DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Teen Titans, Cartoon Network and DC Comics do. Tech, Ember and Matthias are my original characters and will probably be the closest I'll have at owning anything Titan-related. Also, I do NOT own ANY of the brand names mentioned in the fic. They belong to their respective companies.
A/N: Sorry for the immense hiatus. My job has consumed me alive and I started Senior year of high school a month ago. In short, WAY TOO MUCH WORK! So, sorry again and I'll try to update more often. Thanks go out once again to Chromedragozoid who once again reviewed Ch.2. Now, onto Chapter 3!
Chapter 3
Robin and Beast Boy were in the Tower's infirmary, heavily bandaged and barely conscious. Cyborg had rebooted as soon as he, Starfire, Terra and Raven reached the Tower. He, and Raven were now in Ops. Cyborg was busying himself trying to find out what exactly was the purpose of Slade's little "gift" to the Titans. Raven was watching him.
"Aw man! I hate to say it, but I can't crack the code on this damn thing!" Cyborg nearly slammed the data disk into the table in front of him. Thankfully, a black orb of Raven's energy stopped him from doing so.
"I don't think destroying it will help to solve the problem, Cy." She carefully released Cyborg's hand. "Now, take a deep breath and CALMLY try again."
"Right. Sorry Rae." Cyborg began the decoding process again. "Say, where are Terra and Star?"
"Last I checked, they were worrying over their boyfriends." said Raven, with a slight smirk.
Cyborg stopped working and turned to Raven. "Did you just make...a joke!"
Raven clapped her hands over her mouth as she realized what she just did. A lightbulb exploded over head. "Tell. No. One. Please."
"Riiiiiiiight."
Infirmary
Starfire never left Robin's bedside since they got back to the Tower. Terra had done the same with Beast Boy. Robin's injuries included a broken arm, broken leg and numerous cuts. Beast Boy had a broken nose and a mild concussion. The silence of the infirmary was broken only by the beeps of both the boys' heart-monitors. After a while, Terra broke the silence.
"Hey, Star. You said that your sister wasn't always evil. Is that true? Because it sure doesn't look like it."
Star looked like she was about to cry again. Terra saw this and apologized. "Oh. I'm sorry, Star."
"No, no it is all right, friend Terra. It is true that my sister was not always evil. I can recall times on Tameran when my sister and I would spend time together, whether it was doing the "hanging out" or playing with Galfore. She showed no signs of animosity toward me."
"Well...she sure has a lot of animosity toward you now." Terra quipped, as she gently held Beast Boy's hand.
"I do not know why she wishes to harm me now. True, she has tried twice before to be rid of me, but I doubt she wished to...kill me then." Starfire choked out the last phrase. She still could not believe that her own sister was really out to kill her.
"Listen, Star. I'm not denying the fact that your sister was good. I'm just saying that she changed. Maybe even for good." Terra released Beast Boy's hand and stood up. She walked around behind Starfire and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think it's up to you to decide what to do about it."
The heiress of Tamaran looked up at the earth friend with tear filled eyes. She sniffed once and spoke softly, "Th-thank you for your words of encouragement. You truly are a good fried, Terra. I am glad you are with us once again." Starfire stood up suddenly and pulled Terra into an enormous hug. Almost immediately, Terra heard a couple of her bones crack.
"Star! Need. Air!"
Starfire released Terra. "Sorry!" she said with a sheepish grin. Terra was about to respond when Cyborg's voice blared over the Tower's intercom.
"Star! Terra! Get to Ops now! Rae and I found out what's on the disk and you're not gonna like it!"
Terra and Starfire looked at each other, nodded and left the Infirmary and raced to Ops as fast as they could.
Ops.
Starfire and Terra burst into Ops just as Cyborg was about to call them again, He turned around and saw them just as the doors "swooshed" closed.
"There you two are! Listen, I know you guys are worried about Robin and Beast Boy, but we got some serious shit to deal with right now!"
"Well we're here now, so what's going on?" asked Terra.
"Short version: Slade's using Blackfire to take over the city." Raven said in her usual monotone voice.
"WHAT?" exclaimed Terra and Starfire together.
"See for yourself." Cyborg said as he loaded the disk Slade had left for them after the battle.
The static of the Ops main monitor was quickly replaced with the ominous and all too familiar form of Slade, seated in his hidden base. Behind him, stood Blackfire, in her orange and black apprentice outfit. There was silence for a minute. Then, Slade spoke in that calm, yet eerie tone of voice he always had.
"Hello, Titans. If you are watching this, then I have successfully introduced you to my newest apprentice, Blackfire."
Blackfire waved at them and said "Hi!" in a voice that dripped with sarcasm.
She stopped when Slade motioned for her to do so. He spoke again. "I'll get right to the heart of the matter. Jump City will be mine and there is nothing you can do to stop me. From there, I will inevitably rule the rest of the world."
He pressed a button on the control panel in his right armrest. The screen was filled with what appeared to be the city's layout. There were 10 red dots in various areas of the city. Slade continued to speak.
"Each of those dots represents a small explosive device. Take note, if you will, that each of these bombs are placed in key areas around the city, such as the Tech Sector, Jump City Bridge, Jump City Park, City Hall and other such locations. I hope you are all rested, because you all will need to move quickly to disarm the bombs. You have 4 hours. Good luck. Oh, and one more thing. I'll let my apprentice tell you."
The camera panned up until Blackfire's face was on the screen. She smirked and spoke to the Titans with a very deliberate tone. "There is no way you can disarm these bombs. You wanna know why? It's simple really. They're made from Tamaranian technology."
At this, Starfire froze. She had the look of utter terror on her face. "No." she said.
Raven heard her and spoke. "What's wrong Star?"
"Tamaranian weaponry is very powerful. Those bombs could destroy much more than their intended targets."
"Such as?" Cyborg prodded.
Starfire looked very worried. "They could destroy everything in a mile radius."
"Say what?" Cyborg and Terra yelled.
"One bomb of those sounds bad enough." Raven though out loud. "Ten of them means..."
"Half the city would be reduced to rubble." Starfire finished the sentence. Meanwhile, Slade's cryptic transmission had just ended abruptly.
"So what are we waiting for, an invitation? We already got one so let's save the damn city already!" Cyborg said as he downloaded the bombs' coordinates.
"How? We don't even know how do disarm those things." Terra was a little doubtful.
"Starfire," Raven began "I know you are still dealing with some emotional issues with your sister, but you need to help us with these bombs."
"I understand, friend Raven. I will do all I can to help." Starfire replied.
"All right then," Terra lowered her goggles over her eyes. "Let's rock."
"Teen Titans, GO!" Cyborg led the charge out of Ops. and into the city. However, he knew in the back of his mind that this particular mission would be difficult without Robin and Beast Boy.
Slade's Hideout
Slade sat in front of a mass of monitors, surveying each area where the bombs were placed. Unbeknownst to the Titans, a squad of Slade-bots were placed at each bomb, awaiting the Titans' arrival. Slade smiled under his mask. His plan was coming together quite nicely. Blackfire floated up behind him, a look of boredom on her face.
"I am bored. When can I start exacting my revenge on the Titans and that goody-two-shoes of a sister of mine?"
"Patience, apprentice. Patience." Slade replied. "We will strike once they are most vulnerable."
"Fine. What ever." Blackfire charged a starbolt in her right hand. "As long as I get to destroy Starfire once and for all."
End Chapter 3
A/N: Tiny bit of a cliffhanger there (a.k.a. Exo overworked and has writer's block). Hopefully Chapter 4 will be more exciting and come up sooner. See ya'll then!