PART 1: NEWS OF THE WORLD
The best years of my life are like a supernova
Uh-huh, perpetual craze. I said!
Everybody drank my wine, if you get my drift,
Then we took a holiday on Khashoggi's Ship
Chapter 2: KHASHOGGI'S SHIP
"Welcome to the HIVE Academy for Extraordinary Young People. Our Academy accepts only the most gifted and capable students, and aids them in honing their skills into something for the betterment of man kind. Our primary campus is located by Salt Lake City, Utah, with various installations in London, Bombay, Beijing, Kyoto, and even in Outer Space." The video droned in a pretty but vacant tone. The fine expanses of the various campuses were shown to the children watching the video, "The school's mission is to allow the proper application of these abilities in a modern world. Founded in 1850, the school's motto, Tempus est Lucre, embodies the very essence of the school's various programs." The room was filled with about fifteen students, almost none of them interested at all in what the video had to say. One of the students, a wiry youth with wild red hair looked at the younger child looking attentively at the screen,
"This boring you at all?" he said, "I want to get to the good stuff. Psychology, chemistry, that kind of thing." A beautiful young redhead to the younger child's side yawned,
"Biology's more fun than those two combined,"
"What would you know. Bio chicks just don't understand the complexity of chemicals,"
"That's not true," she contested, haughtily, "We merely apply them much more effectively than you chemical nut heads, and don't get me started on half of that psychology bull,"
"The human brain responds to chemicals in specific ways," the youth retorted, "Certainly that makes it more effective than biology." The youngest turned to them and put his finger in front of his lip,
"Shh, I'm watching the pretty pictures," he said. The two older kids looked at him,
"You have got to be kidding me," said the girl, "You're what? Five years old?" the boy shrugged,
"I don't know,"
"What did they find extraordinary about you?" said the girl, "I bet they found this loser after his lab exploded,"
"For your information, I got approached by them about an incident that made the news recently. Remember the mass hysteria in Gotham High a few weeks ago?"
"I don't happen to go around that area too often if I can avoid it," said the girl, "Let me guess, you caused it. By what, breathing on people?"
"Chemistry project. Perfect success. Offered some jock who wanted to be funny to make him the perfect stink bomb, and replaced it with one of my patented fear bombs. My name happens to be Jonathon, most people call me Icabod, and I stress, not loser. What's yours?"
"Pamela." The redhead flipped her hair back and yawned. She looked at Icabod, "As to why they accepted me? My mother is a botanist and I was found after an experiment of my own went a bit haywire. Growth formula for plants. Increases their intelligence as well as their size. Of course, I can make them small if I want," she produced a flower pot with a small venus fly trap in it, "Isn't that right my pretty?" she stroked the chin of the tiny creature, and it seemed to agree to the touch. The boy looked at them,
"My name's Mad the Swine! I got brought here by a scary lady with pink hair! She said I'd have lots of friends here. Will you be my friends?" the two older students looked at Mad. Icabod coughed,
"I suppose I would be amenable to that,"
"Why, for someone so polite, I can't refuse. Friends." She took Mad's hand, and Icabod put his hand over theirs,
"We'll make a superior team if we team up. Your beauty, my brains, and your, uh, Mad, what do you do?"
"Anything!" chirped the boy, "I can do anything." There was an arrogant laugh from behind them,
"Anything?" a woman's voice scoffed, "A bit arrogant, huh? Well, you can do your," she mimicked quotation marks, "'Anything', while I'll ride the lightnin'!"
"You do know what that means, right?" Icabod asked, wryly. The woman turned to glare at him and showed him her Metallica t-shirt in full.
"Lightning? What is lightning?" Mad asked, sweetly. The woman approached him. Her hair was bleach white and her skin a pale blue,
"You're kidding me, right?" she idly tapped Mad's skull, "Real cute, kiddo. I can just tell you'll be popular here,"
"Oh, leave him alone, Leslie," Pamela retorted, "He's just a kid." The girl, Leslie, looked at Pamela. She smiled,
"Oh, right, and with him, you and Mr. Straws here are the 'invincible' trio now," she smirked, electricity running down her arm, "Well, you three can go be invincible all you want. Meanwhile," she said, and then threw her hands up in the air, "Everybody, party at my place!" there was a cry of approval as everyone began to crowd about her,
"She's a pretty big radio personality down by Metropolis," Pamela responded, "I had the greatest displeasure of meeting her personally once before. Though, I have to say, the blue skin's a new look for her,"
"I don't like her," said Mad. He looked at Pamela and Icabod with sincere confusion, "What is lightning?"
"You really don't know, huh?" Icabod said, "It's an electrical discharge in the atmosphere," he began. Pamela looked at Icabod with distaste and covered his mouth with her hand,
"Honey, you know those big flashes of light when it's raining?"
"Oh! I know that! That's what you call lightning? But if she can ride the lightning, doesn't she need rain?" He happily waved his hand and a small rain cloud seemed to form overhead. Rain water drizzled over Leslie. She screamed as she shorted out. "Oh! Did I do something wrong?" he asked, innocently. The two older students looked at one another, and then at Mad. They smiled,
"No! Nothing wrong at all. Now, tell me," Pamela began, "What does anything entail?"
*****************************
Water crashing down on the ancient city, glass tearing through skin, a proud figure standing amongst the carnage; the images flowed into Beast Boy's brain as he groggily awoke to a worried voice, "Cyborg! Beast Boy! Star! Raven! Aqualad! Anyone! Respond!"
"Robin?" Beast Boy said, "Robin, 'zat you?"
"Beast Boy! Thank God you're all right!," Robin sounded relieved, "I've been trying to contact you for two hours! I was almost ready to give up."
"We're alive," Beast Boy said, "I think," he added as he looked around. There were blue skies above and murky seas below. The submarine bobbed on the waves with a lulling tempo. He looked at the other cockpits, "Guys? C'mon guys, wake up!" Robin and Beast Boy held their breaths. There was no response for a few minutes, and then slowly there was the sound of several moans,
"I feel like I just walked through a magnet factory," Cyborg moaned. There was a string of unrepeatable expletives, "We're totally offline! No infrared, no engines, no nothing!"
"Well, looks like you're still in one piece, Cyborg," Robin laughed. Cyborg blinked,
"Robin?" he said, relief evident in his voice. His tone then became dangerous, "Where in the world have you been?"
"Oh! Robin!" Starfire chirped, "It is wonderful to see you are well!" Robin was about to answer when a melancholy male voice broke in,
"Was that all a dream, or was-?" Aqualad came in. "Atlantis, it's -"
"Okay, I need a report. What happened, Aqualad?"
