The Next Element
Sorry for the wait, guys. It's here now though. By the way, I saw TE One, never saw TE 2. Could someone fill me in, please?
Titans Tower"Terra," said Beast Boy, bewildered. He was looking at her like he'd seen a ghost; a familiar one that was haunting him.
Misty looked from him, to Robin, to Raven, and each one of them, and then back again. She felt like a movie and a windmill at the same time. "Uh… no," she said slowly, smiling. "Misty. My name is Misty, remember?" People kept looking at you. "Okay, why is everyone looking at me?"
Raven walked up, the first to stop staring and the person with the least expression otherwise. "You look like someone we used to know," she explained, taking her hood off, revealing her purple hair. "Her name was Terra, and you two could be twins. Except for the hair; she was a blond."
She stopped talking and the silence prolonged. By the time anyone else made a sign of mobility, the police had left with the prisoners they'd captured, including the little green kid.
"Conference!" cried Cyborg and almost instantaneously everyone huddled like a college football team. They were whispering, and they all kept stealing glances at her. If it was supposed to be secretive, they obviously weren't doing a very good job of keeping it that way.
Misty remained, several feet away, looking around uncomfortably. "Ooookay," she said, rubbing her arm. "It's been a fun day! My bus exploded, chasing away freaky criminals, and meeting famous superheroes. This is better than any tour." She smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "I really ought to start looking for a place to crash, though. Bye!"
Before she could walk five steps, Robin called from behind her. "Misty, wait," he said. Misty grimaced and then turned around with a faked look of interest. Robin faced her, the rest behind him and Starfire clinging to his sleeve. He looked really annoyed at it but let it pass. "If you don't have anywhere to stay, you could always stay with us at the tower."
"Uh, thanks, but no," she said, walking backwards. "I'm good."
"No you are not!" Starfire cried. She released Robin and flew toward Misty, floating in front of her face and inching nearer with every word. "I can not permit my friend to find a smelly old hotel in an alley and stay there all alone with bricks in the windows!"
Misty bent backwards, about to loose her balance, because Starfire was so close. "I was thinking a place where they leave mints on your pillows," she said.
Cyborg walked up behind her and flashed a please-be-convinced smile. "Aw, c'mon," he said. "Titans Tower is better than any old hotel!" Misty looked around at the three of them, feeling pressured. Then again, maybe just for a night…
They all looked at her expectantly. She didn't have a lot of money now, and she did have a few things in common with them, i.e. superpowers. "Well," she said slowly, "I guess I could stay."
Starfire and Cyborg cheered, while Starfire grappled Misty's neck. She wondered if the crazed girl had ever killed anyone before. The two of them started to lead her to a little blue car. She twisted your neck back to see Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy. Robin and Raven were standing next to each other, looks of doubt on their serious faces. They exchanged glances, and then followed the three of them. Beast Boy lagged behind, but Misty didn't have time to contemplate his expression, for they'd reached the car. After inspecting it quickly, it was obvious who had built it, painted it, or whatever the design was. It matched the robotic parts of Cyborg.
It was then that Misty detected a problem. She lifted her finger and counted silently. "There are only five seats," she pointed out, "and six people."
"We know," said Robin. Misty detected an overly friendly tone in his voice. "Starfire, Beast Boy, or Raven will just have to fly to the tower. Which one of you will…"
Before anyone could say anything more, Beast Boy transformed quickly into a raptor and flew away into the evening sky. Misty looked up as he rose higher and flew further away. Strange, she thought. She turned to Cyborg and asked, "Is he always like that?"
Raven answered before he could. "Unfortunately, no," she said. She and Starfire climbed into the backseat, and Robin and Cyborg in the front. Raven slid off her hood and crossed her arms in a brooding way, staring out the window. It seemed like she was deliberately avoiding Misty's eye contact.
Cyborg turned around to face her and he grinned excitedly. "Watch what this baby can do!" he cried
"Cyborg, not now, it's crowded on the streets at this hour," said Robin. Cyborg's face fell, but her turned around and revved the engine.
A thought crossed Misty's mind, and she twisted around in her seat to look out the back window. "Uh, shouldn't we clean up the mess back there?" she asked. There was broken glass, car debris, and the streetlight Raven had used as a battering ram.
"The authorities and sanitation crew usually do that," Robin said, and the car sped off.
Misty glanced out of her window, watching the buildings zip by, not really registering them as she sank deeply into thought. This was almost immediately interrupted by Starfire tapping on her shoulder. She turned around and through her dark hair she saw an inquisitive alien expression. "Yeah?" she asked.
"Would you like to see our home?" she asked, pointing through Raven's side of the window. From there, she could see a tan colored beach, the sun growing ever-closer to the horizon. Off to the right, there was a very distinctly shaped letter T jutting out from an island about a mile or two away from the mainland.
