Chapter 4: Meet Virginia
Starfire led the others all the way back to the door that the screaming was emanating from. Bluish flashes of light strobed out from beneath the door and Starfire didn't hesitate to use her powers to blast the doors open. When the dust cleared, a frightening looking man with wide eyes looked over at them. His gaze was void of conscience, compassion or mercy. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the fact that he was inflicting excruciating pain on the brunette teen strapped to the metal examining table in the middle of the room. A twitch of a smile crossed his pasty face and pale lips, making even Raven's heartbeat double. The electrostatic generator nearby was producing the buzzing they had heard, and the scream, as they suspected, was coming from the girl. She strained against the restraining belts, retention devices that were designed to keep her from escaping by readjusting to her superhuman strength. The mad scientist looking man ignored the Titans and once again touched the steel wool covered electrodes to the girl's bare legs and moved down them, leaving streaks of bright red burn marks on her otherwise flawless skin as she screamed and then managed to shout out, "Is that all you've got!?" before the pain and volts of electricity overloaded her nervous system and she collapsed into unconsciousness.
It only took the Titans seconds to divide and conquer the situation. Starfire and Raven used their powers to destroy the equipment, Cyborg and Jinx knocked out the villainous man at the controls and Beast Boy sprinted in his cheetah form to the girl's side to release her from the bindings and carry her out of the room before the machinery exploded. When the dust and smoke cleared, Raven was hiding all of them beneath her force field. Raven released her hold and the heroes crowded around as Beast Boy carefully placed the young woman on the floor.
"She's alive, but unconscious. She took more electricity than I thought a human body could withstand," Beast Boy reported. With this, the girl's azure eyes blinked open and she gasped at the group of young crime fighters standing over her.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice still hoarse from screaming.
"Whoah! Take it easy, kiddo, we're the good guys!" Cyborg said.
"No such thing!" the girl growled, fighting to get to her feet but swaying as her muscles spasmed and refused to hold her up. She collapsed back to the ground with a frustrated cry and Starfire went to help her.
"Please, you are still far too weak to try to stand!" Starfire exclaimed.
"If it's one thing I've never been, it's weak," the girl grunted, her long chocolate colored hair falling over her shoulders.
"What's your name?" Beast Boy asked. The girl looked up at him, her eyes flashing.
"Call me Torque. It's better than my real name anyway," She muttered.
"Oh, please tell us! We would love to know!" Starfire begged, smiling at their new friend.
"It's Virginia. There. Are you happy? My mother named me after a friggin' state. The source of relentless teasing ever since I was enrolled in school," Torque replied, rolling her eyes.
"I like it," Jinx said simply. Torque flashed a narrow-eyed scowl at the sorceress.
"I meant your codename!" Jinx recovered. "Jeez, you're so touchy!"
"Oh, you should see just how 'touchy' I really am, girly," Torque murmured maliciously, extending her hand in Jinx's direction. Jinx suddenly gasped for air as though something were squeezing her midsection. Seconds later, Torque relinquished her hold and Jinx collapsed to the floor still shuddering and gasping for breath. Cyborg looked at Torque in shock.
"Dude..." Beast Boy gasped.
"Nice work..." Raven added, duly impressed.
"Speak for yourself," Jinx said hoarsely. Cyborg helped her up and the team asked Torque if she would help them.
"I know where they're keeping your leader. I was almost in when they caught me. The mad scientist in there would have pretty much turned me into a shish kabob if you guys hadn't shown up. Thanks," Torque replied, her voice softening. Now one more strong, the teens proceeded back to the elevator shafts to find a way up to the remaining floors.
Upstairs, Robin did a summersault off the last swing and landed evenly on the far platform, kneeling beside Starfire, even though his knees were throbbing with pain.
"Starfire!" Robin cried. But as he was about to take her into his arms, the platform gave way, and both teens fell for what seemed like forever until Robin finally felt himself hit the floor. For a split second he was knocked out, but when he opened his eyes, he was in a completely different place.
"Starfire! Starfire!" Robin shouted. His surroundings had changed from a stark looking gymnasium to a creepy looking forest. Eyes of many different colors peered out at him, and several creatures crossed his path that gave him such looks of petulance as to make Robin's skin crawl.