"Atlantis was destroyed by a huge sea creature mad at us for, for reasons I'm not entirely too clear on," Aqualad began. He seemed to try and order his thoughts, taking a deep breath,
"Take your time," Robin said comfortingly. "So, the Leviathan is powerful enough to destroy Atlantis,"
"You know what that thing was? I remember its voice just piercing my brain, and then the dome, it broke." Aqualad said. His face was upset, but he said with optimism, "We have no homes to go back to, but we're all alive. Raven, I have to thank you. Without you holding that dome up, we would all have been crushed."
Over the com-link, everyone heard the ragged, nervous breath drawn in as Starfire gasped, "Raven, she did not move, she did not evacuate! Raven! Where is Raven!"
**********************
"Raven! Where is Raven!" the radio transmitted. Slade frowned and looked at Robin, staring anxiously at the screen. The image of four of the cockpits had come up on screen, and Robin was not easily coming to terms that the fifth was not coming online. "This is just perfect!" said an angrier, male voice over the link, "We gotta look for her!", another, younger voice, "We can't,"
"Titans," Robin said, his voice even and in control, "Your priority now is to get back here. I've got an announcement to make, and I know most of you aren't going to like it. And, don't think I'm being callous, but... we, we," his voice choked, "We'll just have to deal with this once the crisis is averted. Robin out."
"How will you help them," Slade asked, idly, "You can't track them, you don't have an idea where in the ocean they are, and neither do they,"
"I can't, that's the answer." He looked angrily at the blank screen, "I should have been there,"
"Robin, you're young still. This will pass," Slade said, "And you will move on,"
"You're saying that I should forget this?"
"No," Slade said, "But after a while, everyone dies. Friends, lovers, children. You can't dwell on them if you wish to survive,"
"But," Robin said,
"And you cannot cry yet. You are right. You will have to deal with this after the crisis is averted. If you let your grief cloud your judgment more of your friends will die,"
"Has this happened to you?" Robin asked, compelled to.
"More times than I can count," Slade answered. He closed his eyes, "Well, at least I can give them a little surprise."
"Let me set the records straight," Robin said, his teeth clamped tightly, "I'm not happy with it,"
"I see," Slade said, "Robin, I'm hurt,"
"Shut it, Slade." There was a tense silence. Robin toyed around with the console, trying desperately to pin-point their location. His various efforts involved the tide, wave patterns, and yet he couldn't find anywhere to start. Slade looked at the console,
"May I?" he asked. Robin shrugged, and Slade began to work the console. First it displayed the image of Atlantis, then zoomed out, and continued to until the surface of the water could be seen. He then brought an overlay of the ocean floor. The diagram highlighted an area in the middle of the ocean. A large circle was made, covering a large area. However, it was all centralized in one location. Slade moved to the display, and looked expectantly at Robin. He waited for a second before pointing, "Here."
Robin looked at Slade, and frowned, "A bit large, but it's a start. Let's get ready, then."
*******************************
Starfire sat looking despondently at the water. The redness seemed less intense, now, almost more brown than red. "Raven, where are you?" she asked the waters. There was no response. Cyborg could be heard cursing from his open cockpit. She frowned, "Please Cyborg, would you refrain from such language. It is my understanding that such words, while containing valid meanings within themselves, are not proper to be used in such a context,"
"Shut the Hell up, Starfire. I'm so not in a happy mood right now. I think swearing is entirely appropriate when we're abandoned in the middle of the damn ocean without any power. Everything's offline. This is going to take days to fix! And until you come up with some magical explanation for how to get home, I'd rather you just let me plan this."
"Dude, calm down," Beast Boy said. "You could be a bit quieter if you're going to swear that much. Especially with Star around, dude!"
Cyborg screamed in protest, "Fine!" He took a deep breath, and then said, much more calmly, "Look, the tracking system's offline, and our trackers are too low frequency to reach the Tower at this distance. Robin isn't coming to the rescue. This is all up to us. I can make repairs, but we're going to need supplies. BB, Aqualad, I'm going to need you two here,"
"What can I do, Cyborg?" Starfire said. She looked guilty. Cyborg felt guilty too; guilty for yelling at Starfire even when she didn't do anything to provoke it. Cyborg was mad. He was mad at the water, he was mad at Robin, and most of all he was mad at Raven.
He was silent for a few minutes. He wasn't, however, mad at Starfire, but he wasn't sure of how to cheer her up. He wanted to show Starfire that she could help. He made a show of thinking, and wondered what it was Starfire could do. She couldn't breathe underwater, and she was a klutz when it came to mechanics. However, if he told her to do nothing he worried she would take offense to that. "Star," he hazarded. He took a breath and decided, "I need you to do the single most important job. Find supplies, help, anything. We have some emergency rations, but that isn't going to last through repairs." He looked at her, "And sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that,"
Starfire wore a bright smile of compassionate understanding. Cyborg felt guilty, but she told him, "I understand, Cyborg." She continued, "You are saddened by dearest Raven's disappearance,"
"Star,"
"It is all right, Cyborg. I believe that she is well, wherever she is now," she said. Her voice seemed hopeful, almost as though Raven was not dead but had rather gone a long way,
"Yeah," Cyborg said. He looked to Aqualad and Beast Boy, "Okay, guys. Raven saved our lives down there, but now the ball's in our court. Let's not screw it up, got it?"
There was a cry of approval, and Starfire smiled, "I shall seek aid and supplies, then."
"Right," Cyborg said, "Keep safe,"
"You as well, Cyborg," said Star. The three boys watched as hope sped towards the west.
Starfire looked behind her as the submarine faded from view. The Sun was beginning to set, and it soon would be nightfall. She turned to look for signs of land in the distance. The alien princess was beginning to feel weary from the day. Desperation, sadness, and worry all overwhelmed Starfire's mind, and she did all she could to stop herself from giving up hope. She was beginning to notice that she was also starting to notice how empty her stomach was.
Star saw some white shape in the distance. As she flew closer, it began to take the shape of a stately cruise ship. The ship was painted white and gold and seemed very regal and very safe to Starfire's weary eyes. Landing on the deck of the ship she began to look around. The deck was empty and there was the smell of food wafting into her nostrils, "Food!" Star declared, happily, and hovered about the deck until she found the dining room. It was a beautiful ship, she thought.
"Hungry?" someone asked her.
"Oh, most definitely!" she declared, "I have not eaten since I do not know how long."
"Welcome to my ship, my dear," said the someone. She looked to see a middle-aged man, who wore an elegant uniform that had been based off of Napoleonic design. He had short, sculpted hair, and he had an aging, handsome face with a single scar running down his cheek. "My name is Khashoggi. Would you care to join us in our party?"
"Ah, what luck!" Starfire declared. She took a moment to bow and then pleaded, "Please, sir! My friends need assistance!" Pointing off in the distance, the girl told Khashoggi, "They are to the east some ways of here!"
