Disclaimer: I doubt I need to reiterate that I don't own Teen Titans. However, I don't desire to go through any legal red tape, so I'll say again that it belongs to DC, CN, and WB.
Author's Notes: This was a bit of a challenge, but I attempted to convey the action in the best way possible. I really don't like writing action, but I actually had fun with this.
Thanks to all reviewers. My classmates in creative writing decided to check out my work here, and I thank those who reviewed (Dana and Redd). I'm glad I have my fans. Well, onwards, I suppose.
Ch. 4: WarThe professor cackled gleefully, slapping his knee heartily and rocking back and forth like a madman. He stopped short as his breath became ragged, causing him to wheeze and hack violently. He panted for a moment, gradually bringing his wrinkled head back into the camera's view, once more smiling wickedly.
"You done havin' a seizure, old man?" Cyborg grunted, quickly annoyed by the demented doctor's act. "I got things I need to ask your tin cans!"
"That's what I like about you, kiddo," chuckled Chang. "You're a lad of spirit. Alright, here's the deal: if you can win a little game of war, my men will answer anything you ask."
"Deal!" the teen yelled confidently, angry enough to vent his rage on… well, an army.
"I'll send word to the undertaker," taunted the professor as the video-screen flickered off and retreated, the roar its hovering pack fading to a faint whine as it zipped out of the window.
"Oh, I did not just get put down by a geriatric Fu Manchu!" roared Cyborg, his glass eye flaring red. "Alright, you gearheads, give me what you got!"
The battalion of machines complied, blindly converging as a single, brainless unit upon the teen's lone figure. The foremost tank spread apart the crushing halves of its gripping pincers, advancing clumsily, its hooves ravaging the cement floor beneath. It drew closer, closer, drawing back the claws, preparing for a relentless strike.
Cyborg's blindingly swift fist shattered the bulky robot's single eye, rudely interrupting the charge. His hand still firmly embedded in the aggressor's "skull", the Titan easily allowed it to shift into a plasma cannon. Without hesitation, he fired a shot that tore through the grunt's titanium hide as if it were a sheet of tin foil. It penetrated the thick layers armor that made up the midsection of the second closest attacker, slicing him cleanly in two. The plummeting upper torso convulsed, disturbed by the unstable electronics, then burst apart in a fabulous explosion, peppering the remaining phalanx with errant gears and shards of twisted "skin".
The army continued to surge forward, single-minded in their destructive mission. Cy, unshaken despite the seemingly unfavorable odds, gripped the claw of the dead behemoth still in his grasp and wrenched it from the socket with a sharp tug. He swung the severed limb like a long-sword, butchering the adversaries that politely lined up single-file for him. Gradually, he cut a hole through the onslaught, leaving in his wake scattered junk piles, sparks still dancing from the jaggedly separated wires.
Cyborg brought down the heavy appendage once more, but this time it fell into a pulsing green robotic hand, ceasing his berserker's rampage. Momentarily disoriented by the unexpected lull, the Titan found himself rocketing forward a short distance, pulled behind his makeshift weapon. He recoiled as two binocular lenses nearly impaled his face. The lenses whirred as they zoomed out, returning to the dull green dome that was the skull of the imposter's commander. The cocky criminal motioned for the robotic underlings to cease their blitz; it was clear he desired to settle the score personally.
"Round two, sport," Green cackled through his persistent grin, letting his prosthetic arm rearrange itself into Cyborg's trademark weapon. "I have so looked forward to this bout."
"Then why don't we go at it?" the Titanium Titan spat as threw himself forward, plasma cannon already charging, fully intent on pummeling the fiend until his circuits, cogs, and gears spilled out across the floor in mountains.
Cy's back struck the ground with a sharp clang, bounced like rubber, then skidded with a nail-on-chalkboard screech, a scar marking his path on the cement. He bolted upright, as though awakening in a cold sweat, and met the oversized sole of a steel boot, or rather the synthetic foot of a 'droid. He skied across the floor again, but was able to force himself upward in mid-flight, firing a plasma beam in the direction that he anticipated his foe would be. The floor exploded, a smoldering crater appearing below the airborne figure of Yellow. Silken dark hair cascading behind her, she allowed gravity to close the gap between them as Cyborg, regaining his bearings, began to level the gun for another shot. She twisted gracefully in midair, annoying the Titan's steel steady aim.