Misty was instantly curious, twisting around and pulling her hair back to get a closer look. "Cool," she whispered. "That's possibly the best real estate I've ever seen, even on TV." She looked back at Starfire, who she had been leaning over to look through the window better. "That's Titans Tower, I suppose?" Starfire smiled as an answer. "Well, you guys have a nice place to crash," she commented, leaning back. She'd always wanted to live on an island, and that would be the perfect place for her. No, she couldn't start thinking like that. "Just give me some time to find a permanent place and I'll be right out of there."
"No!" Starfire cried defiantly. "I have already said that you must not live in a lonely place and that is final!"
"Look, guys," she said, trying to explain, "I appreciate you just taking me in without even really knowing me, but I don't have to stay. I don't want to make an impression or be a burden."
"Oh, you will not be a burden at all!" Starfire replied. She put a finger to her chin thoughtfully and then gasped happily. "Maybe you can even become a Teen Titan!"
Raven moaned and leaned her head against the window. "Just like last time," she muttered. Misty looked sideways at her, wondering what she had meant.
"Raven!" Cyborg snapped, almost inaudibly. I was obvious that Misty was not meant to know what Raven was talking about. She looked into her lap and thought, but nothing jumped out at her. Why would it? She'd only just met these people. Yet she felt so welcome. Pfft. Right.
Robin turned in his seat and gave Starfire a meaningful look. "Uh, Star? It'll take a while until we can decide on that."
The happy expression on her face immediately transformed to one of realization, then of sadness. She lowered her head and said, downtrodden, "Yes. Of course."
Misty was confused even more. She looked at each person in turn and then said, "Okay. I missed something, didn't I?"
"We'll tell you later," Robin said, as if the conversation were over. As far as Misty was concerned it wasn't. She opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. Maybe she shouldn't quarrel with the people who were taking her in. Of course, they knew not what they were dealing with. How could they? Would they have to? Now Misty's head hurt, thinking about it all. She had to put it in the back of her mind before she got too upset.
Cyborg pulled out onto the boardwalk, driving ever closer to the tower. The silence in the car was infuriatingly boring. So, she began thinking up excuses to leave the next day. Where could she go now when she'd already made a disturbance in the town? She just had to help, she just had to show her powers, she just had to join up with the local superheroes and now anywhere she went people would know her. Sure, she'd gone underground before, in hideouts and quarters where too many black market deals and the like had happened, but she didn't want to do that again. A girl just couldn't live decently where if anyone thought you were listening they'd shoot you. Perhaps… maybe she could stay? Starfire had said that she could be a Teen Titan. She could finally have a reason to use her powers to help. Maybe they'd help, or at least accept her. That was something no one else had ever done before, at least not for long. But she wouldn't allow herself to get her hopes to far up. What if she ended up doing more harm than help?
The car crossed over into the beach and drove across the sand until Titans Tower was directly in front of them. The car stopped and faced the ocean. The very small, very sinkable car facing a vast ocean. Cyborg grinned and turned to face Misty. "Check this out," he said proudly, pressing a green button on the dashboard. At first, nothing happened, and the idea that every one of these people was just a tad insane surfaced in her mind. But then she caught a disturbance in the water, which turned into waves, which resulted in some kind of long, metallic platform reaching all the way from the beach to the island. It was just wade enough for a car to drive across.
Misty released a small smile and nodded. "Wow," she said. The car moved on to the bridge and began to drive toward the island, the ocean splashing against the sides. Misty looked out the window excitedly, loving the view. It was almost as if she wasn't on a road, but actually moving on top of the water. What the Titans were able to do was amazing.
Finally the car drove onto the island, and the bridge sunk below the sea. They drove on for a few more moments before driving into a garage… a really, really big garage. "Cyborg likes toys, I presume," she said.
"Booya," said Cyborg, stopping the car. Everyone piled out, the last out being Misty. She almost didn't want to set foot inside. That'd almost be like sealing her fate. She was about to ask to be driven back to the crime scene, but took a deep breath and walked out, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder.
"Let's get inside, make her comfortable, and then get to work," said Robin. He looked at Misty and added, "We have some things to be done. Sorry we can't be more hospitable, but something serious has happened."
The group reached an elevator and entered, and Robin pushed a button for the top floor. "You mean the attack and burglary," she said. "Anything I can maybe help with?"
"Not unless you know anything at all about Hive Academy," he replied.
Misty gripped her bag. "What exactly is this Hive that you're talking about?"
"Basically," said Cyborg, "it's a school for teenagers with superpowers like us, only their headmaster has them all brainwashed and they're criminals."
Misty nodded. "School of super villains. Sounds like a comic book."
"Tell me about it," he said. "I've had plenty of run-ins with those guys."
