Robin struck a flare hidden in his utility belt (and not for the first time, the other gathered heroes wondered just how much stuff he could hold in that tiny yellow belt) and held it up high so everyone could see. They were in the sewers, underneath the city. The wall had seemingly opened up then closed quickly back atop of them like a great big mouth. It had even managed to snag Starfire before she could fly away.
"This was the Ravager's work," said Raven, and for once a hint of emotion other than anger filled her words. Fear. "He is more than a powerful physical combatant. He is also a powerful spell-user."
"How powerful?" asked Robin, trying to get a good idea of what they were up against.
"Perhaps no more powerful than myself," said Raven. "Perhaps even less so, though I have yet to test my powers fully against a Ravager. The last one to attack my home was when I was a child."
"We assume the worst then," said Cyborg, holding up his plasma cannon and peering back and forth down the tunnels, searching for their enemies. Thankfully there were none.
"Blow us a hole, let's get back to the surface," said Robin.
"You got it," stated Cyborg eagerly, aiming up and letting loose with the destructive energy of bright blue plasma, aiming right at the ceiling...
... and not even making a dent.
"... Huh?" said Cyborg, shocked.
"The Ravager," stated Raven, and more fear was creeping into her voice. "He's trying to keep us sealed down here. No doubt to make us easier prey for the Zornians."
"What's his weak spot?" asked Robin suddenly, turning to Raven. She started to reply, but then suddenly a sound drowned out what she'd tried to say, and in eerie unison the teens turned to look down the far end of the tunnel, illuminated a few dozen yards by Robin's flare.
Zornians.
They lost count in the shifting shadows and light, but there must've been dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them, climbing along the walls like giant cockroaches, along the ceilings and the floor in waves and droves, pushing over one another as they headed towards the heroes like a wave of black insects.
"RUN!!"
The teens broke off into a dead run, moving as fast as they could, not daring to look back for fear of seeing the Zornian horde hot on their heels. Robin and Raven had taken the lead, followed by Beastboy. Cyborg and Starfire took up the rear, blasting plasma and firing off star bolts in a vain attempt to stop or slow down the horde, not even paying attention to where they shot as they continued to run or fly towards the other end of the tunnel. Not once did they think they could be heading into a trap or, worse, more Zornian's. They had to keep going. They couldn't fight such odds.
So they ran.
Robin suddenly skidded to a stop, nearly having Raven and Beastboy slam right into him. They'd stumbled into an intersection. Four converging pipelines in the sewers, each as dark and foreboding as the rest. And from the fourth, the one they'd come from, still they could hear the eerie chittering and roaring of the Zornian horde as they came after the teens.
"Which way man?" asked Cyborg.
"Split up!" shouted Robin, handing the stone to Raven. "Here, you know what to do with this better than I do. Cyborg, go with her, and keep her safe."
"Roger!" replied the metallic man, as he and Raven ducked down the leftmost tunnel, as Beastboy morphed into a cheetah and took off like a shot down the right. Starfire and Robin headed towards the entrance of the northern most one.
"Starfire! Blast there," he said, pointing with his finger to guide her. She nodded, her eyes glowing like miniature emerald suns as she blasted off a massive star bolt with both hands, obliterating the ceiling of the fourth tunnel. It wasn't enough to blow open the roof of the sewers but it was enough to allow tons of rock to come crashing down, cutting off the Zornian horde.
"That won't stall them for long," guessed Robin. "Let's go."
The Human and the Tamaranian took off down the final corridor.
Cyborg trudged in sludge ankle-deep, grimacing with every step. Still, behind them, they'd heard the explosion and no longer heard the ominous chittering of approaching Zornians, so they felt moderately safe and had relaxed their pace to walking. Raven floated alongside Cyborg, allowing him the lead, keeping silent. So silent it was beginning to wear on Cyborg's nerves, mechanical and otherwise.
"So what exactly are we going to do with that stone?" he asked, peering at the precious prize in her hands as they made their way down the tunnel.
"I shall return it to a safe location," she replied, "Though with the Zornians here I shall have to remain behind to guard it. Discreetly, of course. If the stone so much as receives a chip..."
"... end of the world, I know," he said grimly.
"At least someone is paying attention," she remarked.
