DISCLAIMER: I dont own the Teen Titans.
NOTE: Well, told you I'd update thursday or friday. sorry if the chapter seems kind of...lacking. It was a fairly hard one to write. only a few more chapters left!
Chapter 20.2
Time to Take Back Jump City!
The Titans follow Cyborg and Tram throughout the city, no running in to many problems, as many of their enemies seemed to be elsewhere in the city. The Titans quickly dispatched the unlucky ones that happened to be in their way.
"We're almost there. A few more blocks and we'll be at Slade's hideout." Terra said as the Titans took a short breather. "Maybe we should split up, half take Slade and the others guard the entrance or something."
"That sounds good to me. Anyone have any objections? As soon as we enter Slade's base, I'm sure it'll be covered in his army." Cyborg said, directing the question to the rest of the group.
Receiving a bunch of nos, Cyborg begins to split up the team.
"Ok, BB, Terra and I will take care of Slade. Raven, you, Speedy, Aqualad and Tram stay topside and keep everything out, understand?"
Raven nods, a slight look of anger formed on her face before quickly disappearing. She didn't like being split from the Titans.
"Good. Then let's head out." Cyborg said, as he turns and starts off at a light jog.
The others quickly follow, and after a few minutes of jogging, Terra stops them at a manhole.
"Here. Can you open it Cyborg?" Terra asks.
"Uh, sure. His base is in a sewer?"
"He wanted to move it there for some reason."
"Whatever."
Cyborg grips the lid and easily lifts it up and tosses it over his shoulder. Terra went down first, followed by Beastboy, Cyborg and the others. Terra took the lead, Beastboy at her side and Cyborg right behind her, his sonic cannon out ready for anything. The team walks down the long, smelly sewer tunnel until they reach a steel door, only familiar to Terra, Beastboy and Raven.
"I'm not sure if he changed the passcode, but I'll check." Terra said as she walked up to the small control pad. Pushing several buttons, the control pad rudely beeps at her, the words "ACCESS DENIED" Flashing across the small screen in red.
"Well, guess he changed it." Said Terra.
"Let me try." Cyborg said, shifting his arm into an electronic lockpick. Inserting it into a side compartment, Cyborg begins to hack into the system. After a few seconds, the door opens.
"Boo-ya! Not a system out there I can't hack into!" Cyborg celebrated. "Alright, Raven, you and your group stay out here and make sure nothing comes after us, alright?"
Raven nods and turns to stand guard, still peeved that she wasn't going with them.
"Be careful." She says over her shoulder.
"Yeah, we'll keep an eye out for trouble. You've got nothing to worry about." Speedy puts in, giving them a heroic smile.
Tram again says something only Aqualad could understand.
"Tram says he'll kick some robot butt for you, Cy." Aqualad translates.
"Well alright then! Let's get to it. BB, Terra, lets move!" Cyborg says, adrenaline pumping through his system.
Terra and Beastboy nod and give their allies a goodbye wave before heading off to find Slade. Terra walks in front of Cyborg and leads the way. All three of them pass through the way where just two days before Carcer, Raven, and Beastboy had rescued Terra, the damage still not repaired.
"...Beastboy? I want to...uh, you know..." Terra starts to say.
"Don't worry about it Terra. I know. It's just good to have you on the team again." Beastboy interrupts.
"Just the same, thank you for rescuing me and giving me another chance. And Cyborg? I know I've already said it, but I'm really sorry for what I've done."
"Hey no problem kid. It wasn't your fault this time." Cyborg says, keeping his eyes ahead of the group. "Now if you don't mind, let's g find Slade. Maybe Robin's already here. Then we can find Starfire."
Terra nods, wiping a tear from her face. The three companions walk down the hall, Cyborg and Beastboy following Terra. She leads them into the planning room, and stops there.
"This is where Slade planned all of his attacks with Brother Blood. I was here for most of them." Terra told the others.