Cyborg, thoroughly exposed, could do nothing as Yellow, in a single fluid motion, planted her massive feet firmly on his chest, causing the plates to moan and shift under the strain, lashed out with her hand, gripped tightly to his weapon-bearing limb, twisted it off with a snapping flick of her wrist, and vaulted off of his grounded, battered carcass, rejoining her two comrades.
Great, so she was big and nimble.
The teen hero scarcely had time enough to struggle to his one remaining arm; a forklift fell from the from the heavens like a bolt of lightning, its hydraulic prongs threatening to skewer the newly left-handed mech-man. He hastily rolled to the side, a rash, perhaps even stupid maneuver; the "arms" absorbed the majority of the impact as it collided with the ground, causing a small tremor to shake the vehicle. The lift remained idle for a moment, then began to bow down toward Cy's prone form.
"Aw, c'mon now!" shouted a despaired Titan as he flung up all three of his attached appendages, catching the toppling lift before it could turn him into sheet metal and a mess ketchup. The tons-heavy vehicle fought against his fatigued circuitry, edging closer as bolts popped and screws snapped.
Green retained his smug smirk as he brought up his rifle, setting his telescopic sights on the very forklift that was attempting to flatten Cyborg like so many condemned cars; his internal sensors chirped as the crosshairs adjusted and locked on. "Hasta la vista, baby," he purred as the charged weapon whistled. In the millisecond before the spiraling beam erupted outward, a disc-shaped object seemed to materialize from nothingness, lodging itself in the gaping mouth of the cannon. The obstruction absorbed the entirety of the beam as it was spewed forth from the barrel, and it ignited, bursting into a brilliant ball of fire and smoke that cracked and shattered Green's offending arm, rendering it useless.
"That, my friend, was the Sonic Boom,' echoed a voice from above.
The green machine craned his robotic neck, focusing his computerized vision in a frantic race to pinpoint the source of the new adversary. "Oh no…" he grumbled as he finally located the offender.
The silhouette of Robin crouched in the opening of the window, his pose reminiscent of a gargoyle's. His black and yellow cape billowed dramatically behind him, and his heavily gelled black hair glistened in the moonlight; as always, he made a dramatic entrance. "Arm for an arm," the Boy Wonder growled as he whipped out his trustworthy titanium retractable bo-staff, extending it to its full length of five feet.
Cyborg clenched his teeth, squeezing his human eye firmly shut as he thrust up against the burden of the forklift. Gradually, however, the stress on his limbs began to alleviate; tons became pounds, then shifted ounces, then disappeared into nonexistence. Hesitantly, he opened his eye, fearing that he may have been crushed and, well, sent to a place where he didn't have to bench-press to save his life. He needn't have concerned himself with the ridiculously paranoid thought; the lift was being lifted itself, hovering under the power of a mystic black energy. The telekinetic force flung it into the distant recesses of the warehouse, where it landed with an overly audible crash. Seconds later, a bizarre, solid black form in the shape of a humanoid bird seeped up through the floor like a cloud of mist, creeping over to the panting half-human Titan, shifting form as it moved; beak became navy blue hood, wings became a flowing cape of the same color, and the features of a pale young girl appeared where there had been none. Cy refused the materialized Raven's help up, more irritable than the Goth girl herself at the moment; he grumbled about their needless involvement in his problems as he awkwardly rose to his feet with only the assistance of his own single left hand. Raven simply shot him a blank glare, mildly annoyed by her teammate's swelled pride, which was currently rivaling their leader's.
The Boy Wonder leapt, twirling gracefully as he descended to the ground level. The "clomp" of his impact reverberated off of the towering walls of the structure. Through the cleared opening soared Starfire and falcon Beast Boy on wings of unbridled joy and green feathers, respectively. Star halted her fall scant inches above the ground, hovering just above the stone. In contrast, Beast Boy morphed in mid-fall, talons becoming hooves, beak changing into a snout, silken feathers shifting into coarse fur, and curves, sharpened horns sprouting from his rapidly growing head. The Emerald Elf galloped to steady himself as he landed from his plummet as an ox.