"Pardon?" Khashoggi said, "Oh, my poor child. How awful it must be. Shipwrecked? Most horrible. And you're exhausted. Please, let me show you to one of the guest rooms!" Starfire leaned against the wall, finding her knees too weak to walk, and her concentration failing. She wondered idly, despite the difficulty in thinking, why her body had suddenly become so heavy and cumbersome.
"Oh! I must thank you. It has been a most trying day," Starfire said. She let Khashoggi sling her arm over his shoulder and walk her down the halls of the ship. There were many paintings of satyrs adorning the hallways. Khashoggi admitted he was a collector of such works, "Why these?"
"It is a personal interest of mine, Greek Mythology. I have other collections as well. I'll show you to them later, when you're much better rested. My dear, you're falling asleep in my arms." He opened a door to his right, "Here. Just sleep. I'll take care of everything." Starfire walked in tiredly.
"Many thanks, again Mr. Khashoggi," she said, closing the door to her room. He smiled and bowed at the closed door,
"It is no problem, miss. I'll send someone in with food later." He turned and walked down towards the dining hall. He tapped a lapel pin, "Run search on a girl, age about 15, yellow skin, green eyes, red hair. Print any results in my office. I will be there momentarily. Also, run a search program of the seas for the next 10 miles. If you find anything, alert me immediately." He walked into the massive hall and stood in front of the hundreds assembled. He looked up at the massive ceiling painting, which showed Maenads in their revelry, and with arms wide open declared to the assembly, "Eat, drink, and be merry my friends! For tomorrow we may die!" They cheered to his good health and so began another night on Khashoggi's Ship.
************************
The HIVE Academy students settled in for their first lunch period. Mad the Swine had taken to sitting outside in the calm fields that surrounded the campus. A gnarled old oak tree gave shade from the sun and there were some wildflowers growing nearby. The field ran on until it met an old manor on the horizon that served as the Headmistress's residence and office building. Mad ate a small school lunch contentedly. Besides him sat Pamela, who happily fed her pet flytrap, and Icabod, who had started to do his homework. Mad exhaled, "I like it here. This is a nice place."
Pamela looked up from her pet and focused on Mad, "You seem to say that about a lot of places. Second period, you said that our History of the Bomb class was a good place." Mad smiled and laughed. Pamela just shook her head, "You're an odd one, Mad."
Mad seemed perplexed and asked, "Is that bad?" Pamela shook her head, "Okay. I think I like this place because I have good company. I've got my two best friends in the whole world with me!"
"You're so cute, Mad," said Pamela. "You're like the little brother I never had."
"Indeed," Icabod said, "Furthermore, Mad, you seem to have a good grasp on many of your subjects in spite of your age. I recall Prof. Tetch being quite impressed with your views on the human psyche,"
"Was he? I thought he was upset with me," admitted the youngest. "I sometimes wish I were your age. You seem to all ways have so much fun,"
"It's not easy," Pamela said, "I envy you. I want to remember what it was like being so young. Don't ever lose that innocence Mad,"
"Are you sad?" Mad asked. Pamela looked surprised,
"Why do you ask that?"
"You sound sad." Mad admitted,
"It's nothing," Pamela said. "It's just that I don't think you'd like this place so much if you understood it." Icabod nodded in agreement. He said nothing, just buried himself more into his books. Pamela coughed and found new interest in the nature of the common blade of grass,
"I guess I don't understand much," Mad said. He looked at Pamela, "But you two have been really nice to me. I think if there are people like you in this school, it can't be truly bad." Pamela sighed,
"Mad, look. This is a school for bad kids. I'm bad, Icky here's bad, Leslie's really bad, and everyone else here you'll meet is bad."
"But humans cannot be evil," Mad said, "They're misguided, sometimes confused, but never evil." Icabod smiled a bit, and Pamela shrugged.
"Mad, you've got so much to learn." Icabod said. The bell rang and he gathered his notes together. "Let's go. We don't want to be late for our next class. What have you got, Mad?"
"Criminal Justice?" Mad said, like he was reading a foreign script. "What is that?"
"Just so you know how to use the system to your advantage," said Icabod. He stretched, "Myself, I've got Advanced Bio-Chemistry,"
"Same," said Pamela, "Looks like a fun class. I know my life won't be complete until I dissect a fetus."
"Tell me about it." Icabod looked at Mad, "Well, we'll talk later, Mad."
"Goodbye, Mad!" Pamela waved. When they were gone, Mad rose and walked inside. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and stepped inside the campus building. He looked at his schedule. His next class was located on the second floor of the main building. He maneuvered around the older students' legs as he sought out the class number.
He collided into a shapely pair of blue legs and fell on his rear. He looked up at the mocking face of Leslie. "Hello there, little guy." Her voice was menacing and dark. "Looks like we're both in Criminal Justice One-oh-One. This is going to be a riot. You and me, working together. We're going to be the best of friends!"
Mad was learning. He knew she was lying. "Uh, certainly," and he lied in return.
"Good," Leslie said. She smiled menacingly. Mad smiled in return, widely and sweetly. "You and me, kid, we could go far."
"I'm absolutely certain of that!" chirped the blonde haired boy. They settled into their seats. Leslie put her feet up on her desk and winked at Mad.
"Hello class," said a beautiful woman. She looked over the class, "You may call me Miss Beaumont, and I'm going to teach you how to take justice into your own hands."
************************
The HIVE Graduates sat in front of the Headmistress. She went through a file cabinet, leaving the children time to survey the room. Jinx found that the decor was a bit too Victorian for her taste. It was furnished with mahogany furniture. Gizmo was amazed at the technology. The room was wired with sensors and displays that had hidden themselves expertly into the room's ancient design. Mammoth found most interesting that on the desk was a jar of chocolates and a little sign that read 'HelpYourself'. The Headmistress turned from the file cabinet holding three manila folders. She looked through the contents quickly. "Well," began the older lady, quite simply, "You have done well. Your resumes show only one outstanding defeat, which is more than I can say for most of our senior members." There was a mumbling of 'thank you's and 'you honor us'es from the sitting teens. "I've decided to send you to investigate reports of a HIVE vessel located out on the Atlantic Ocean,"
"Some ordinary thief? If we're so extraordinary," Jinx contested haughtily, "Shouldn't we have more challenging assignments?"
"This is no ordinary thief, Miss Jinx. And need I remind you that I am your superior, and your fate is in my hand?"
"No, ma'am,"
"Good. Now," she handed each of the graduates a file, "Read this file carefully. Know your enemy."
Mammoth looked through the document and seemed to panic. He furtively glanced at Gizmo, leaned over, and whispered, "What's the answer to number three?"