She looked up quickly at Cyborg, then away. It was apparent to her that Cyborg was possibly the friendliest of them all to her. Beast Boy flew away, Raven seemed to have an unjustified grudge against her, and Robin had this great aura of tension around him. Starfire had squeezed her so tightly she about fainted, which was seemingly too friendly for her tastes. She was already feeling attached to him, like a friend or something. That wasn't exactly safe.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. There was a small hallway, then another door. Robin led them all to it, and the door slid open. If Misty's jaw was long enough, it would have hit the floor. Instead, she whistled. "You guys. Have. Cash." She immediately ran over to the large window, plastering her hands to it. The view of the ocean and part of Gotham Harbor was incredible.
Somewhere from behind her, someone said, "Hey, guys. What took you so long? I guess Misty likes it here."
Misty whipped her head around and was surprised to see Beast boy. He looked to be in a much better mood. He jumped over the couch and walked to stand next to her. "Big window, huh? It's also the TV." He lifted a remote and pressed the ON button, and the middle portion of the window lit up to show a cooking show.
"Yeah," said Misty, grinning despite herself. "It's awesome here."
"The couch is comfy, too," he said, walking next to it. "I'm not allowed on it, though. Cy's rules. You know, dog fur and everything." He morphed into a green dog quickly, and then morphed back.
Misty chuckled. "Cool." She stopped laughing suddenly as Beast Boy' mood changed. He just stood there, staring at her face intently. Misty's hair fell over her face as she frowned, covering half of it. She grimaced and coughed, and Beast Boy looked away.
"Ooookay," said Cyborg. "Who wants pizza?"
"Sorry, Cy," said Robin, "but we have things to do, remember?" Her looked at Misty and said, "Like I said, we wish we could be good hosts right now, but we have to see if this is a normal Hive thing or something bigger."
Maybe it'd be easier if they hadn't gotten away, she started to think, but shunted that out.
"Oh, Robin, can it not wait for three frenicks?" she begged, clapping her hands together.
"Yeah, she needs the grand tour!" Cyborg cried, slapping his metal hand on her shoulder and pushing her toward the door. She ducked and moved back.
"No, no, it's okay," she said. "I don't need a tour, but you guys have to work on, well, whatever it is you do. Besides it's just tonight, I don't need-"
"What?" asked Beast Boy, only just now hearing this. "Only one night?"
"Misty, please stay for more than one night!" Starfire said, flying over to her. "Please, please, please, with the crystallized sugar and sweet white cream on top of it!"
You backed away slowly, looking over to Robin and Raven almost pleading for advice. Raven sighed. "You might as well stay for a couple of days. It's not a huge problem with me if you do." A moment of silence passed as that sunk in, everyone but Misty looking surprised.
"See, even Raven thinks you should stay!" Beast Boy said. "And in case you didn't know, that's a good thing."
Misty sighed and held out her hand. "Lead the way."
Twenty minutes later, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast boy had led Misty back to the living room, after showing her where everyone's rooms were, the bathrooms and exercise rooms, obstacle courses, and everything else imperative to know. She went to the couch and sat down, mentally exhausted from all of the information that had been crammed into her brain. Perhaps a quick shut-eye would do her some good. She leaned her head against the couch arm and was ready to go to sleep when she heard hushed voices, her name among them. She opened one eye slightly, and spotted their blurry, upside down forms.
"Misty could… just like… what if she…. work… like last time?" asked Raven. It was hard to catch and decipher all of the muttered words.
"Aw, c'mon," moaned Beast Boy. "… Make sure… Terra… she isn't going…"
"Beast… we have… make sure," said Robin softly. "… Makes sense… too coincidental."
"We could… questions… looks exactly like her," Cyborg said.
"Can't believe… stupid… treat her like… enemy!"
"Please, Beast Boy, let's… be certain," said Starfire.
"… get it… with. We have to be…" said Raven.
Misty frowned and stared at the floor, her eyes visibly open now. Why were they whispering about her? Why did they absolutely insist on her being welcome here and then gossip about her. Half the time it was like she could almost get used to it here, but then they all did something like this and make her feel like an outsider again. Wait. Did they know? Could they know? She wasn't listening anymore, but thinking, her eyes closed again. Who was this Terra she looked so much like, and why was it that whenever they whispered about her the name Terra had come up at some point?
Someone tapped her shoulder and she opened her eyes, staring up at Robin's face. "We need to ask you some questions," he said seriously. His tone caused dread to leak into your veins like ice.
She sat up and turned around, looking at him nervously. "What kind of questions?"
AN: Booya! Another cliffhanger, I think. And before you say anything, I don't think any Cyborg/Misty pairings are applicable. Hey, I haven't advanced this very intricately, I could decide to put it in, but I'm thinking not. Any other questions, comments, or critiques, please tell me via review. Thanks bunches!
Phebga Madam Fortress Mommy (The Resident Lunatic Asylum Outpatient)