Teen Titans; the island of doctor maniaca
Chapter one; An impossible chance encounter
'Damn.' Raven ran across the quad 'Damn' she rounded a corner and plunged through a crowd of people talking by the water fountain 'I never should've gone out last night'. Her head was pounding and her mouth dry as she kept running through the vaulted halls and across the wide flag stoned squares of Gotham City University. 'I was too used to flying everywhere, I never used to run anywhere, that was Robin's thing'.
She was halfway through her first year studying psychology here in Gotham and was finding it a little difficult to adjust to civilian life. Rule number one; no powers. She couldn't risk anyone finding out who she really was so any bouts of levitation or telekinesis would sure to be tip off. Rule number two; look different. She had so far dyed her hair black and had taken to wearing pull on hats, she only ever wore dark coloured jeans and tops but , cause old habits died hard, still wore a great blue coat. She had found it in a second hand shop and it was a size to big so it scraped the ground as she walked but it was well made of thick material so it was perfect for the dark, damp Gotham city weather. And rule number three; Raven is no more, so on her student id her name was ;"Rachel Roth". It was working so far. A few people had remarked that she looked similar to one of the Teen Titans but she always replied with a sarcastic smile that she was way prettier than that Starfire bimbo.
But Raven missed Starfire, even if she would never dare admit it even to herself. She missed all of the Titans but for now they were on hiatus until things calmed down. She knew that she was somewhere here in Gotham too but where she didn't know. She wouldn't be hard to locate, if she ever bothered to look for her. A six foot, orange skinned, red head would kinda stick out.
But now she was late for class, she had to make this lecture or she would fail her coursework for certain, today the lecture was on obsessive personalities. Not that she really needed to attend, living with Robin had taught her all about obsessive personalities, but it counted towards points the affected your grade. Raven had written powerful spells and psychically duelled with demonic entities but understanding the grading system here at GCU was beyond her.
Finally climbing the last staircase to where she needed to be with her thighs and lungs burning, her head pounding and a terrible wave of nausea crashing down upon her as she lurched through the back door to her lecture. Slipping into a seat beside her friend Valerie, Raven took the bottle of water the young girl offered and guzzled half of it in one go. "I told you not to drink tequila, Rach' " Valerie said handing her fragile friend a half bar of chocolate "you know it doesn't agree with you". Raven lifted her head up out her hands and made a face at Valerie. Valerie was Raven's flatmate and best friend here at GCU and so far was the only person who refused to believe that Raven, or Rachel, looked anything like a certain teenage superhero. Valerie looked like how every girl wants to look; she was tall, athletic and had a naturally perfect complexion than negated make up in the slightest. She was unfortunately cursed with a need to be a Goth and endeavoured to look like Raven constantly. Everyday she piled on pale make up and dark eyeliner and dressed in bizarre combinations of old fashioned dresses she dyed black and hoodies or workshirts that were branded with the name of some obscure punk band or metal group. Today she had a black Slipknot workshirt on over a traditional fifties style dress that came down to the ankle where a pair of enormous steel capped boots protruded . The dress was badly dyed and Raven could still make out the floral pattern it bore originally. Valerie caught Raven looking at her apparel "You like it? Did it myself" she asked. Raven slumped back in her chair and looked blankly ahead "Wonderful Val' ".
The remainder of the lecture washed over her as she struggled to take it all in. Beside her Valerie had plugged in her earphones from her iPod and was reading a magazine article about Gotham City's "Mystery Man of the Year". A full page picture of a familiar face, well, a familiar mask grinned at her as the winner of this years dubious honour was; Robin, the Boy Wonder. With a groan she went back to taking notes.
The stately Wayne Manor sat perched atop a hill on the outskirts of Gotham City. An enormous dark and sombre building that often had the feeling of being more like a tomb than a home. In truth the house was rarely occupied by any of the four people who lived there with only one of them ever spending much time in it's gloomy chambers. This person was Starfire. Often she would sit in a long forgotten study with the fire lit in the grate and read, or write in her diary but often just sitting watching the television with the Manor's only other full time occupant, a great black dog named Ace. She had a natural affinity with Ace as neither of them tended to be included in the activities that happened below the manor. She was still a little afraid of the main occupant of the house, Bruce Wayne, a man she had seen often on the television but always as a smiling friendly gentlemen who was generous to charities and always with a new attractive girl on his arm. She had been shocked to discover that in private he was withdrawn and a shade grumpy and often given to long periods of talking to no one else but his butler who was a kind old man by the name of Alfred.