Gizmo glared at Mammoth and told him to shut up, "This isn't a test, you dummy!"
Mammoth looked bashfully back at his file, "Hey, I heard of this guy!"
"Really?" Gizmo said, "You sure it's not just something you ate?" Mammoth looked indignant. Jinx looked over the file and mused quietly about the mission in general.
"Didn't he used to teach here?" she said at last. Mammoth nodded vehemently. "Yeah, I'm pretty certain he did. Why did he steal that ship then?" The Headmistress looked to make sure the doors were closed. She moved to the window and looked out to be certain there was no one hiding.
"This cannot leave this room," she said at last, "This is top secret. For your ears and your ears alone." The three crooks nodded in agreement. Mammoth took a handful of candy from the Headmistress's desk and ate it. He smiled happily and then looked to the Headmistress as she moved over to the fireplace behind her desk. "Khashoggi and I have a history. Much like you three, we worked together on many missions. But as we grew up, we began to see the world differently. I realized the simple perfection that our alma matter had achieved through quiet, orderly discipline. Khashoggi, however, had different ideas."
Jinx hazarded a guess, "He wanted to dissolve the school?"
"Almost as bad, Miss Jinx. Instead of dissolving it, he proposed a change in structure. He wanted to make the school more," she turned her face into a sneer, "He called it "Open", giving what he saw as more choices to the children, more variety to keep them interested. Personally, I could see what he wanted to do. He wanted to make it an endless party where there could be no room for learning." She sighed, "We were both selected to teach here after our exemplary record, much as you three might if you keep up this level of work. However, Khashoggi put more and more distance between himself and the school as time went by,"
"Why did you keep this snot, anyway?" Gizmo asked. The Headmistress shook her head,
"Despite his beliefs, Khashoggi was an exceptional teacher. He could easily find focus in many of our most difficult, but prolific, graduates. However, a few years ago, while you were going through your final years of training, he left and took one of the HIVE's ships. He's customized it considerably. We've been tracing the changes he's made and speculate that it looks something like diagram 3-b in your briefing."
"This is about Mad, isn't it?" Jinx asked. "You want us to bring him back so he can find some way to harness that power I felt within him." The Headmistress nodded, "Well, we'll certainly try, to find him,"
"Try? Ha!" Gizmo scoffed, "I'll be able to locate him super-fast. Especially if he's logged into our database any time before." He grinned, "Let me get to a console, and I'll have his exact location in a few minutes." The Headmistress gestured to her seat. Gizmo beamed and hopped over to it, leaping into the comfy leather seat and beginning to type furiously into the computer. "If he's logged in any where before in the past few years, he'll have to have left a trace and with that I can pinpoint his location." Gizmo's typing was drowned out by his menacing cackle, "Betrayed by his own navigational computer!"
"You'll use his own logs to what his what?" Mammoth asked, confusedly. Gizmo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms,
"If he's used our database, he'll give me a way into his system. I've just accessed the database. Most of the logs come from our main campus, and of course we've got the outlying installments. But they each have a HIVE label before them. For example, every computer in the satellite campus is HIVESAT. So if we just locate an outside -"
"We get the idea, you geek," Jinx said, "Just shut up and get to work." Gizmo grumbled angrily to himself as he began to type.
"Got you! Wow, this snot's accessed the database today! Okay, hacking into his systems now." Gizmo began to type furiously. "Crud. He's real good. He's got a pretty tight firewall around his computer. Too bad for him it's time for the Master to take it out." He began to cackle maniacally. Jinx groaned. Mammoth looked meekly at the Headmistress.
"Could I," he risked, "Have some more chocolates?"
"There! I know where he is!" Gizmo exclaimed. He jumped onto the desk and gloated, "I am the best. Take that Jinx. Thought I couldn't do it. Thought I was all bark and no bite, didn't you! I win, again."
"Whatever," Jinx said, "Let's just get this guy. I've got an appointment with my hairstylist in an hour."
The Headmistress watched the three argue as they left and stared at the screen. The phone rang, and she reached to pick it up. She brought the receiver to her ear, "HIVE Academy for Extraordinary Young People. This is the Headmistress speaking,"
"Sending students after me? Really, I would have thought you above that!" said the voice on the other end, "Well, looks like I have an almost irresistible deal for the HIVE council, now. I've collected the Teen Titans, and now you send me your own students? Certainly, the icing on the cake." There was a sound like puckered lips. The Headmistress gave a distasteful grimace. "Ciao! I'll be talking to you later, my darling. Oh! I have an idea! Why don't you take some time off from your work and come join my party?"
"Khashoggi, I'm warning you. Do not underestimate the HIVE."
"Life's a party, dearest. Enjoy." He hung up. The Headmistress sneered at the phone and slammed it down on the hook.
*************************
The H.S. Bacchus sailed towards the damaged submarine as it reached the twilight hours. Khashoggi sat on the port side of the deck, putting away his cell phone and returning to his previous activity. He took a javelin, estimated the wind, looked at the sea, and threw the javelin upwards. It plowed through the skies until it finally arched downwards and descended like a deadly raindrop on the surface of the water. "Ah," he said, "Still got it." He shook his hands and stretched. There was a beep. He tapped his lapel pin and a feminine voice answered,
"Vessel spotted on starboard side. Identified passengers: Octopus male. However, characteristics match subject Beast Boy from the HIVE database. Currently submerged.. Cybernetic Humanoid. Characteristics match subject Cyborg from the HIVE database. Unidentified passenger: Atlantean male. Dark hair. Eye color is not found in database. Currently submerged."
"Fascinating," Khashoggi said. "Let's welcome them aboard." He walked over to the Starboard side. The one Khashoggi assumed was Cyborg was trying desperately to get Khashoggi's attention. "Ahoy there!" The robotic boy's face lit up.
"Right on!" Cyborg then yelled into the console. "Guys, get up here, you gotta see this!" He waved up to Khashoggi, "Do you mind giving us a ride to land, captain?"
"Come aboard, I'll see what I can do." He tossed down a rope ladder for the stranded trio. Beast Boy's head popped up from the surface, as did Aqualad's. They swum over to the submarine, threw in some tools, and leapt for the ladder. They each climbed in turn, and came to relax on the deck. Cyborg grinned widely and punched Beast Boy's shoulder.
"You're a life saver," said Beast Boy. "Thought we were going to be stranded there for a few days. This some kind of cruise ship?"
"You could say that," Khashoggi admitted. "I am Captain Khashoggi, and welcome to my ship. You're welcome to stay here as long as you wish. We have anything you could ask for. I imagine that after a trying day you would all like to rest. Miss Fire has all ready taken leave in the guest hall downstairs. Shall I show you to her?"