The Titans stood together, staring down the trio of half-robots that calmly returned the glare from just scant feet away. Green was no fool; he knew too well that when in a group, the Titans were as powerful as the immortal beasts of myth. Yet his overconfident grin persisted, his demeanor of icy coolness completely unwavering.
"What have you got to smile about?" hissed Robin, his normally calm face distorted in an agitated rage.
"I think you forgot something," Green replied flatly, motioning to the still motionless steel statues that once were, and could still be, killer robots. The malicious mechanized monstrosity snapped his organic fingers, causing the grunts to snap back to life, renewed purpose coursing through their copper veins.
The Titans tensed, taking up defensive positions in preparation for the oncoming explosive battle. Robin clutched his staff in his left hand, holding it parallel to the ground, while his right hand discreetly drifted to his utility belt, drawing out three of his trademark bird-shaped projectiles. Starfire's hands radiated overpowering emerald fury, and Raven's were encased in a telekinetic aura of dark magic. Beast Boy nervously slid into the form of a stegosaurus, the coarse ox hairs giving way to rough, green scales, the newly sprouted pointed armored plates on his back flexing to work out any stiffness. Cyborg vanished, unnoticed by his comrades, into some distant recess of the warehouse, becoming a predator, waiting for ideal the opportunity to strike.
The battle between the Teen Titans and Chang's unstoppable robot collection was relentless; as the mindless dolls continued to flood toward them, the team was gradually beginning to show signs of fatigue: rasping pants, misplaced footing, inaccurate blows, and drenching perspiration. Nevertheless, the teens somehow managed to push it back, to continue the seemingly pointless fight; perhaps it was their bottomless dedication to their friend, a friend who now appeared to be unfaithful, as he was the only one not fighting.
Robin's staff demolished the polished head of one of the machines, sending glass and sparking wires flying out. He tossed another three of his boomerangs, piercing the glowing red eyes of three of the monstrosities. Another Cyclops collapsed under the fury of the Boy Wonder's steel boots, punching a small gap in the rush and allowing Robin a much- needed opportunity to regain his bearings. His concealed eyes darted about, attempting to account for each of his teammates. Beast Boy was managing well, keeping the onslaught of adversaries at bay with quick, powerful swipes of his barbed tail. Raven, however, was less fortunate; she lay unconscious, a sitting duck for the mad robots. Had Starfire not been defending her prone figure with a flurry of starbolts, the dark girl would certainly have suffered an even worse fate. It was at this point that Robin first took notice of Cyborg's absence from the battle, though judging by the rapidly thinning troops of the robot army, his assistance would not be soon required, but it wouldn't stop Robin from giving him a stern lecture later.
Robin was snapped out of his daydreaming as the skylight above his head shattered, sending countless shards of razor-sharp glass plummeting down. He threw up his arms, twirling his staff to deflect the deadly drizzle, which pattered gently to the ground. Immediately, a robot cavalry began to leap through the new opening, crashing to the floor dangerously close to the Titan's leader. The battle once more became a futile one for the heroes; they were quickly tiring, and there was no end to the eternally energetic androids.
Green's lips remained upturned as his lenses scanned the battlefield. He swiveled his head on his prosthetic neck, looking at his two cohorts. "The drones look pretty lonely out there," he said. "Why don't you keep them company?"
The villain had hardly drawn another breath before both of his counterparts had vanished into the fray, their malice driving them forward, intent on victory. Green continued to smirk as he watched the bouts, a silent onlooker, knowing better than to try and soil his single remaining hand; fighting with an injury, especially one as severe as a missing limb, was foolish ground to tread, and Green prided himself in not being foolish, unlike his single-minded partners.
It was at that moment that the predator pounced, letting his full, dead weight collapse into the olive adversary, causing them both to collapse in limp heaps to the floor. Cyborg was the first back on his feet, his form looming ominously over Green's still paralyzed form. The Titanium hero nearly forgot himself, was nearly tempted to send the fiend to wherever bad guys go when they stopped breathing. He refrained from pummeling the doppelganger's face; he was a hero, and heroes didn't murder, not to mention the fact that at least one of these things had to survive the battle so he could find out where Professor Chang was.
"Looks like I won," Cyborg murmured icily at the half-man.