Cyborg frowned at that, sensing the quasi-insult to both himself and, likely, to Beastboy. He stopped in the middle of the tunnel, his huge robotic body blocking Raven's path. "Listen up here little lady, I am sick and tired of you and your little crusade. For once why don't you just lighten up? And maybe be a little nicer while you're at it! BB and me have been buds since before you came along, and I know him. He'd risk his life for you and your stupid rock," he said. Then, his tirade finished, Cyborg continued down the corridor, hoping to reach sunlight as soon as possible.
When Raven next spoke, her voice came out incredibly soft and almost melancholy. But her exact words made Cyborg stop in his tracks.
"You don't understand," she whispered. And she sounded almost on the verge of tears.
"Try me," he said, waiting there, not turning around. He was still irritated by her earlier behavior.
"I didn't ask for this," she said then, reluctantly. "I didn't ask for these powers. I didn't ask for this mission. But if I don't do this... if -we- don't do this..." and then she did start to break down, choking back a sob, angrily trying to wipe the tears from her face that blurred her vision. She couldn't allow herself to show emotion, couldn't allow herself to feel. Something bad always happened.
When it cleared, she saw a face peering down at her sympathetically, one huge metallic hand came down and closed on her shoulder in a surprisingly gentle motion. Comforting, really.
"Sometimes we don't get a choice. Believe me, I didn't ask for his either," he said, gesturing at his chrome state-of-the-art robotic body. "But that doesn't determine who we are and what we do. We determine that."
Raven then offered a smile. It was a tiny smile, more of a turning of her lips than anything else, but it was sincere and perhaps the first she'd shown in a long time. It made her seem less threatening, less menacing. And, she would've been delighted to find out if she'd known, it made her seem more human.
"You could still be nicer," he said, giving her a playful pat on the shoulder before the two of them moved off again, Cyborg contemplating his purpose in life, Raven contemplating hers.
Neither of them had chosen to be who they were. Like Starfire and Beastboy and perhaps even Robin (a little, at least), their gifts had been given or forced upon them by their birth or species or accident or what have you. Now, as Cyborg has said, what separated them from the bad guys was how they used them.
Suddenly they stopped, an ominous howl filling the corridor. Only one creature in this world or the next could make such an evil sound.
The Ravager was nearby.
Starfire and Robin were also trudging down the corridor of the sewers side-by-side in respectful silence. They had not heard the roar of the Ravager, but the distant chittering sound told them that the Zornians had broken through and that, at the least, a large number were heading their way. They were currently at a jogging pace, and the Zornians were no closer now than before. They seemed to be outpacing them.
Unless we're not their target, thought Robin. They might've realized who held the stone now. Splitting up now did not seem quite so smart a move as he'd hoped.
"I am worried for the others," said Starfire aloud. "Should we perhaps turn back?" she asked hesitantly.
He considered, but ultimately shook his head. "We'd never make it past the Zornians. Our best bet now is to get to the surface and call in some backup. The Justice League can deal with these things. They're used to fighting aliens and monsters."
"You do not also fight aliens and monsters?" asked Starfire quizzically, tilting her head to one side as she floated alongside Robin.
"Only when I have to," he replied. "And it seems I'm not doing a very good job. The old Bat is probably really disappointed in me right now. I can almost hear him," he said without humor. He -could- almost hear Batman, telling him he'd made mistakes, telling him he wasn't ready. And he wasn't.
He'd tried to stretch his wings and fly away from the nest, but he'd leapt before his wings were strong enough to could carry him. And now he was falling.
"There is someone else down here?" asked Starfire, peering around curiously. No doubt she'd misunderstood Robin's comment.
"No Star, just us. Come on, let's keep moving," he said.
"Alright."
Beastboy was in trouble.
No, Trouble. It definitely deserved a capital T and perhaps a few exclamation points after it.
The metamorph dodged aside as another Zornian blast obliterated the ground behind him, narrowly avoiding it as he morphed smoothly from cheetah into a bird and launched himself out of the pipe and into an underground room in the sewers. The Zornians continued after him, blasting indiscrimately at his small dark-green raven form, hoping to spear him. He wheeled and circled, dodging, and ducked, and somehow managed to avoid them all. He landed in the center of the room, morphing back into his humanoid form as he turned to see what the odds were.
Surprisingly, they were good odds. Only six Zornians. Armed, true, but just six. He could take 'em.
"Time to take out the trash," he stated with a show of cracking his knuckles and puffing out his chest.