"Starfire's here?" Beast Boy asked. "That's great! Cyborg, did you hear that?" The older Titan nodded but said nothing.
"That would be perfect," said the Atlantean, "I think we all would like some sleep."
"Definitely," Beast Boy said.
Khashoggi looked to Cyborg, "What a curious young gentleman. Do you run on batteries? I imagine they need recharging," he trailed off. Cyborg looked at him, and almost without thinking responded,
"I'm almost out of battery power. I'm going to need to fish out a few things from the submarine. That fine by you, Captain?"
"Go right on ahead," The captain said. He watched Cyborg carefully. "If it's recharging you need, I'm certain with your help I would easily be able to construct the device that you need."
"No problem, really," Cyborg said, descending, "I've got a portable charger in the sub. Don't worry about it!" Khashoggi frowned. "You guys go on without me. It's going to take a few minutes to get this out of here,"
"Very well." Khashoggi turned to the other lads, "Let's get you comfy." He led them to the guest hall and showed them to their rooms. "This one will be your room. It's not much, I admit, but it should let you get comfortable after your ordeal. I've known shipwrecks to totally break a man. Just get some rest, you'll need it. And if there's anything I can do, call me." Khashoggi turned to return outside. He smiled quite happily. Cyborg had dragged up the portable charger and had set it on the deck.
"Hey, Captain! Help me lug this thing downstairs. I'm running dangerously low here,"
"Oh, most certainly." Khashoggi took one side of the charger and Cyborg the other. The robot man easily lifted his half, but Khashoggi had a harder time with his end. "This is quite heavy. You must be one strong lad to be able to carry it up that ladder."
"It wasn't easy, let me tell you,"
"I should say not," Khashoggi laughed, "Let me open this door for you. There we go. Your room's the first to the left. Let's see, I have the key here somewhere. Please, you'll need to hold it for a second," Khashoggi let Cyborg carry the bulk of the charger as he searched for his keys,
"Hurry up. I'm about to go into total shut down," he urged. Khashoggi nodded and finally located the keys and unlocked the door. "Thanks, Captain. You don't know how much of a life-saver you are. We owe you our lives!" Cyborg said. He felt strange. He wasn't sure why he owed Khashoggi anything. They weren't defenseless. However, there was just a sense that they were indebted to this man for his generosity. Cyborg thought it must be fatigue taking over.
"If you need anything, just call."
"You bet," Cyborg said, "Thanks Captain."
"You're very welcome." Khashoggi said, closing the door behind him. He grinned. The Teen Titans' doors locked at a tap of his lapel pin, and he walked up to the deck to await the other guests.
*****************************
There was a pounding rhythm inside Starfire's head as she arose. She looked around her room. A disco ball played with the dim light, creating starlight against the black walls of the room. She rose from her bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She felt the rock of the seas and looked in the mirror. Her eyes with filled with sleep. She turned the tap and splashed herself with water. She smiled into the mirror, and her beautiful image smiled back.
The smile turned sour. "Raven," she muttered. There was a choked sob. She rubbed her eyes, "Where have you gone, Raven?" Tears began to flow freely from Starfire's eyes, "I cannot," she stuttered, shutting her eyes tightly. Tears forced their way through. "I simply will not believe that you are dead!" she screamed.
The scream jolted Beast Boy from his slumber in the next room. He looked to his left, and to his right, "Star?" there was no response. Besides him sat a stoic Aqualad, who was staring at a bass hung over his bed. The room was covered in hunting memorabilia, "I'm really going to have to ask Mr. Khashoggi for another room," he thought,
"I don't think he'll give us one," Aqualad said. "There's something I don't like about that guy,"
"What? Khashoggi's a nice guy." Beast Boy frowned, "I mean, he did take us on while we were adrift at sea." Aqualad frowned. Beast Boy shook his head, "Look, in the morning we talk to Khashoggi, he gets us to a port somewhere, and we're back to recover the ship and prepare for our next mission."
"This isn't a game, Beast Boy," Aqualad said, calmly, "We have to keep alert at all times. The whole time we were talking with him, I kept getting the feeling that I should be sick and exhausted for all I just went through. But, now, I feel fine."
"You know, you've kind of got a point there. Why you looking at that bass there?"
"I think it winked at me,"
"No way," Beast Boy said. There was silence, "We gotta talk to Cyborg."
"We're locked in," Aqualad said. "We're his prisoners."
Cyborg was making a similar discovery in his room. The room was spartan, besides a pair of beds and a bedside table, it had no decoration or adornment. He banged ferociously against the door, "Hey, let me out!" The screams apparently went unanswered. "Damn!" he gave the door one final slam before settling down. "Maybe I should call the captain to see what's the problem with this door." He went to the phone in the room. He found the number on the desk and began to dial.
The drone of the rave music below pounded through the deck. There was the smell of alcohol wafting up to Khashoggi's nose. His cell phone began to ring. He went by his seat, and instead of picking up the phone, he picked up a javelin and scanned the surface of the water. There was a slight splash in the distance. Khashoggi's eye trained on it. He rubbed his scar and focused on the distant point. "Aha," he mumbled to himself, "Another one." He brought himself back, aimed, calculated, and threw the javelin. The creature descended again and began to swim. The javelin fell into the abyss, not hitting its target. Khashoggi frowned and waited. His eyes scanned the horizon. Another splash. He took aim and let the javelin fly towards its target.
The target evaded the javelin, and wondered vaguely why these spears were being thrown at it. The prey took the javelin in his hands and swum closer and closer to the ship. He peered his eyes over the surface and watched as it approached the ship. A surface dweller stood, looking down upon him, angrily. "You dodged two of my javelins. That's very good," said the predator. "I don't like to miss." The prey looked at the predator, and gasped a second. The dark, twisted eyes stared back. He felt drawn to those eyes, and felt helpless as the man said, "You're nothing but a worm." He desperately threw the javelin at the predator, and the predator caught it in his hand.
"Thank you," said Khashoggi, "And good night." The javelin plunged through the Atlantean. The dead body bobbed in time to the beat of the dance below.
There was a sound on the deck, then two more. Khashoggi looked behind him, "Ah, I was wondering when you three would get here." He looked again to the bloody waters, "It is so awfully late, shall we talk in the morning?"
"No! We're bringing you back to the Academy, Khashoggi!" Gizmo said, "And don't try none of your snot-nosed tricks!"
"Tricks?" Khashoggi asked. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
Jinx grinned, "Don't think we don't know you can subtly manipulate people's minds. That's why you were such a good teacher,"
"I'm flattered, miss. Why don't we just talk about this over some hot chocolate, dear," Khashoggi said. "No?"
"Hey, that doesn't sound too bad," Mammoth said. Jinx shrugged as well. Gizmo looked a bit more cautious,
"How'd you know we were coming?"
