, removing a hair band from one of the pockets; he then discards the tattered remains of his old pants in a corner. They didn't quite fit his slim frame. He was very thankful for the belt. He then quickly tied back his long brown hair. " Five minutes…then I've got some time to look around." He quickly darted into one of the other two side-aisles and looked about. Mostly just holiday decorations and the like. That didn't really hold his attention for more than about a minute, so he darted to the last aisle, his bare feet silent against the concrete floor. This aisle held a bit more interest than the other one. Strange curios lined the shelves. " Probably old personal belongings." He muttered.
He was about to leave, when something caught his eye. A strip of black cloth, peeping coyly out of a box at his eye level. " Hmm?" He went over to investigate, carefully taking it out of the box. " Hmm…cool." It was a black cloak made from an unidentifiable cloth. It was soft to the touch, but upon a few tests, found it to be very durable. " Already went this far, what the heck." He slips on the cloak and clasps it on. " Neat." He said as he eyed the clasp, a deep red jewel with gold gilt trimming. " Perfect fit too." And indeed it was, the cloak fit him like it had been made for him, going all the way down to his ankles, and when he flattened his arms, it completely concealed him. " Only down-side is no hood."
" You got one minute left!" Cyborg shouted in the door.
Matt jumped at the sound of his voice. " Geez, almost blew off the time!" He mutters as he quickly takes off the cloak, and reluctantly puts it back in the box. He took another look at the box, memorizing where it was. " Might just come back for that…" He then quickly makes his way to the door.
" What took you so long?" Cyborg asked.
Matt gently presses his side. The ribs made it tricky to get dressed. Sorry." He easily lies; relieved he came up with that on such short notice.
Cyborg grunts his agreement. " Alright then, lets get movin'." Cyborg points him down the hall.
After they had walked on for a couple moments in silence. " You said we were in a tower? Then what tower is this?"
" It's Titans tower." Cyborg said.
" Titans? That some kind of club, or something? Must be for this place to be this big." Matt said, still thinking it odd that this tower has it's own hospital ward.
" I guess you could say it's a club, but not in the sense you're thinking of." Cyborg said with a small chuckle.
" What's that supposed to mean?" Matt asked.
" You'll find out, so keep walking." Cyborg said, relaxing a bit.
" Ok…by the way, what's your name?" Matt decided to ask, for lack of anything better to say.
" It's Cyborg." He said.
" Ironic. Your name is what you are…sorry. My name's…"
" Matt?" Cyborg said, slightly amused. " I know."
" I see…" Matt said.
" Take a right hear, then take the first door on the door on the left." Cyborg said, discreetly shutting down his sonic cannon.
Doing as he was told, the doorway he entered led him to a sort of commons room, where four other people sat, doing something or the other. At the sight of the others, he stopped just through the doorway. Two guys, one in spandex tights, flowing cap, and a thin black mask, the other in what looks like a wet suit, and had unhealthy looking green skin, were seated on a couch, playing video games. A young lady with flowing red hair and the strangest emerald green eyes sat nearby watching the boys. The fourth of the group was on the opposite side of the room, reading a rather thick book. Though she was very pale, and had also, an odd purple coloring of the eyes and hair, she was very pretty, much like the other. " Hmm."
Cyborg glanced over at Matt to see him checking Raven out. He leans over and whispers. " Like what you see?"
He jerked guiltily. " Sorry…" He whispers back.
Cyborg chuckled. " It's alright, just don't let her catch you. She'll take it the wrong way." He whispered again, grinning from ear to ear.
" Thanks for the heads-up." Matt whispers back. He was beginning to feel more at ease. If Cyborg was willing to joke with him like that, maybe everything would be fine. Just then, the door behind them shuts, bringing everyone's attention to the new arrivals.
" Ah, so there you are Cyborg. Thought you might've gotten lost." BB grins at him.
" Nah, the dude needed some new threads, since his lasts ones were in shreds." Cyborg says. He pushes Matt forward. " Don't just stand there, find yourself a seat." Matt quickly looks up at him, confused. " S'ok, really." Cyborg says again. Not feeling in his element, Matt quickly locates a chair furthest away from the others and sits, all the while, feeling the eyes of the others on him. Cyborg shakes his head. " I guess some intros are in order." Cyborg points to Beast Boy. " That guy over there is Beast Boy."
" What's up?" Beast Boy says in way of greeting. Matt nods his head in greeting.
" Dude right by him's called Robin." Cyborg said, pointing once again.
" Hey, how's it going?" Robin said, as much confused as Matt was. Matt nods again, kinda nervous at Robin's confusion.
" Her name's Starfire." Cyborg said, with a point in her direction.
