A dangerous red flashed on and off, and wailing klaxons screamed their terribly cry. A relatively small teenager, sixteen years of age, ran towards the main computer console, his black and yellow cape flapping behind him due to the sudden movement. If he were dressed in such attire in Mark's world, he would be deemed crazy, or he would be mistaken for a costumed party-goer. He wore a red shirt that covered his torso, with a yellow emblem shaped like an 'R' on his left breast. A green glove covered each arm, reaching the elbow, where it ceased, living the joint exposed until the green sleeve of his short-sleeved shirt covered his shoulder. He wore green pants, which ended inside steel-tipped black combat boots. To top this bizarre outfit off, he wore a belt around his waist that equipped him with all sorts of useful tools and weapons, and a black and white mask that concealed his identity from all, even his closest friends. His brow furrowed, his masked eyes creased in concentration as he attempted to locate the source of the disturbance. After a few frenetic minutes of searching, his eyes widened in surprise, before once again narrowing in dogged determination. He turned towards his fellow team-mates and close friends, and barked an order.
"Titans! Trouble at the old docks!" With that, Robin the Boy Wonder was out in a flash. Closely following him was Cyborg, a half-metal, half-human teenager with a sonic cannon at the ready on his left arm. He wore no costume, as he had barely any skin to cover up. His body was largely cybernetic, due to a horrific accident many years ago that shattered his dreams of becoming a sporting legend. Now he fights for justice, holding no grudge against the world that had turned its back on him that fateful day. He was amazingly strong, his mechanical features able to handle extraordinary amounts of weight and pressure. His human eye was full of determination, whereas his robotic eye glowed a sinister red, showing no emotion. Following Cyborg, An alluring and mysterious teenage girl named Raven. She took to the skies, her uniform a dark purple, almost black, skintight leotard, much like a one-piece swimsuit. Covering her curves almost completely was a dark blue cloak, with the cape flowing behind her and the hood covering her beautiful short purple hair, but failing to conceal her deep violet eyes, full of sadness, resentment, yet strangely, of hope as well. Her amazing telekinetic powers are something no-one should ever stand against, her demonic powers, passed down by an unwanted birth and an unwelcome father, a force to be reckoned with. Beside her, a seemingly ordinary green peregrine falcon flew above the rest of his team-mates. This falcon was definitely not ordinary, however. Named Beast-boy, he is the smallest of the group, overshadowed even by his female team-mates, but with arguably the biggest powers in terms of sheer muscle and strength. In his human form, he wore a purple and black body suit that covered his arms and legs, apart from his feet, on which he wore purple hiking boots. Whilst human he may be the smallest, Beast-boy has the amazing power of being able to shape-shift into every single mammal, reptile, bird or alien creature known and unknown to man, even extinct ones. Finally, taking up the rear, a naive alien girl named Starfire followed her friends, green eyes flashing and her hands pulsating with glowing green solar energy. She wore a purple and green halter top, accentuating her tall, elegant body, along with a purple skirt and tall, bright purple boots. Her gorgeous, flowing red hair trailed behind her and her slightly orange skin glowing. Together, they were known as the Teen Titans. A group of teenagers with amazing powers who fought the evil-doers of their world.
Their world... what about ours?
It was cold. A shiver crept up his back, and Mark awoke with a start. He was no longer on the decrepit school bus, traveling home after a long day at school. He was in an empty warehouse, devoid of life, except for the occasional disease-riddled rat or two. Not a sound was heard, until a loud "Clop" pierced the dull air. Mark searched for the source of the noise, as he was certain it was a footstep by heavy-duty boot. He didn't have to search for long, as the perpetrator of the noise soon spoke up. "Hello, Mark. How nice to finally meet you. I must say, I was astounded when I first heard about your powers. You are special. Indeed, you are unique. Quite similar to Raven. But when I heard about your parents, I was pleasantly shocked. You have no idea, do you? About your powers, what you are capable of." A lethal voice penetrated the empty air, dripping with contempt. The source of the voice was a powerfully built man drenched in shadow. He wore a black body suit that hugged his skin, emphasizing his strong build. Draped across his shoulder and waist were utility belts, much similar to what Robin wore, but where Robin's tools and weapons were largely non-lethal, these were. Around his collar area was a metallic plate that covered and protected his neck, and he wore a metal face mask, his left side a dull orange, and his right an endless black. On the orange side, an eyehole was present, and a heartless blue eye could be seen. The menacing blue eye was staring at Mark for the moment, studying him; much like a hunter stalks his prey. Mark broke the silence first this time.
"Who are you? Where am I? What...What is this place? How did I..." Mark was interrupted by a deafening bang, followed by a resounding crash as half the wall of the warehouse collapsed under the weight of Beast-Boy in elephant form.
"I don't know how you came back, but I do know how you're going back, Slade. Titans! Go!" Robin remarked, and with the command issued, Cyborg unleashed a devastating attack with his sonic cannon, only to be deflected by a shield of fire that enveloped Slade and the dazed teenager.