"Well, I arranged for your access to my navigational computer. Oh, please. One doesn't teach you wonderful students so long without realizing you have to keep on the cutting edge," Khashoggi said. He kneeled and looked at Gizmo, "Now, come. We'll talk over this in my private quarters. I offer you to stay here, we'll set off for shore in the morning."
Jinx smirked, "Knew you'd see it our way."
"Certainly." Khashoggi headed down to the guest hall, "Please, this way." Khashoggi grinned, "How about you take a look at your rooms. Miss, your room is the first to the right, the young genius the first on the left, and you, my aren't you a strong young lad, you have the room next to the young lady's."
"May as well," Mammoth grumbled. He opened his door and stepped inside. Jinx shrugged and opened her door. Gizmo hopped up a few times trying to get the door, forgetting almost totally the devices he had constructed to get over his diminutive stature. Khashoggi smiled and opened the door for him. The doors closed and locked.
"Well, that was almost too easy."
*******************************
Jinx shook her head as she walked into her room. She knew it was a bad idea, but something made her want to see what was behind the door. However, Khashoggi had said - of course, that was it - Khashoggi had said and that had clouded her judgment. His ability of suggestion only worked when your guard was down, and they were of course letting their guard down after he had said he'd comply. She kicked at something. "Who is there?" came a voice from the bathroom. It sounded familiar, but it was highly unlikely that the Teen Titans would be aboard Khashoggi's ship. Something peeked out of the bathroom door. There was a scream,
"I'm going to have to deal with Miss Mini-Skirt this entire trip? This is just great," Jinx cursed. Starfire looked innocently at Jinx, and frowned. She looked tired and depressed. Jinx didn't really care why, but it just added to her infuriation, "What, did Boy Wonder dump you? Why are you here?"
"I could ask of you the same thing. I do not wish to talk about certain matters at this time, but it is not Robin and me that I am concerned about," Starfire answered. "I am not entirely sure what I am doing here. I just remember becoming very tied and the captain offering me a room. Is there something I should know?"
"You're his prisoner," Jinx said, "And you don't even know it. Wow, he is good." She sat on a bed and kicked her feet up, "Not like we're going to be able to do much. If you make so much as one stupid comment, though,"
"I will endeavor not to be a bad roommate," Starfire said, "For, as they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Jinx looked at Starfire curiously, "It is advice that Robin had given me on a previous mission!"
"I almost hate to say it, but it's the best option we have." Jinx turned to Starfire, "Just a word of warning, the second we get Khashoggi, our alliance is over."
"That was very nice of you!" Starfire chirped. Jinx thought about what she had just said, and mentally kicked herself. "Is something the matter, Jinx?" Jinx shook her head. "Maybe we should go see Khashoggi. Allow me to open the door for you,"
"Don't bother,"
"I am sorry?"
"The door is locked," Jinx answered, "So just don't waste time. I think we should just sit and relax. Hey, if you're here, is that Raven with you? I'd like to tell her to her face that she's got horrible fashion sense." Starfire's eyes began to water, "Oh, don't worry, you have bad fashion sense yourself. I mean, that purple number? You don't have the thighs for the miniskirt." Starfire began to bawl. Jinx rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. "Do something about that disco ball while you are at it."
"You are a very not nice person!" Starfire said. Jinx smiled and thanked her, "You should not be so pleased to hear that! Do you not care about what has happened to Raven?"
"Uh, should I?" Jinx was confused. When her roommates hands began to glow, she added mentally not to push the airhead so far, "Now, Starfire, no need to get angry,"
"You have incurred my righteous wrath!"
***********************
Khashoggi sat in the dining hall. Mead and ale flowed freely from every table like a fountain. People screamed and danced in the floor, driven by the mad bliss in the atmosphere. He tapped his glass quietly. There seemed, for a second, to be no real reaction to this, but slowly each and every person in the hall became silent, "Thank you. I have an announcement, everyone!" There was a cheer, "You are too kind, truly. But sincerely, we have a special treat for you all tonight. A game, if you will. I'm not sure if anyone's ever seen those reality television shows? Well, I've made a reality show so real, they don't even know they're on a show at all!"
"How'd you do it, Captain?" asked one of the guests,
"I'm glad you asked, my good man! I took in four shipwrecked teenagers, and put them in the same rooms as their rivals! If that isn't a recipe for hilarity, well, then I don't understand entertainment anymore!" there was a great big cheer at this. "Well, it seems I still got it, then!" Khashoggi touched a button on his seat and an image of one of the guest rooms came on the screen. "Now, I'm going to introduce you to our cast. In Room A we have Cyborg, a big, tough 'gangsta' robot and the pipsqueak inventor known as Gizmo." The video ran footage of the two from their first encounter, "I have found undeniable proof of their rivalry all ready, so I'm sure they'll continue to make great entertainment!"
The video footage showed Starfire's room next. She stood there staring at Jinx, who in turn stared at her. There was tension in the air, and a cheer came from the men on the ship, "Now, I'm sure this will all stay PG-13, but I couldn't help but put a cat-fight into the mix. I'm sorry ladies, no disrespect intended. Room B homes the lovely Starfire, who I must say is the sweetest girl you could ever hope to meet, with the sorceress Jinx, who I assure you is quite the opposite. Now who's eager to see how things resolve here?" A cry from a man in the audience answered him, "That's what I thought."
He pressed a button, "Room C," the image focused on Aqualad, "Is for the ladies. Our handsome protagonist here has to survive against two competitors in this room. Daring, aren't I? I'm sure he'll win, or he may just end up another trophy on the wall. I can't say for sure!" The ladies booed at this, "Oh, but don't worry, we'll be helping him in any way that we can. How does that sound?" He rose and stood in front of the video images, "Now, to start the games." He tapped his lapel pin, "Ah, Teen Titans and of course, the HIVE team. I'm glad to see you're getting used to your new accommodations. Now, I see you've met your roommates, please try and put on a good show. My guests are counting on you to be entertaining! Good luck!"
***********************************
"My guests are counting on you to be entertaining! Good luck!"
Cyborg wasn't very happy with this news. He knew they'd been tricked somehow, but now they were being put on show like a glory-hog bimbo or some gruff Vietnam veteran on reality TV. "I can't believe I let him trick me like this! How did he disrupt my battery charge?"
"Don't feel too bad about it, snot-breath," Gizmo said, "Guess we're roomies now. Stupid Khashoggi putting me with a geek Titan like you!" Gizmo sat down on a bed. "Stupid Jinx." Gizmo looked around the room, using his arachno-legs to give him a boost, "Help me look around."
"You calling me a geek? You're one to talk." Cyborg said, tensely.