"Don't worry Terra. We'll get him. He won't hurt anyone anymore." Beastboy said, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"You are right. Now, it's our job to hurt you." Came a familiar voice from across the room.
The Titans looked up and saw Robin and Starfire standing there, each had a strange device attached to their backs and necks.
"Robin? Star? What are you doing? What are those things on you?" Cyborg asked.
Robin simply smiles before attacking, launching himself at Cyborg. Starfire leaps towards Beastboy and Terra, launching starbolt after starbolt. Terra uses her powers to lift the floor in front of her, blocking many of the starbolts. Beastboy changes into a sparrow and flies over and around the starbolts. Terra launches a swarm of rocks at Starfire, not hard enough to really hurt her, but just enough to stop her. Many of the rocks his Starfire's body, and due to her previous injuries, Starfire fell to the ground out cold. Beastboy and Terra turn to help Cyborg, who was having trouble handling their leader. The smaller, quicker teen was easily getting past Cyborg's feeble attempts at blocking his attacks. Beastboy jumps on Robin's back, transforming into a snake and wrapping around him, constricting him. Robin struggles fiercely, but is unable to break Beastboy's hold. Cyborg gets up and walks over to Starfire's unconscious form.
"Keep him tied BB. Ima check Star."
Beastboy nods his snakehead. Cyborg uses his analyzer on the mysterious machine on Starfire's back.
"It's a mind control device. Pretty low-jack stuff. If Slade did this, he never intended it to do very much. It allows him to control their minds for a limited time. Believe it or not, it's powered by battery. Eventually it would've run out. All ya gotta do is rip it off." Cyborg explains as he rips Starfire's off. "Star's been injured. From what it looks like, internally. We need to get her help."
Beastboy shifts his head to normal and looks at Terra.
"Terra, get ready to attack the thing on Robin's back. I'm going to let him go."
Terra nods and uses her powers to grab some small rocks. Beastboy signals Terra and transforms into a bird and flies off. Immediately, Terra strikes, hitting the device on his back, destroying it completely. Robin stops struggling and falls limp. Beastboy releases his snake hold on him and turns back to his human form, kneeling down to check on his fallen friend. Robin quickly begins to regain consciousness, sitting up quickly and looking around.
"Beastboy? What's going on?" Robin asked.
"Don't worry about it dude. Slade had this mind control thing strapped to your back. Yours and Starfire's."
"Starfire? Where is she?!"
Beastboy points over to where Cyborg was checking over her. Robin pushes Beastboy out of the way and rushes over to Starfire's side, also pushing Cyborg out of the way. Grabbing her by her shoulders, Robin starts to shake her.
"Starfire? Star! Come on Star, wake up!"
"Robin, stop shaking her. You'll aggravate her injuries. From what my scanners say, she has internal bleeding and several concussions. We need to get her out of here." Cyborg said.
Robin stops shaking Starfire and slowly stands up, his eyes never leaving her beautiful features. Slowly he turns away and stares blankly at a wall. His mind racing with questions.
"I need to get Starfire to safety. But Slade is near! I can't let this opportunity get away!"
Another thought quickly flashes through his mind.
"But is Starfire's life worth capturing Slade?"
Robin turns back to Starfire, who is still unconscious. Walking over to her, Robin picks her up carefully. His friendship and love for Starfire overcoming the need to capture Slade.
"I'll take Starfire to safety. Can you guys work on getting Slade?"
Suddenly, the computer screen on the wall turned on, showing Slade's masked face.
"Hello Titans. I see you have managed to free your friends. No matter. They were used for nothing more then a distraction, allowing me to escape unnoticed. As we speak, my army is preparing to move on the Gotham. I highly doubt that Batman can stop me. And one more thing before I take my leave. Do you hear that ticking sound? You should take that into consideration."
The screen goes blank, leaving the Titans to ponder his last words. It was Robin who came up with the answer first.
"BOMB! Titans, move!"