"Robin. You do realize that you and your pathetic group of friends will never defeat me. Not with my new apprentice." He replied snidely, taunting the Titans and enraging Robin. With that, Slade the mercenary attacked the Titans with massive balls of flame which erupted from the palm of his hands, the heat more then enough to melt steel and bone alike. The Titans had already scattered, however, and the blistering fireballs snaked their way through the empty warehouse, slamming into nearby walls and exploding. The Titans were preparing attacks of their own, however, and with a frightening "Ki-ya!", Robin swung at Slade with his high-tech staff. Every blow was aimed at his head, but Slade had already un-holstered his staff, and began parrying with Robin. He swung at Slade once more, but it was deflected yet again, and Slade landed a punch in Robin's chest. As Robin recovered, Slade reared his staff back to deliver a lethal blow, but out of nowhere, perhaps he was a mere beetle on the floor, Beast-boy came charging in, his T-Rex mass unstoppable, and knocked Slade off his feet. While Slade struggled to get to his feet, the mysterious girl with the demonic powers had just finished muttering her unique incantation "Azerath Metrion ZINTHOS!" and an unfortunate row-boat that had been moored outside shot in through the shattered wall and slammed into the dangerous Mercenary, shattering into a million splinters and once again knocking him to the ground. From the depths of the warehouse, the alien girl came next, swooping down from the air, much like a pilot doing a bomb-run, but instead of dropping bombs, she fired deadly green bolts of energy from her hands and eyes with lethal accuracy. The star-bolts struck their target and Slade, now extremely angry at such an intrusion, shot fire-tendrils back in an attempt to distract the Titans as he made his escape. He looked back down at Mark, whose eyes were wide with shock and horror. "Do you see what they are trying to do? They wish to kill your only friend. Are you going to let them do that?" Slade asked, mocking and teasing him. After receiving no reply, his eye narrowed and he spat his final warning to the Titans. "Believe me, Titans, your time will come. One by one you will fall, and I will be back for my apprentice." He threatened as he flew off.
"His apprentice? dude! how many apprentices does this guy NEED? can't he do the work himself?" Beast-Boy said in genuine shock, his voice echoing off the remaining walls of the warehouse as he approached Mark. Cyborg shot his arm out, halting Beast-Boy's progression, as a word of warning escaped his lips.
"Wait BB! It could be a trap. let us handle it." Robin joined Cyborg in holding the Changeling back as they approached Mark with caution. Beast-Boy decided against struggling, as he knew Cyborg was right.
A Dark figure emerged from the darkness, her short purple hair waving in the night's breeze that invaded the atmosphere from the shattered wall. Mark was stunned momentarily at her sudden appearance, but the shock melted away from his face and he felt strangely serene. For the time being, anyway.
"Who are you? What is your name?" Thoughts, where do they come from…
"Mark…"
Raven opened her eyes and turned to her male team-mates.
"It's not a trap. His mind is full of fear and confusion, he doesn't even know what he's doing here or why he was brought here." She remarked in a monotonous voice. The Goth girl slowly lowered herself to the ground and started walking towards Mark as well, adding to his fear and confusion.
"Perhaps he is a friend? Do you wish to be our friend? we have plenty of nuts-of-dough to share!" The naive Starfire said joyfully as she flew towards Mark, her voice like a lullaby that lightened his heart. He didn't know why, but he felt welcomed at the sound of her voice. That didn't cause him to think about his reply, however.
"Who are you people? Why am I here? What is this WORLD? I have never heard of a place like this! Who the HELL is SLADE? Will somebody please answer my Questions?" Mark was getting visibly agitated, but as he grew angrier, an astonishing thing happened. An ambient yellow glow enveloped his messy black hair. Faintly at first, and the Titans didn't believe their eyes, instead opting to settle for the fact that it was a mere trick of the moonlight beaming in upon the strange teenager from a narrow window near the ceiling. However, the more his voice rose, the brighter his hair became, until it was impossible to disregard such an event. It was literally sparking with fury, and the heat that pervaded it was extremely hot, so the Titans had to shy away from the incandescence and the awesome radiance. Shadows covered his eyes, his pupils dilating and re-focusing in quick succession, and they grew darker, until they were black and soulless. Flames erupted on his palms and enveloped his hand with amazing force. Blue Flames. Raven lingered back, eyeing the sudden changes with increasing trepidation. The symptoms were similar, similar to her own, but with a spark of understanding, she realized that they were similar in a way that black and white are similar. On polar ends of the scale, and yet with properties that were undeniably reminiscent of one another.
He's just like me!
"You must remain calm. Do not let your emotions control you. Otherwise, your powers will consume you." Raven said, in as comforting a tone as possible.
I don't 'do' comfort...
Marks' black eyes widened in disbelief, he obviously had not seen nor felt the changes that his body had undertaken.
"Powers? But I don't... well I never did... but...I don't have POWERS!" He yelled in anger, a bolt of lightning emerging from his fiery hair and striking the ceiling above, showering everyone in a brilliant array of sparks. Mark's breathing started to quicken, and with cold dread and apprehension, he raised his hands and studied them for a moment.
They are on fire, and yet I'm not burnt.
Mark couldn't take it anymore, his breath quickened almost to the point of hyperventilation, and he looked around him desperately, like a caged animal, trying to find a way out of this nightmare that was now reality.
"You've got to relax. Find your centre." Raven said desperately, but it was no use, Mark was beyond the point of reason. His surroundings spun wildly, his vision blurred, and it all overwhelmed Mark. So with a last cry of help, he fell, into the gloved hands of a Titan.