"You got that right. " Gizmo countered, "I got the right to, snot-for-brains,"
"I guess I can't argue there." Cyborg looked at the little genius, "What are you looking for?"
"Signs of any kind of video cameras or bugs," Gizmo answered. He jumped from one bed to the other, "Gotta smile for the camera, right?"
Cyborg looked around the room. He checked the ceiling briefly, but decided against it, "Why's this guy doing this? How's he doing this?"
"Khashoggi's got some weird mind powers. When I read about them I thought he'd be a really good salesman, not a super villain. Says he can subtly manipulate the mind to think things, but it's all suggestion, he can't really do it any other way." Gizmo cursed, "Of course, we let our guard down for one second and he got us to go into these rooms, and now we can't get out! I even forgot about my inventions! Snot-breathed crud-eating rabble-rouser!"
Cyborg cursed, "That would explain why I thought my battery was lower than it really was!" He punched the door again, "And this door won't even budge!"
"Add to that he's watching us," Gizmo said, "The snot. How are we going to get out?"
"If we can disable the video feed, I think I can get something in under his nose," Cyborg waved at several locations, trying to find the camera, "Hey, Khashoggi, we're going to so kick your sorry hide when we get out of here!" There was a sound of laughter from the hidden intercom system, "Yeah, laugh it up."
Gizmo prodded around, trying to find anything suspicious. He looked around the room. "Give me a lift," Gizmo commanded, and Cyborg shrugged and lifted Gizmo up by the back of his shirt, "Thanks. Now, let me see out that peephole," he ordered. Cyborg looked a bit infuriated, but complied anyway.
Gizmo couldn't see out, so he stuck his tongue out at it. "That's the camera."
"Well," Cyborg said, "Let's knock its lights out!" Cyborg's sonic blaster emerged from his right fist, and he brought it up to the peephole, "Say goodnight, Gracie." The blast shattered the camera.
"Naughty, naughty. Now we're going to have to fix that camera." Khashoggi was still gloating over the line. "Of course, we can still hear you clearly, so your little plan's not going to work. But by all means, try! The audience wants a show, and who am I to deny it. Why, if you can unlock the doors, I'll personally let you go! Good luck on that, though."
Cyborg pointed at his back, and Gizmo nodded. He connected his backpack to Cyborg's input slot. The backpack produced a small laptop and he began to type.
What is it?
I need you to help me fix the tracking beacon from my ship.
You managed to sneak that thing in?
"Built In" with my portable recharge unit. Kind of a back-up in case something like this happened. I figured we could alert Robin where we were.
Could work.
"Okay then, let's do this!" they chorused.
***********************
Aqualad found it amusing to see someone frightened of Beast Boy. The young Titan wasn't really an intimidating sight, but when their new roommate arrived in the room, he had panicked, wearing an expression similar to one of someone who had just seen a Tyrannosaurus Rex alive, in the flesh, and very hungry. Mammoth said, "I won't let you take my again," before throwing a powerful punch at Beast Boy. Beast Boy dodged it and became a mouse. He climbed up Mammoth's uniform, "Get off me!" the giant teen warned, but Beast Boy only tittered in a mouse-like manner.
"Calm down!" Aqualad said to Mammoth, "We're not your enemy!"
"You a Titan?" Mammoth said suspiciously,
"Sort of," Aqualad said with a shrug. Mammoth took a good look at him. Then snorted in his face,
"You're my enemy all right." Mammoth grabbed for the mouse that had now climbed on top of his head. He brought his hand down to squash the tiny Beast, but the rodent moved out of the way fast enough that all Mammoth's hand hit was his own head. BB tittered happily and leapt to Aqualad's shoulder.
"For now," Aqualad offered, "We should work together so we can get off of this ship." Beast Boy jumped onto a bed and reverted to his human form,
"Yeah, I mean, honestly you know I can kick your butt any day of the week," Beast Boy bragged, while Aqualad raised his left eyebrow, "So maybe it'd be best for you if you just worked with us and pray I don't change my mind after all this is done." Mammoth looked furiously at Beast Boy, but surrendered all the same.
He took the briefing from his belt, and handed it to Aqualad and Beast Boy, "Take a look at this. I don't understand most of the stuff in there, all I know is that Khashoggi can totally mess up your brain if you let him." Aqualad seemed to understand.
"So, I was right," Aqualad said as he read through the documentation. "He does possess the ability of suggestion. Hey, Beast Boy, we'd better try and find a way out of here." Beast Boy nodded and turned into a green monkey, leaping about from wall to wall, tapping at various places, searching for vents, and generally coming up without anything.
"What can I do to help?" Mammoth asked. Aqualad shrugged. Mammoth flexed a muscle, "I'm super strong, you see. That's why they call me Mammoth!"
"I see that." Aqualad closed the documentations, "I think for the moment we should just let Beast Boy search for a way out. Once we get out of here, I'm sure your powers will become more useful."
"Oh yeah!" Mammoth grinned. "So, what do you do?"
"They call me Aqualad. I, uh, talk to fish."
"That don't sound too useful,"
"Neither does the power of suggestion," Aqualad retorted, "But look where that one got us." Mammoth frowned and kicked up some dust in boredom. Aqualad looked for Beast Boy, "Find anything?"
"Guess what!" Beast Boy cheerfully returned, "I found something!" He lead the other two to the bathroom. "Listen!" They all brought their ears to the wall. There was the sound of women screaming. "I bet we can plow through this wall!"
Mammoth chuckled and clapped his hands, "Okay! This time I'll show you the power of a Mammoth!" He reared back, mentally counted down from three to one, and charged. The other two jumped out of the way as Mammoth charged past. Just as he was about to hit the wall, it burst open in a blast of green light. Mammoth was blasted right back to the bathroom door.
Jinx and Starfire were at each other's throats. Starfire's eyes were filled with tears and she was barely able to see and it showed in her accuracy. Her shots were flailing wildly about the room. A few stray shots passed by Aqualad and Beast Boy, and one hit the rising Mammoth straight in the forehead. Aqualad crawled through the hole in the wall, underneath the shots from the hysterical Starfire.
Jinx jumped back and sent charms at Starfire's arms. One charm wrapped around Starfire's right hand just as a star bolt had been formed. Her hand jerked upwards, and the star bolt flew high and wild. It hit the disco ball that had been lighting the room. There was a sputtering of sparks and the disco ball fell to the ground with a large explosion. Aqualad yelled for their attention.
He asked them, "What's going on here?" Jinx and Starfire turned to see him.
"Oh!" Jinx said, swooning, "My, my word." Aqualad looked at Jinx strangely. There was something inexplicable about surface dwelling women.