The reply came in the form of a green, iron fist whooshing toward the Titan's flesh jaw, instead connecting with a similar fist, this one an electric blue. Though he had managed to guard against the blow, Cy was left no opening to parry, especially considering his right arm was gone. His enemy seized the opportunity, shoving the overwhelmed teen back on gelatin legs, flipping himself to his own feet, and, letting his momentum carry him forward, head-butting the skin portion of Cyborg's skull with his completely metal one.
"Round three, then," Green chuckled as he darted into the still reeling Cyborg, beginning what was surely the most spectacular fight between two one-armed half-machines in recorded history.
Beast Boy's massive spiked tail continued to sway back and forth in a now monotonous motion, almost natural to the elf by this point. The bored shape-shifter hardly took notice when the tail stopped flicking, though he was fully attentive when his tremendous form collided against one of the far walls of the structure, the sudden burst of pain causing him to revert to his natural, humanoid form.
"Dude," he stuttered hazily, "anyone get the license plate of that rocket ship?"
He shook his clouded head in a comical fashion, his peanut-sized brain rattling inside his fuzzy head. His wide, green eyes shot up, beholding the demented yellow android that was presently flying at him in the most literal sense of the word. The vertically challenged changeling's eyes became larger than the hubcaps on the T-Car, and, with the yelp that would embarrass a small puppy, Beast Boy was in the air as well, gliding gracefully on the wings of a bald eagle.
Her auburn eyes devoid of emotion, the brunette behemoth, smoothly raised her bright yellow arm; her oversized hand detached, though still remained on a chord in her wrist, rocketed to the fleeing Beast Boy, clutched him in a vice-grip, and reeled him in like a fish. As the arm became whole again, Yellow flung the now humanoid (again) B.B. against the wall (again). It was clear that the vegetarian crime fighter would not escape this battle.
"What can I say?" laughed the ever-insecure Beast Boy, trying to alleviate the stress of his dilemma. "The ladies can't keep their hands off me." He found this too true as the unfeeling android wrapped her rather large hands cruelly around his rather puny neck.
Torrents of robots lumbered toward the orange-skinned alien girl, and torrents melted into liquid metal, courtesy of her starbolts. She was undeniably exhausted, worn down by the repeated use of her powers. A careful glance over her shoulder reminded her of why she could not falter; friend Raven lay unmoving behind her, severely injured and unmoving, unable to fend for herself. Starfire cared for each of her Earth friends, but she had grown very fond of Raven, who was second in her heart only to Robin; she believed the Earth term to describe the bond was "B.F.F.", though Raven did not readily admit it. Star did not want to see one of her best friends destroyed before her eyes, and thus played guardian angel once more.
Red's single, bloodshot, bulging, biological eye narrowed as much as it could. The alien was formidable, but was focused entirely on the soldiers in front of her, all of whom were too stupid to sneak up behind. Red, while a, idiotic, psychopathic berserker himself, had sense enough about him to attempt to blindside the Tamarainian princess. He breathed longingly as he stalked forward, the scent of green blood (or whatever color blood she had) filling his nostril. The haunting smile of a serial killer spread across the human half of his face as he drew ever closer.
There was a sudden zip as a streak of red and white blurred past him, throwing him off balance. The streak halted very briefly, then about-faced, darting around the killer in a wide arc that gradually shrunk as it repeated the move, speeding up with each pass. The streak was soon a tornado, one which engulfed the nauseous robot, the wing reaching down and hoisting him up, carrying him through the window.
The blood red villain let out an inhuman grunt as he struck the crumbling asphalt outside of the towering warehouse. He drunkenly struggled to regain his composure, but was still left dizzy by his sickening brush with the twister. As the ringing in his ears subsided, it was replaced by the sound of hysterical laughter. The criminal forced himself to face the source of the sound, though it did little good for his splitting headache.
On the roof sat a crimson clad redheaded boy clutching a bow. He pounded his fist onto the surface of the roof as his laughter died down. "So," he sighed cockily, "those bums started a party and didn't invite their east coast brethren? They injure me? Surely they don't think I couldn't handle some hood like you."