Alfred was quite often the only other person she spoke to for days at a time and was always ready with words of comfort when Starfire was feeling particularly lonely. And it was quite often she felt lonely.
Eight months ago she had arrived in Gotham City with Robin following his possession by Vengeance, a demonic entity summoned by Slade to destroy them. Robin had said that he was going home and wanted Starfire to come with him so she had followed her boy to his home. Raven had come with them as well but she had insisted upon checking in to a hotel as soon as they arrived in the city. After that they had seen her only once when Robin set her up in an apartment in the city. But that was just Raven, it was her way.
Upon arrival in Gotham Robin had ridden his R-Cycle to the legendary Bat Cave and had informed Starfire that this was his home. Starfire had expected an apartment or maybe a quiet house in the suburbs but to find an enormous dank cave filled with Bats and seemingly more computers and technology than Titans Tower was certainly a shock. What was even more of a shock was who was waiting there for them.
The Batman.
An imposing figure dressed from head to toe in a nightmarish costume of blacks and greys stylised to give the appearance of an enormous Bat. A pointy eared cowl held two white eyes that seemed to glow with menace and around him the air crackled with fear. He greeted Robin in a stiff but concerned manner and only once acknowledged Starfire when Robin referred to her as his friend. The Batman regarded her with a narrow eyed look that seemed to comprehend the connotation of the word "Friend" in Robin's speech. The next hour passed in a blur as Starfire quickly was brought into Robin's most inner circle. She had already learned his real name, Tim Drake, during a conversation following Robin's return to her after the Vengeance incident but he filled her in quickly on the rest of his life. She learned of his childhood here in Gotham city, how his mother had died when he was very young leaving him in the care of his father; a man named "Shifty" Drake. It was however a time that was cut short by the criminal Two-Face who killed his father and Tim was left on his own but was rescued by the Batman and became Robin.
The Batman was a different story altogether. He grudgingly permitted Robin, she still found it strange to call him Tim, to reveal his identity to her but even then it was only to explain where her accommodations would be.
Presently Starfire was waiting in the main living room for Robin to return from his patrol of the city. He never allowed her to join him as he viewed it important that the Teen Titans not be seen for a while. Following the Vengeance affair the press had had a lot of questions for them and they were not in the public's good books. The case clock that served as the door to the Bat Cave opened and Robin emerged. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and track pants and was towel drying his hair ,so it had that scruffy look that Starfire absolutely, adored but most importantly he had no mask on. It had taken a while to explain to Starfire that Tim Drake didn't wear a mask and Star' was still having difficulty separating the person from the persona. "Robin, you have returned from your adventuring," she said leaping off the couch and giving him a big hug followed by a long kiss "is everything harmonious in the city?". Robin smiled at her,
"Everything is fine K'ory, and it's Tim now" he pointed to his naked face "no mask means I'm not Robin just now"
"I apologise," said Starfire "I am still not used to seeing Tim very often. This is the first time this week you have emerged from the Cave of Bats". Robin grinned at the fitting description of the Batcave, Bruce never seemed to want to do anything about them. "We've had a lot of activity recently, The Penguin has acquiring a lot of equipment from high end labs in the city. So far he's hit Starlabs, Wayne-Tech, and the University" Robin let go of Starfire and walked towards the fireplace staring deep into the flames. "Bruce thinks he's setting up some kind of lab of his own in the city, for what he isn't sure, but I think he's moving them for someone" he picked up the poker and stabbed at the fire "the Penguin doesn't often work alone, he's usually a go between for more dangerous criminals but he always has an angle, an edge that we don't see and that worries me". Starfire walked up behind him and began to rub his shoulders,
"You should not worry so much, Tim it is not good for you. I recommend that we go to bed, it will be for the best". Robin spun round and raised an eyebrow,
"Go to bed, you say?" there was a devilish glint in his eye but it was good humoured and he was grinning widely. Starfire poked him in the chest playfully "Mister Bruce is away for the evening and only Alfred is here in the Manor". Bruce didn't really approve of the two of them dating and did his best to endure that they spent as little time together as he could arrange but Alfred constantly foiled his master's schemes as he was perhaps the only person who Bruce could not be angry with.