The four Titans ran fast and hard, Robin carrying Starfire. The ticking was coming over the loudspeaker now, seemingly chasing them as they ran towards the exit. As soon as they saw the exit come into view, the Titans ran even faster, Cyborg began yelling to the three Titans guarding the door to start moving. Raven looked in and jumped back in surprise as the group charged out of the doorway.
"Let's go guys! Slade wired this place to blow! We don't have much time!" Cyborg shouted again, starting to run the way they came.
Raven quickly grabs him by his shoulder, making him hesitate.
"I can get us out of here much faster then you can running. Calm down." Raven said, her monotone voice somewhat calming him.
Standing back, Raven chants something inaudible to the rest of the Titans, and they become enveloped within her black power. The form of a raven could be seen by any normal person flying out of the street towards the docks. Landing on the docks, Raven releases her powers on the rest of the Titans.
"Raven, can you help Starfire? She's injured. Badly." Robin said, carrying her over to Raven.
"I'll see what I can do. But my healing powers haven't fully developed. If she has any breaks, I can only reset them. They'd have to heal on their own."
"It's internal. I didn't see or feel any breaks when I was carrying her." Robin replied.
"Internal? I think I might be able to help her. Just stand over there and let me see what I can do."
Robin reluctantly moves away from Starfire, and Raven kneels down next to Starfire, putting her hands on Starfire's stomach. Chanting more mystical words, Raven's eyes cloud over in her black power, Starfire's body completely engulfed in the black power. After a few seconds, Raven stops the process and falls over out of breath. Robin and the others rush to her side.
"I'm...Ok. Just took a lot out of me." Raven said, accepting a helping hand from Speedy. Looking at Robin, Raven smiles softly.
"She'll be fine. It took a lot of energy from me, but I managed to heal her internal injuries. I'm not quite sure when she'll wake, but when she does, she'll be fine."
Robin kneels down at Starfire's side, brushing her red hair out of her face. Robin looks back up at Raven, tears barely contained in his eyes.
"T...thank you Rae. It means a lot to me."
"Hey, I did it for all of us, not just you. She's friends with all of us." Raven replied.
"I...I know. Again, thanks. Now we have to find a safe place for her to stay and finish Slade."
Far off, they hear a muffled explosion, the streets seeming to come alive, then blown apart by the explosion, a dust cloud rising from the destruction, as well as the black smoke from a fire.
"Guess we kinda had a little time to spare, huh?" Beastboy said, trying to lighten the mood with one of his bad jokes.
"If you want, I'll take Starfire back to Atlantis. She'll be safe there, and my people can tend to her." Aqualad offered.
"Thanks Aqualad. But how are you going to get her down there? Unless you have some breathing supplies on you, she'll drown before you get her there." Robin replies.
"I'll go with her then. I can form a force field over the two of us, and Aqualad can have something tow us there." Raven spoke up.
"Ok. That sounds like a good idea. You three go now. The rest of us will take care of Slade and his army."
The Titans watched as Aqualad dove into the water, followed by Raven and Starfire in a black bubble-like force field. Robin turned to the rest of the team.
"First, we need to...hey, where's Carcer at?"
"Well...you remember that giant thing of Cinderblock, Plasmas and Overload? Well, it came back. He told us to go get Slade, and that he'd handle it himself. We don't know what happened to him." Cyborg explained.
"Then we have to find him first. He might me injured. Where did you leave him?"
"Sector 30. That's where the giant thing came at us." Beastboy spoke up.
"Then that's where we go first. Let's move." Robin said, starting to walk away.
"Wait Robin. Maybe we should split up. Some of us look for Carcer, the others start taking down Slade's army." Cyborg said.
"Fine. Speedy, Cyborg and I will take care of Slade's army. Terra, you and Beastboy find Carcer. As soon as you do, if he's injured, put him somewhere safe then come join us. Understand?"
Terra and Beastboy nod, then turn and take off to where they left Carcer to face Trinion. Robin turns to the others and says simply: "Let's move."
