Kelida and Pickles finally woke up in a high-tech room with windows along all the outside walls. Both of them were so shocked they couldn't talk at first, they just stared until they saw the view shown from the windows and realized what it meant. Their responses were quite different.
"Oh crud!" said Kelida in dismay.
But Pickles was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Wow, I can't believe we're inside the Tower!" As she tried to bounce up and down she realized she was tied to a chair, Kelida was in the same predicament. Then the doors at the opposite end of the room opened as all of the Titans entered the room, Robin at the head of the group.
"Who are you, how did you get here, what are your favourite colours and will you be my friends?" asked Starfire excitedly.
"I'm Pickles and my favourite colour is orange, we got here through a secret portal that Slade…" Pickles began but then a furious Robin interrupted her.
"How do you two know Slade!" he yelled at the captives.
"My grade eight teacher's name was Slade. And I crawled into the cupboards in his classroom…" Pickles replied.
"Eep! I told you he was going to kill us!" Kelida yelped, straining at the ropes.
Meanwhile Pickles slithered out of her bonds without a problem. As Kelida whispered to Pickles to help her free herself, Starfire began asking about dates again. Pickles turned and went over to Starfire and all the rest of the titans were too shocked to stop her.
"Well, a date is where a boy and a girl who like each other go and spend some time alone together doing enjoyable activities such as going to the movies or an amusement park." Pickles said. Starfire then turned to talk to Robin, very excited.
"Friend Robin, why have we not partaken in a date? It sounds most enjoyable. Shall we consider participating in such an activity?" asked Starfire, clapping her hands in anticipation. All the titans looked at Robin as he turned as red as a tomato. Struggling to piece together a sentence he finally worked up enough nerve to say something.
"Starfire," he sputtered, "I don't think now is the right time to discuss this."
Cyborg nudged Beast Boy and whispered something into his ear that made Beast Boy laugh, Raven arched an eyebrow as they rolled around the floor laughing.
"Well, it was nice meeting you… Wait, Kelida we're not supposed to leave!" said the small voice of Pickles as Kelida dragged her through the back exit. Raven turned and held out her hands and black energy spouted from her fingertips. Kelida and Pickles were dragged back into the room and Robin turned back to the captives, now suspended in mid-air.
"How do you know Slade!" Robin demanded, back to his interrogation.
"Well, he invaded where we live to complete an evil plot to take over the world. That's why we came here, so we could get your help!" Pickles replied.
"What evil plot?" asked Cyborg curiously.
"His plot is to eventually control people's minds, he's using a machine to distort fiction books and control people through what they read." Pickles answered.
"Are you so sure?" Raven asked sceptically.
"Draco… kissing… Hermione… pure evil. We're sure." Kelida responded, clenching her fists.
"Uhh… if I could get my hands free I could show you the newspaper article." Pickles added, reaching into her pocket. With a nod from Robin, Raven lowered them to the ground then drew the black energy back into her fingertips. Pickles then handed the folded paper to Robin who took it and started to read.
"This is serious, we'll have to stop him. But how will we get there in time?" Robin asked, after showing the other titans what the paper said.
"We'll just go back the way we came: through the portal Slade built. It's just right… there" Pickles answered, pointing to a spot on the Jump City map erected on a wall.
"Then let's go kick Slade's but!" exclaimed Beast Boy, thrusting his arm into the air. The teens went around getting all they would need for the mission and were all ready to leave in a matter of minutes.
"Okay, let's go. You two return with us then go back home, we'll handle this." Robin said.
"You'll need us along to guide you so you don't get lost or anything." Pickles replied.
"And I don't think you'd be able to manage it with those clothes either. " Kelida added, pointing at their outfits.
"We'll need directions but what's wrong with our clothes?" asked Cyborg.
"You guys would look suspicious wearing clothes like those where we live." Pickles explained. "We'll help you blend in!"
"Then the only problem left is how to explain five new mysterious friends we have to guide around to our parents." Kelida told Pickles, trying to think of a solution.
"Hmmm… I got it, Kelida!" Pickles cried, then whispered her idea into her ear. Kelida looked at her sceptically.
"Well, it's worth a try." Kelida answered. With Robin in the lead, they all headed outside to get disguises for the titans before they entered the portal. Slade would be in for a big surprise.
To be continued…