With a furious howl, Red was on his feet, any previous hesitation forgotten, exploding out from his synthetic lungs. He glared daggers at Speedy, who casually yawned, tapping his dangling feet against the side of the building. As was the usual effect, the archer's cocky actions only served to fuel the monster's fury. The beast looked about the area, locating a U-Haul truck and deeming it a sufficient weapon. He bounded over to it, easily lifting it over his head, gritting his metal teeth.
Speedy's trained hand snapped back to his quiver, snatching an arrow, setting it in the bow, and letting it fly, all in the space of one second. The arrow sank into the gas tank of the huge truck, sending thousands of volts of electricity coursing through vehicle, cyborg, and gasoline. The liquid ignited, prompting the entire truck to explode, spewing fire and throwing scraps of debris across the area. The unconscious madman was fortunate enough to escape the blaze, losing only his arms, now only sparking stumps.
Speedy shook his head, chuckling lightly to himself. "Well, you know what the say about playing with fireworks and all that jazz."
The crimson archer peeked into the ravaged battlefield that was the warehouse through the open skylight. The twin, dwarven supers-peedsters, Mas and Menos, were already tipping the scale in the Titans' favor; they had relocated Raven to a safer area within the building, allowing Starfire to work unimpaired, and were themselves zipping through the enemy forces, drilling them apart one by one with tools they had procured somewhere on site. Beast Boy was receiving a severe beating from the yellow cyborg until Star plowed fists first into her side, knocking her a good ten feet away. Robin was holding his own against the unending supply of robots, though he looked as if he would fall asleep standing at any moment. Cyborg and Green were nowhere to be found.
Speedy smirked as he drew back one of his energy arrows, taking careful aim at the baddie closest to the Boy Wonder. He released it, piercing the eye directly through the center. He wasted no time in firing another, then another, and another still, until death rained down upon the remaining forces, scattering the troops. Every kind of arrow imaginable fell: shock, fire, ice, explosive, nets, and even a few boxing gloves. Each deadly projectile struck its intended target until nothing remained except heaps of junk and a dry quiver.
"We are victorious!" Starfire exclaimed exuberantly, throwing up her arms and joyfully looping in midair.
"Not yet," grumbled Robin. "We have one bogie and one ally MIA."
"Yeah, nice of Cy to go AWOL on us in the middle of a fight," whined Beast Boy in his squeaky voice. The class clown of the team might have continued to gripe had a pair of familiar yellow hands not wrapped firmly around his throat. He let out a choked gasp, his pointed ears flattening. "Little help here, guys," he weakly wheezed.
The white clad, goggled (and incredibly stout) twin heroes known as Mas Y Menos were the first of the group to react, the former hopping onto the latter's shoulders to activate their superhuman speed. In a flash, they rushed past the demented android, pulling the nearly strangled Beast Boy with them, leaving the vulnerable Yellow strangling air. Starfire took the initiative, pouring all the blind rage left in her soul into the ape. The starbeams from both her palms and eyes tore through the electronic chest cavity of the cyborg, obliterating the battery that acted as her power source and deactivating her, for the moment, at least.
The team stood motionless, distrustful of the broken, battered, smoking android, fearing that she might not truly be down and out. Finally, the tense humor dropped, and the teens once more returned to their discussion.
""Dude," Beast Boy rasped, rubbing his bruised neck, "Tinman totally owes me."
"He owes all of us," Robin said with a scowl. "He'll be getting an earful from me, you can count on that." Robin removed the disc-shaped communicator from his nearly empty utility belt, depressing the outcall button sharply. "Cyborg," he spat into the speaker, "you'd better have a good reason for abandoning us back there."
Robin released the button, awaiting Cyborg's sheepish, apologetic response. Static was the only answer.
"Cyborg!" barked the Boy Wonder, assuming that his teammate was either too angry or too scared to reply.
The static buzzed on unbroken, unchanging, unliving.
"Cyborg?" Robin asked, becoming more concerned about the safety of his associate, his friend.
Static, and nothing more.
Author's Note: I truly am sorry that it took this long to update. I did a lot of rewrites for this, and hit many brick walls, including coping with bronchitis. This is, and will most likely remain, my longest chapter. I hope it was well written. It truly was a challenge, but I hope the challenge helped me grow as a writer. Review, flame, whatever. I love you all (all four of you)!
Next Time: What is Cyborg's fate? Why does Cang want him? The truth will shock you!