The Zornians weren't impressed, and launched a barrage at Beastboy, which he dodged aside, morphing in mid-flight into a pterodactyl and zooming down among the Zornians, knocking them over flat with a controlled dive. As he hit the ground he became a great green gorilla and picked them up bodily, using two as great clubs as he smashed at those remaining on their two feet. He slammed one hard against the wall, and it slumped unconscious, then repeated with the other one.
And then he was the victor, standing amongst their broken bodies. He shifted into his humanoid form, raising his hands in a victory salute. "Oh yeah! Beastboy in da hiz-zouse!" he shouted, punching both fists into the air.
He didn't notice the second squad approaching from the opposite tunnel.
He didn't notice the sudden whirr of a laser gun powering up.
He -did- notice the bright red laser slice through the air over his head and strike the ceiling, however.
A ton of rock collapsed atop of Beastboy, burying him in seconds, as he flung his arms up hastily to protect himself, as if it would actually save his life. Unsurprisingly, it didn't, and he vanished under the fall of rocks and the rise of dust.
"Got him," said one of the Zornians.
Another, a veteran and this particular group's leader, shook his head. "Not yet. Search the rubble. I want to make sure he's stopped breathing," he said.
"You heard him. Search the rubble!"
A search proved ultimately futile. Even the Zornians couldn't shift aside some of the massive stones that served as Beastboy's grave. His body was nowhere to be seen as the dust cleared. Only a single gray and black glove had been found, presented to the veteran.
"Good enough. That's one down. Let's go find the others."
The Zornians offered up a war cry as they made their way out of the tunnel and down another one, navigating by a hive-mind mentality that allowed each one to stay in near-perfect contact with one another. They knew already where the other teenaged heroes were. Now they simply needed to close in on them.
Author's Notes:
Poor dead Beastboy. Now the Titans are in even more trouble, and one man short. I confess I'm more of a Cyborg/Raven shipper than Beastboy/Raven, so expect elements of both in this story (since, as I said, I stick to continuity) like the cute scene above. Again, more Justice League references, and probably more of those to come, I just can't resist. Next time: Dead. Broken. Captured. Lost. Defeated.
Todd fan: Oh he'll get over it, I'm sure. But yeah you're right, if that's not a major blow to your pride I don't know what is.
Spazzfire: Entertaining yes. Perhaps I'll use it in another story, since they've still yet to kiss in the series (though for that matter, neither did BB and Terra). Glad you're enjoying my battle scenes, I do take great pride in those.
Green-Husky: Of course vegetarian pizza! Or maybe at least just plain cheese. But plenty of pizza to go around for the heroic Titans. Later though, gotta kick bad guy butt first.
RavenDragon: That's one reason I do author's notes. To explain myself and to inform others. Some people (coughSelinaWaynecough) don't appreciate them, but I'm glad the majority of my reader's do.
Dragonblond: You read and reviewed! Eeee! I'm so glad you like my origins, and the Starfire/Robin content of course (though I'm not surprised). And you are so the Mistress of Starfire/Robin, don't you dare deny it! You are until I see someone better. Thanks for taking the time to read and review.
Poochie14: Always glad to take on another fan. Enjoy the story, I'll keep writing as long as I keep getting reviews.
Ash's Scizor: Those are comic names they call each other? I did not know this. I shall consider. Titan's Tower obviously has to have an origin, just like the Watchtower. However, nothing for the three henchmen of Slade. Although I promise a Plasmus cameo later.
Elrohirthewriter: Well said, but I try to take only the best from the comics. I'll keep it in mind though. Glad you're enjoying the Starfire/Robin interaction.
Katergator: Slade certainly is one of the best villains I've ever seen, and I rate him only slightly under Dark Seid. He really knows how to get under Robin's skin. The animated Robin for TT is, according to the writers, no specific Robin, no secret identity, just Robin. However, I strongly think he's Dick Grayson, and I write him as such. I'll send you an e-mail soon with details why.
Tigress419: I agree. Dialogue and inner thought both have their place, you can't just have one or the other. I have heard that but it reassures me every time. More yelling huh? Well, maybe probably, but its my story and I'll darn well write it as I please. I know what you mean though, the more I learn the more I want to read the comics too. Or at least some of 'em, like Dick and Koriand'r's wedding.
Koriand'r Star: Wow, I left you speechless. Mega kewl. Glad you enjoyed the Ravager, I took personal delight in designing that villain specifically for this story. Just don't get too attached now.