Robin and Speedy set the pace, as Cyborg brought up the rear, slightly pissed that the other two seemed to be having a race rather then looking out for trouble.
"Hey come on guys! Wait up!" He called. To his dismay, the two competitive teens did not listen, as they lost him around the next corner.
Cyborg started running faster, and turned another corner to find the two Titans fighting a horde of robots. Cyborg aims his sonic cannon and unleashes pure devastation to the robot ranks. Speedy unleashed arrow after arrow into the on coming robots, each arrow hitting its mark. Robin took a different approach and was going hand to hand, destroying more then his fair share of the metal enemies. Cyborg looked back at the robot ranks, and utters a curse. There were hundreds heading towards them.
"This must be the whole damn robot army!" he cried out in frustration.
"Hey, the way we're handling them right now, it won't be much of a problem." Speedy shot back, smiling competitively. He did so love a challenge.
"But it's not just them damn robots, it's us too!" Came a voice from behind the Titans.
The three Titans spun around and saw the remaining prisoners had somehow got the drop on them and they were now completely surrounded.
"Speedy, you and Cyborg take the robots, I can handle them." Robin said, a grim smile on his face.
"Right. Let's get to it Cyborg." Speedy said, launching a few more arrows into the robots.
Cyborg answers by firing his sonic cannon into the robots as well, clearing a straight path through them with the shot.
Robin faced the remaining prisoner army. It looked to be around 30. No more then 40 of them.
"Ya know that bomb you placed in da sewers took out a lotta us. Now we's gonna make you die slow." One of the prisoners said, advancing on Robin.
"So that's why there is so little of them left." Robin thought to himself.
Going into a martial arts stance, Robin simply smirks and launches himself at the prisoners, taking them by surprise.
ELSEWHERE...
Beastboy and Terra arrive at the street where the battle had taken place. They searched high and low for Carcer, but the only thing they found was Trinion's body and a lot of smashed objects. Beastboy turns into a dog and begins to sniff around the area, finally picking up on Carcer's scent. Running over to where Carcer had been lying, there was nothing but a small trail of blood pooled from where he had lost consciousness. The blood trailed off along the street, ending in yet another large pool of blood. Beside that blood, was a .45 shell casing and bloody boot prints leading away from the scene.
Robin was having his way with the remaining prisoners, easily beating them down while they were trying to hit him and shout out insults at the young Titan. As their numbers dwindled down to under ten, one of the prisoners shouted something at him that seemed to light a second fire under Robin.
"Hey Bird-Boy! I had fun wit your girlyfriend before we brought her ta Slade! How's that sound to ya!?" a skinhead shouted at him, an obvious lie, but one that worked quite well with Robin.
Robin answered immediately by unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks at the man, hearing his arm bones crunch under his attack. The man yelled out in pain, but was quickly silenced by a hard kick to the head. Robin turned and met the rest of the prisoners, who looked around at their fallen and decided enough was enough, and each pulled, pushed and charged over their own as they struggled to escape from the seemingly psychotic Boy Wonder. Breathing hard, Robin turns again to see how his comrades were holding up. The hundreds of robots that had been advancing on them seemed to have been reduced to nothing more then spare parts. There was only a few dozen left. Five minutes later, there was none left. The three Titans were left on their own, each breathing hard and sweating with the effort they had just put out. Behind them, Beastboy and Terra came into view. Speedy turns as he hears them, an arrow notched and pointed at them.
"Whoa Speedy! It's us!" Beastboy shouted out, putting his hands up to cover his face.
Speedy lowers his bow and walks towards them, followed by Robin and Cyborg.
"Where's Carcer?" Robin asked.
Beastboy hangs his head and reaches into his pocket. Holding out his hand, Beastboy reveals the .45 casing.
"This was what we found near a pool of blood. There was also boot prints leading away from it. Too small to be his..."
Robin takes the casing out of Beastboy's hand and examines it.
"Furry Rose. She must have got to him before we could. Was there a body?"
Beastboy shakes his head no. "That means there's some hope, right?"
