Chapter twelve: Attack of the Fans
Author's notes: Hello! Thanks to everyone who helped me pass the 200 review mark! I'm really proud:) Not much to say about this chapter...except FEAR THE FANS!
Nari: She's delirious, ignore her.
Me: Meh. Well, I'm not even going to bother with the excuses for the delay this time...you know the drill, I get busy, then I get lazy, then I get busy again...so anyway, I hope you enjoy this sad excuse for a chapter.
Nari: Whee!
Me: ...?
---
"Robin, are you there?" Starfire asked sweetly through her communicator.
Robin answered "Hey, Star. Done with- oof! Mumbo already?"
Robin was panting and grunting. Starfire assumed he was still fighting Rancid. "Yes, I am guessing you need help with the Johnny Rancid?"
"Yeah, that would be nice...ow! Urgh! Get over here as fast as you can Star. Robin, out! Hey, watch the hair!" Robin's voice fizzed out and Starfire put her communicator away.
Mumbo had been dealt with so she sped off to go help Robin.
---
"'Ey, you bratty lot! 'Ou know sharin' is against th' rules!" a familiar British voice barked. With the wave of an unspeakably gaudy wand, a group of children's rubber ball turned into an extremely heavy bowling ball decorated with spikes. A couple of the chilren began to cry at the fact they couldn't pick it up now and a few little boys scooped up handfuls of playground sand and threw them at Mad Mod's wrinkly face.
He screeched in pain. "Aurgh! I outta teach you laddies a lesson!"
"Or how about I teach you a lesson?"
Mad Mod spun around (despite the stinging of the sand in his eyes) and came face to face with Cyborg.
"Tormenting helpless little kids? That's low, Mod. Even for you."
Cyborg jabbed a metallic fist into Mad Mod's gut, which wasn't particularly painful, but certainly knocked the wind out of the old man.
Mod fell to his knees, gasping for air. As soon as he caught his breath, he stood up and waved his wand in the air again. Cyborg couldn't help but get frightening images of Mad Mod dressed up like a magical fairy, casting spells and sprinkling fairy dust everywhere...
He quickly shook the thought from his head and concentrated on the battle.
---
Once Starfire had arrived on scene, Rancid came down without a problem. Robin wasn't particularly happy, however, due to the fact he was still in the dark as to what the cause of these random attacks were. He quickly got his answer as the two Titans passed a TV display that had the news on.
"According to several sources," a yound woman holding a stack of papers was saying, "the Teen Titans have an invalid member: Raven Roth of Azarath. While the cause of her sickness is currently unknown, there are many rumors going around that she was badly attacked and is on the verge of death itself. Fans of the extremely popular goth are horrified." It cut to another TV reporter holding a mic to what appeared to be a fan's mouth.
"So, how do you feel about these rumors?" the man asked the young boy.
"It sucks!" the kid, probably around 14 or 15, blurted. "I totally love Raven! She is so hot and I've had this mondo crush on her siince, like, the first time I saw her, and she is SO the best member of the Titans, and-"
It appeared as if the TV reporter had become just as disgusted with the kid as Starfire and Robin, because he yanked the mic away brusquely.
Robin had seen enough. He whipped out his communicator and called Cyborg. "How's it going?"
"Good. I just got Mumbo into jail. You two?"
"We're done. Let's head back to the tower. Beastboy might be waiting for us."
Someone was, in fact, waiting for them. But it wasn't Beastboy...
---
'I wonder if I annoy Raven this much when I won't stop talking,' Beastboy wondered, hands clasped over his ears to block out the chatter of the eight emotions. They all seemed to be particularly eager to see him. They sat in a circle, chatting vibrantly (well, some more than others, anyway.)
Someone wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He jumped, startled at the motion, and turned to see who it was. Affection.
"I'm glad you came," she murmured. "Cyborg and Robin didn't want to tell you this, but...unless something changes..."
"What?" Beastboy asked curiously, removing his hands from his ears.
"We'll all...die."
The young boy bit his bottom lip. He was afraid that answer was going to pop up. Everyone was suddenly silent.
"Well then," Anger spoke up, "Knowledge is going to tell us how we'll find Hope."
The yellow cloaked emotion stood up in a business-like fashion and held up her book.
"In order to find Hope, we will all need to cooperate..."
---
Robin wearily walked through the door to the living room.
And the sight he saw practically made his eyeballs fall out.
Starfire and Cyborg, who had been trailing after him at a slightly slower pace, wondered what the hold up was for as they caught up with him...
Dozens and dozens of random people, ranging from children to adults, were scattered all over the place. Banners and streamers were hung up and balloons bounced nonchalantly across the room.
"Wh-what is this!" Robin exclaimed.
A young woman approached him, with an explanation obviously planned.
"I'm Rose and this is every person in Jump City that I know, who are fans of you guys. When I heard about Raven's current condition, I just felt horrible! So I figured you guys must feel bad too, right? Because she is your friend after all... So anyway, we threw a big party to make you guys feel better! So...yeah!"
The three Titans stared blankly at the chipper woman. Starfire's face twisted and turned in confusion. She knew this person...
"You are the woman I talked to at the bank, are you not?"
"Yep, that's me!"
Another blank silence.
"How on earth were you able to scrounge together a party that fast?" Robin asked pathetically.
"Good question..." 'Rose' glanced at her friends for an answer, but the all merely shrugged their shoulders. "I guess I'm just special! So let's party now!"
Before Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg could protest, they were dragged into an enthusiastic conga line.
"Please, tell me why they force us to hold onto one another's bottoms and walk around like hippos?"
---
"So you all have to spell down now, yes?" Knowledge asked.
"Yes," the other emotions answered in unison.
Anger nodded. "Right then, let's begin. Beastboy, you ought to get back."
He obeyed, stepping back several steps.
The different sides of Raven gathered in a circle, held their arms out in front of them, and began to recite words that Beastboy couldn't understand.
'Must be Azarathian 'er something like that...' he mused as he watched, enticed by the ritual.
A dead silence (there have been a lot of those, haven't there?) followed, then a sudden low rumble ended by what sounded like thunder. A bright light appeared, and for a minute, Beastboy couldn't open his eyes. When the light disappeared, a girl clothed in a soft shade of lavender stepped forward.
"Hope?" Beastboy asked.
She nodded her head in reply.
"Yeah!" he cheered. "We did it! Now Raven will be alright, right?"
"It's not that simple," Hope countered quietly.
"What do you mean? What else is there?"
Hope gracefully sat down. "Raven has not used me in such a long time...I'm not sure if I'm cut for the job anymore..."
"What do you mean!" Beastboy shouted. "You're Hope. Do you even know what that means anymore? Hope is a wish with the self-assurance that it'll be fulfilled. It's trust and confidence, even when the odds are against you. You can't just sit there and say you can't do anything when you haven't even tried!"
Knowledge paged through her dictionary, and to her surprise, Beastboy's definition of the word "Hope" was rather dead on.
Hope's expression did not change, but she nodded solemnly again. "Right...forgive my lack of confidence. I'll give it a try...for you, Beastboy."
End of chapter twelve
Next time, on Finally Snapped...
Will Hope's attempt to become a part of Raven again work? Will Raven be revived? Will the crazy fans EVER leave Titans Tower?
"Waiting," on Finally Snapped. See ya then!