" Hello, it is good to meet you." Starfire said, at her politest. And again, Matt just nods.
" The last one over there with the book…" Cyborg gave Matt a sidelong glance. " Is Raven." At her intro, Raven says or does nothing to acknowledge it. Cyborg sweat-drops. " She's not what you'd call social." Cyborg whispers to Matt.
Matt cocks an eyebrow. " That one was my guard last night, wasn't she?"
" Yeah, she was." Cyborg said.
" Come on Cy, your turn." BB calls. " Robin smashed me…"
" Told you he would." Cyborg said. " Alright, move over BB, and I'll show you how it's done." Cyborg said, at his cockiest.
" Keep dreaming…" Robin said.
(Five minutes later.)
" Oh yeah, you really showed him whose boss Cyborg…for about the first five seconds!" Beast Boy said with a laugh.
" I don't wanna talk about it." Cyborg said with a sigh.
" Come on Cyborg, you can do better than that." Robin said. " Or Beast Boy, wanna give it another go?"
" And get my butt whipped? No thanks dude." BB says.
" I guess that makes me the champ then." Robin said, a huge grin on his face.
" Dude, I've heard of losing poorly, but, winning poorly?" BB whispers to Cy.
" Guy really is unstoppable today. We can't even touch him." Cyborg said.
" I…think I shall go see what Raven is reading." Starfire said, slightly wierded by Robin's attitude.
Matt looks over at them. Then he gets up and walks over to the couch, right behind Robin. " Mind if I try my hand at this?" He asks.
Robin jumps slightly, but quickly re-gains his composure. " Sure, no reason why you can't."
Matt nods, then does a flip over the couch, into a sitting position where Star was. He scoops up the second paddle. " Lets do this thing." He says.
(Five minutes later.)
" There's…just…no way…" Robin says. " I couldn't even touch him…"
" Dude, that was awesome!" Beast Boy shouts.
" Booya! Way to shut Robin up!" Cyborg shouts out.
" What can I say? I've always kicked butt on games." Matt said.
Raven had been covertly watching the whole thing. " He tricked Robin so easily. He's definitely someone to watch out for." Raven mutters.
" What was that Raven?" Starfire asks.
" Nothing Starfire…" Raven said for about the seven-teenth time. She then closes her book, gets up, squares her shoulders, and walks over to Matt.
Matt looks up. " Yes?"
" They haven't told you yet, have they?" Raven asked.
" Told me what?" Matt looks at her, confused.
Raven sighs. " It figures. All right, I'll do it. Listen to me carefully." Raven sits down, a bit away from Matt. " You told me you came here looking for a female psychic to help you right?"
" Yeah…?" Matt said.
" Well, you've already found her." Raven said.
Matt looks at her quickly. " I have?"
" Yes. The psychic you looking for is me." Raven said.
" You're her!?" Matt exclaims. " You're the psychic I've been searching for!?"
" Yes, I must be, seeing as I'm the only psychic in Jump City." Raven said, and just to put any doubts to rest, she levitates a couch cushion up, the one Matt's on.
" Whoah!" Matt yells, as he begins to float up. " Then it really IS you! You really are the psychic I've been looking for!"
Raven sits the cushion back down, and says. " Yes, but don't get your hopes up, I'm not helping you."
Matt's face was crest-fallen. " You…won't?"
" No, not yet. I don't know enough about you yet to feel good about trying to help you, so we came up with a plan that will help the both of us."
" …Yeah?" Matt said, not knowing what to expect from this stranger next.
" I've already talked this over with the rest of my friends, and we've decided to put you under house-arrest here at the tower." Raven said.
" Your gonna arrest me? For what?" Matt asked, a little irritated.
" For the simple fact that you have something inside you, you can't control. The streets that monster destroyed is proof of that." Raven said, also heating up. " And just incase you didn't guess it already, we're the ones that faced that monster in those streets to stop it. We know, just as well as you do, how destructive it is, but we know nothing about you. For all we know, you're even worse than that creature is. You should be in jail right now, but we're giving you this one chance to prove to us your good. You'd be wise to not argue, and just except this."
To say that Matt was stunned would be the grossest of understatements. " I…I didn't know." He murmured. " I didn't know that you guys were the ones to stop me. I'm sorry." He looks right at Raven. " And you're right, you don't know a thing about me. Given the circumstances, I wouldn't trust me all that much either, so…I'll take you up on your offer." He places both of his hands out, wrists touching. " Do with me what you will, warden." He said, with a sardonic twist. At that, the others couldn't help but grin.
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There's Chapter four, whatcha think? Am I getting better, or what? I'm looking foreward to your reviews!
MissMyst