"I don't know. There might be, but chances are he's gone." Robin replied.
"Oh that's right. He is so gone. As in dead. Worm chow. Pushing up daises. I can go on all day naming things like that off."
The Titans turned in the direction of the voice. Standing on top of a robot was Furry Rose, surrounded by members of HIVE, including Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo. The Titans gazed at the remaining HIVE members; Cyborg's scanner indicated 35 strong. Robin gazed past the HIVE members to a figure standing at the top of a building, overseeing what was soon to be a huge battle. Robin blinked, and when he looked back, the figure was gone.
"That little bomb you planted in Slade's base killed most of our members. For that, your deaths shall be slow and painful. Now then, where's that Goth and Redhead? And that water boy? No matter. We'll find them later. Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth, take them!"
Before the three could begin their attack, they were stopped by another harsh voice.
"Enough. You shall not harm them...yet."
Rose looks back at the voice, recognizing it immediately.
"Master Slade! But why? We can finish them off right now!"
"Patients Apprentice, patients. All will come in due time. For now, I have a challenge for them." Slade turns to the Titans, all of whom were in a fighting stance, ready for anything. "Titans, somewhere in this city, is a bomb. But, you know me, so I'll tell you right off. It is not an ordinary bomb, as if there was such a thing. This one is powered by something that you know quite well Robin. Zinothium. The timer is set for approximately ten minutes. Five to find it, five to defuse it. I shall leave you with but one hint, Titans. Tick Tock. Tick Tock." Slade said sadistically.
With those words, Slade threw a small smoke bomb down, engulfing the entire HIVE squad. When the smoke cleared, none of them were anywhere to be seen.
"Damn! Where the hell is that bomb?" Robin shouted.
"Robin, calm down. Repeat the clue in your mind. It's simple. Tick tock, tick tock. The clock tower." Speedy said. "Let's go! We don't have much time!"
The Titans take off in a flat run towards the city's clock tower. Upon reaching it, the Titans split up.
"If anyone finds the bomb, call Cyborg. he's the only one that can disarm it." Robin said before taking off up the stairs.
After two minutes of searching, it was Terra that found the bomb, hidden under the stairwell. Cyborg quickly appeared at the scene, after a minute of analyzing the bomb, he quickly set about to defusing it. Working quickly and under pressure, Cyborg cuts through wires and circuitry until getting to the central core of the bomb. Sweat pouring off his forehead, Cyborg comes to the ever-difficult red/blue wire combination. The timer on the bomb was ticking down to the bare seconds. 10...9...8...7...Cyborg makes a snap decision and cuts the blue wire. The timer winds down to one...and stops. A big sigh of relief comes over the Titans.
"Man, just like in the movies." Cyborg said, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"Good job Cyborg." Robin says slapping him on the back. "Now we have to get Slade. The big question is, where is he?"
"My scanners say he isn't in the city anymore...that means..."
"He's going to Gotham. But why would he just abandon Jump City? He hardly has anymore soldiers in his army, just what's left of HIVE. And what happened to Brother Blood?"
"I don't know. And I don't care. But right now we have to get to Gotham. It'll take forever to get there by foot. We'll have to contact Raven. She can get us there." Cyborg said, looking at his arm communicator. "Rae?"
Raven's hooded figure appeared suddenly behind Cyborg, startling everyone.
"I take it all went well with Slade?" She asked.
"Not exactly. We need to get to Gotham. Fast. Batman might be in trouble by now. Slade took the remaining HIVE members there. Get this, all of them think we set that bomb. All the HIVE members are pissed. Most of them got messed up." Cyborg replied.
"That seems low, even for Slade. Other news though, Starfire's doing well. She woke up, but I wouldn't let her come with me. She needs her rest. So now that that's out of the way, everyone get ready. I'm going to teleport us to Gotham. Aqualad said his people will come surface side to clear any bad guy left in the city." Raven said as she summoned her powers. The Titans were engulfed in her powers and transported to Gotham.