With that Robin and Starfire retired to Robin's room for the evening. Almost unnoticed as he dusted a bookcase, a seemingly endless activity in the Manor, Alfred watched them climb the staircase hand in hand and chuckled to himself "Teenagers"
At about the same time Raven was sitting in her room reading some dry textbook with her mind wandering. She thought of her days with the Titans which she hadn't thought about in weeks, that article in the magazine must have jarred something loose. Sighing she put down her book and sought out the magazine that contained the article on Robin with curiosity and nostalgia driving her search. Eventually she found it beside her room mate Valerie who was snoring on the couch but amazingly still grasping her mug of tea firmly. Raven retreated to her bedroom to read the article entitled; "Robin; Boy Wonder or Mystery Man?". The leading page was a full page photograph of Robin leaning on his R Cycle and Raven noticed that both had undergone a few changes. Robin looked thinner, if it was possible, and had a more aggressive stance than he normally had. His Robin suit had undergone a dramatic change as it was now almost all black with a dull red R on his left breast. His cape was longer, almost the same length as Batman's but lined with a dull, dirty red fabric and his utility belt was the same colour. Even his mask looked leaner and more aggressive and the R Cycle followed the same colour scheme. Raven took in the photograph and thought her friend's new look had more in common with his other alter ego; Red X. Red X was a ruthless thief capable of anything with no consideration for anybody. She wondered how much his experience with Vengeance had affected him. The article itself was a bog standard interview, Raven had given a few herself over the years to various magazines and newspapers, mostly concerned with his new look and briefly touched upon his activities with the Teen Titans.
Interviewer; "So Robin, why the new look, red not your colour any more?"
Robin; "It was just time for a change, can't be a boy wonder for ever so it was just time to grow up"
Interviewer; "Does this mean your time with the Teen Titans is over, they haven't been seen for a few months now"
Robin; "Who is to say, I can't split my time between Jump and Gotham forever so I had to choose where to devote my full attention. For now it's Gotham but who's to say the Teen Titans won't reform it may just require the right circumstances"
Raven rolled her eyes, he was talking about what they did like it was some rock band who'd split up. But that was how it felt, a few good years packed with hits and a tragic break up caused by inner tensions and conflicting egos. And now they were scattered and in hiding, Starfire was with Robin, Raven felt a little frown come on when she thought of the two of them but shook it off. Who only knew where Cyborg and Beast Boy were, the odd report in the paper and posting on a website threw up clues as to where they might be. An odd shadow of something fell on heart when she thought of Beast Boy and she had no idea why. He was annoying, childish, crude, only interested in himself and was never content unless he was irritating her. Yet for all that she found herself missing the little squirt. Slowly she fell asleep with her arm wrapped round her third pillow like a huge teddy bear never admitting to imagining it was Robin, or Beast Boy.
On the far away Island of Nebulous in the south pacific Teri was walking through the thick tropical forest that separated her home from the beach. She enjoyed her new life here on the island although she hardly thought of it as new as it was really the only life she had actually known. The Professor had told her that she was the only survivor of a terrible disease on a neighbouring island and had been brought to him to be cured. Well, cured she had been but her memory was gone. She didn't know a thing about her past or even remember her parents faces let alone who she had been before she had awoken here in the Professor's private hospital.
In appearance Teri was about seventeen but she couldn't be certain as to her actual age with big curious blue eyes and straw blonde hair that, despite her best efforts, just fell lifelessly about her shoulders and just couldn't do anything with. She was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and sandals with a forest green t-shirt and a wide brimmed hat to keep the bright sun of her head. She also had a strong aroma of sun block and insect repellent about her owing to her extremely pale skin and allergies, in a corner of her mind she wondered how someone like her survived on a tropical island all their life?