"Your alien fiancé is dead, Robin. You failed. You couldn't save her," Brother Blood said, emerging from the trees.
"You're lying!" Robin screamed.
"See for yourself," Brother Blood replied calmly. He held out his hand for Robin to see what he held and Robin collapsed to his knees again, his whole body wracked with tears. This terrible man was holding Starfire's engagement ring. Brother Blood returned the ring to his pocket and gestured to the forest just as another scream issued from the dark.
"Unless you would see your other female teammate meet a similar fate, I suggest you hurry," Brother Blood commented. "Lovely girl, really. Smells like strawberries and cotton candy..." Robin roared as he pulled himself up off the ground and threw himself at Brother Blood and his evil grin. But instead of knocking the man over, Robin passed right through him. The image of Brother Blood had been a hologram.
"Robin!" Raven screamed. "Robin help me! Please hurry! Oh, God, help me!" Robin had never heard Raven so terrified in his life.
"I'm coming Raven!" Robin screamed back, taking off into the woods. In the distance, the echo of maniacal laughter only made Robin push himself harder. He had to get to Raven before she too perished at the hands of this archenemy.
"Beast Boy will never forgive me if Raven dies!" Robin cried out loud to himself. The grief-stricken teen pressed aside his own mourning, increased his speed, and proceeded toward the sound of his friend's voice.
Meanwhile, by combining their efforts, the rest of the Teen Titans and their new friends managed to fly, levitate, or otherwise lift themselves to the next floor. When they arrived, Torque gasped and the others took immediate defensive positions.
"If it isn't the snot miners!" Gizmo cackled.
"Oh and look, they've got a new friend!" Mammoth roared, staring at Jinx.
"Just like we discussed! Attack pattern Omega one!" Jinx cried. The teenage superheroes fanned out immediately, taking up strategic positions in the empty corridor and standing ready for attack.
"Titans, Go!" Roared Cyborg, and the teens immediately executed a well organized battle formation. Cyborg and Torque rushed forward first, Cyborg slamming into Gizmo and Torque screaming in exertion as she ripped the floor up from beneath Mammoth's feet. As Mammoth tumbled backward, Starfire soared overhead and rained down starbolts all around him, bringing debris down from around them and pinning Mammoth to the floor as he waited for the world to stop spinning.
Raven dipped around behind Gizmo as he swiped at Cyborg from the ground. Gizmo's spider-like techno pack didn't do him much good seconds later as he was lifted off the ground by a consuming black energy. He screamed as Raven spun him to face her.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with sharp objects?" she sneered, throwing Gizmo across the room. Mammoth rocked from side to side several time and finally loosed himself from the pile of rock and steel, lifting the largest boulder to throw at Jinx.
"Hey, traitor! Catch!" Mammoth roared, hurling the boulder at her. Jinx tried to hex the boulder into pieces but it resisted her powers. Gasping and cowering in fear, Cyborg ran to push her out of the way. From the air, Raven saw this and cried out, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The boulder stopped a mere yard from colliding with Cyborg as he sheltered Jinx beneath him and the two peeked out cautiously just in time to see Raven hurl the boulder back at Mammoth, this time knocking him out cold. Gizmo was still unconscious on the floor when the teens regrouped in the middle of the floor.
"Nice work, Torque,"
"Wow! Remind me never to make you mad!"
"Glorious!"
"Thanks guys, but we don't have time for this. We need to find your friend, Robin," Torque reminded them. The kids nodded and continued along the corridor.
"Are you okay?" Cyborg asked Jinx as they walked.
"I'll be okay, I guess," Jinx answered softly, blushing as she straightened an errant pink pigtail.
"Are you for real on this whole 'changing sides' thing? You know what could happen, right?" Cyborg asked gently. Jinx crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her eyes.
"Yeah, I do," she replied.
"So...why are you doing it?" Cyborg asked. Jinx blushed a bit harder and said, "It's hard to explain..." She looked at Cyborg with her cat-like pink eyes full of emotion and lost herself in the obsidian gaze of the half-robot before her. She was about to tell him everything that begged for release from her heart when a pain-filled wail issued from some distant room above them.
"Robin!" Starfire shrieked.
"Let's go!" Raven cried, leading the others to the elevator shaft again and lifting them all in her protective black embrace. "I just hope we're not too late!"