"I, I am sorry. But, but Raven,"
Beast Boy looked at Starfire, "Listen. Robin's right. Do you think I'm happy about what happened? I, I just want to curl up and cry, Star, but I can't. We'll have to deal with it for the time being! Right now we need to get out of here and get back to the Tower." Starfire looked at Beast Boy and smiled slightly, "And, Star. While usually we don't trust the HIVE, right now I think we've got a bigger problem. Just keep that in mind?"
"I must persevere. Jinx, I apologize for my actions!" Mammoth had managed to find his way through the wall, his head charred from star bolts. He lurched around, slowly, until he found something to sit on. He looked at the floor where the disco ball had fallen,
"Hey, guys. There's a big hole here." He pointed to the hole, big enough to fit a man through, "Where do you think it goes?" There were flashes of lights shooting up from the hole and there was a constant drone, a beat to the music that made it almost irresistible. The other teens looked down the hole.
"May be a way out," Aqualad offered. Jinx attached herself to Aqualad and sighed dreamily,
"You're so smart," she said.
"Do you mind?" Aqualad said, "This suit's made out of very rare fish scales." Jinx voiced her distaste and backed away a bit. Beast Boy shrugged,
"Even if it's not, we're not getting anywhere here." He began to climb down. "You guys coming?
***********************
Khashoggi looked at the screens for Rooms B and C. Room C was empty and Room B's sound feed had just stopped. He frowned. "I apologize, everyone. It seems that these children don't understand the concept of 'Look, Don't Touch'. I will be back momentarily." There was the sound of whispering among the crowd, "I merely have to bring you all the latest up to the minute information of this little event. They're intelligent little beasties, aren't they?"
There was a cry from the crowd, "We want some blood!"
"Blood?" Khashoggi asked. He rose from his seat, "Oh, very well. You've twisted my arm. I'll give you all the blood you want. I'll bring it back for you to drink from, if you want. What do you say?" There was a cheer of approval. "Oh, very well then!" He brought up a video screen that displayed everything he saw, "Keep watching!"
************************
Mad the Swine sat through the class looking bored. The woman may be easy to look at, but she grew tiresome as she rambled on about justice. He wondered idly what a mafia was, but he never worked up the interest to ask. Leslie yawned and nearly fell asleep during the course of the class, "What a bore!" she complained. Mad nodded in agreement.
"What was that?" the teacher said, noticing the students' boredom for the very first time. She zoned in on Leslie and Mad, looking at them with wild eyes, "Did you say something?"
"Nope," Leslie said, "You didn't hear nothing."
"I'm certain I did," retaliated the teacher. She looked at Mad, "Perhaps it was you?"
"No, it wasn't -"
"He mighta said something. I couldn't tell because I was paying so much attention," Leslie said. She exaggerated her interest, "All of it's going right in the old noodle, Miss Beaumont!"
"That's good, Leslie," Beaumont said. She turned to Mad, "You, however, will be staying for detention after classes finish today, young man,"
"Y, yes, Miss," Mad said, unhappily, "I understand." Beaumont went back to her lecture. Mad looked at Leslie and growled, "Why did you do that?" he whispered.
"Something to do, I guess," Leslie said, haughtily, "You should have seen your face. You're a riot, Mad." Mad looked displeased, and buried his head in his hands. Leslie cackled and poked Mad, "Hey, wake up. Wake up. Class is over."
"No it's not," Mad said, "I'm not asleep." Mad took a deep breath.
"You sure look it. Why don't you take a nap," Leslie forced Mad's head towards the table, "There you go. I'll tell you when class is over." She waited a few minutes and poked Mad, "Class is over. Wake up!"
"Leave me alone!"
"But you're too much fun," Leslie commented. She laughed and put her feet up on the desk, "Let's see, she's still talking about this Bruce Wayne guy. Bo-ring!"
"You're going to get me in more trouble!"
"So?" Leslie tossed a pencil at Mad, "Lighten up. This class is boring! You're just the most fun thing to mess with in this room!"
"This is your last warning," Mad said, timidly, "Or I will do something you'll regret." Leslie just scoffed and threw another pencil at him. "That's it."
"What are you going to do, summon another little rain cloud? I'm prepared for that." Leslie laughed. Mad, however, looked at her with vaguely empty eyes. He raised his hand up, slightly, and a small thread of electricity channeled from Leslie to his finger. "What was that? You doing something to me?"
"Maybe," Mad answered, "I was just wondering how important electricity is to you." Leslie glared at Mad, and then started to bring her head down to the desk,
"So tired," she muttered, "Wake me up when class is over," she asked. Mad nodded and Leslie slowly fell asleep. Mad looked at her, and taking a pencil, he poked her.
"Wake up. Class is over."
************************
Starfire examined her surroundings. There were bright lights, laser lights, fog and darkness. She couldn't see beyond the throng of mindless children. "What is this strange party anyhow? The music merely pounds and there are no words," Starfire asked. They looked to see the mass of teenagers dancing mindlessly into the night. Jinx shrugged,
"Looks like a rave. Guess Khashoggi really likes to party. Let's just find the exit," she suggested. Starfire flew upwards and looked for an exit somewhere in the throng of people. The area was too covered in smoke and too poorly lit for her to find anything, and reported such. Jinx and Beast Boy asked several people, while Aqualad was hounded by women for a dance.
"This song's got a good beat," Beast Boy said, "Wanna dance, Star?"
"I really do not believe this is the time for a party, Beast Boy," Starfire admonished. Beast Boy shrugged and looked at everyone,
"They don't seem to care," Beast Boy said, "Everyone I asked told me that they don't know where the exit is."
"Help!" Jinx screeched. She was beginning to dance, "I don't want to party!" Aqualad was in a similar predicament.
"I really don't know how," he admitted, "I don't dance."
"That's okay," one of the teenagers said, "We'll teach you!"
"That's fine, really!" Aqualad said as he tried to get away. He backed into Starfire. Jinx swayed over to the rest of the group and bobbed in place. Mammoth fought back against a pair of twins who tried to drag him to the dance floor. He pulled away and backed up into Jinx. Beast Boy looked around nervously at the approaching crowd. It was faceless, it was base, and it was primal. The beat drove them closer, dancing and swaying as they came closer. Starfire looked angrily into the crowd,
"Stop this!" she screamed. The music was brought to a halt, the dancers stopped in place, and the lights dimmed. There was a noise like a door slamming open. Khashoggi stood at the far edge of the room. For once he looked upset, in fact, he seemed furious. He waved his hand and the crowd opened up, allowing him to see the four escapees.
"Naughty children. I was content to let you play to your heart's content, but now I'm afraid that you've pushed me too far. No one, listen, no one stops my party."
Oh! Plea for your life
Who heed me not
Let all your treasure make you
end chapter 2