Maybe she had been a tourist; the daughter of a wealthy family who owned property on the island and heiress to a vast fortune. Perhaps she was royalty, a missing princess or something. She liked to imagine what her life had been like before her illness, it kept her amused when she was feeling lonely.
Eventually she came to the edge of the thick forest and arrived at a white sandy beach that surrounded a lagoon with deep sapphire coloured water. She enjoyed spending time here at the lagoon as it calmed her mind and although she never noticed was the only time that the island was free of the minor tremors that seemed to shake it constantly.
Teri made her way down to the lone deck chair at the lagoons shore and sat down and looked out over the flat water. She always liked it when it mirrored the sky, and, if you looked at it for long enough, you could almost convince yourself that there was no up or down and you were alone in an endless horizon. Today however her tranquillity was shattered by a sudden splash and a series of ripples that distorted the reflection on the water and made it bounce up and down. Turning her head she saw a young man towelling off his hair and toss the towel back onto the sand obviously having just emerged from the lagoon. Teri was going to ask him what he was doing here but the words were suddenly caught in her throat. The appearance of the young man was startling, not just his being there but his physical appearance as well. He was just under average height with a lean athletic frame and short hair and dressed in a pair of black board shorts, not exactly unattractive and there were only three things wrong with how he looked. One; a single tooth protruded from his lower lip and almost looked like a fang. Two; his ears were definitely pointed and elf like. Three; he was from head to toe, hair and all, bright green.
Teri screamed and the boy looked round suddenly startled. She fell out of the chair and scrambled to her feet still screaming. The boy dropped his towel and stared at her, his green eyes full of a mixture of fear and fierce curiosity. The ground beneath them began to shake violently and crack, and Teri became aware of another sound; a loud crashing in the jungle that seemed to be headed this way. The green boy moved towards her and said "How?" but Teri turned and ran as fast as she could into the forest and back towards her home.
In a gleam of silver and a blur of speed Cyborg burst out of the tree line and stampeded towards Beast Boy who was on his knees in the white sand. As the much larger youth approached he noticed the shocked look on his friend's face. "Gar, what's wrong?" he asked "what's with all that earthquake we just had?". Beast boy just stared straight ahead at the spot where the girl he had just seen had run into the forest. He couldn't believe it. "I saw her Vic, I don't know how but she was here" Beast Boy's voice had a far away quality to it like his mind was somewhere else. "Who was here? Who did you see?" Cyborg was confused, he hadn't seen anyone, as far as he knew they was no one for miles around them. Beast Boy turned to look at him and said one word, an impossible word, the name of someone who just couldn't possibly have been there. He said "Terra!"
Author note; My new story, yay! I'm back with a bigger budget and a dump truck of new ideas. This is gonna be like a big Hollywood blockbuster with more action and exotic locations than my last story that felt like an indie flick and more centred on what the characters were feeling. Picture a James Bond movie mixed with the second half of The Incredibles but with a dark twist. It's gonna centre more on Cyborg and Beast Boy as I used Raven, Robin and Starfire in my last story. The chapters won't be as long as the last one but that means I'll be updating more often with the chapters being about a specific event in the story rather than a general idea or theme like the last one. It's still set between series two and three as I haven't seen all of series three yet and I hear crazy stories about a season four too that's already aired in the states. I would recommend that you read my first story; Robin Reborn as it sets up a few things that are gonna happen in this story. And yes, I am going to redo the ending as I'm not happy with it I was just impatient to get it finished.
I take it you can figure out that things have moved on a bit from the last story, Raven is now in school, Robin and Starfire are in a serious relationship and Cyborg and Beast Boy are travelling the world. But I can tell what the one question you all have is; "HOW THE HELL IS TERRA IN THIS, SHE'S DEAD!" this will all be explained in the chapters to come, but rest assured it's not just to confuse Beast Boy romantically.
KEY NOTE; the word Maniaca in the title is pronounced MAN-EYE-I-KA. Like maniacal as in "he laughed maniacally at the heroes suffering", it's just a comic booky name that I thought up and liked for a mad scientist.
COMING SOON TO AN AUTHOR ALERT NEAR YOU; Chapter 2; Terra Firma
