Author's Note: Thanks to those who've reviewed Chapter 3. Shout outs:
Pixel: Heh, I thought so too. Well, Chap 4 is chock full of MORE ACTION! lol
AnimationWickedRaven: Thanks! As promised, updates are coming! Sycogerl64: My thoughts exactly, lol… well, the hits I've been getting seem to tell a slightly different story… if only those people would drop a review or two to let me know how they think the story is going…I appreciate you guys' responses, and your opinions mean a lot to me. This also goes for anyone else who is considerate enough to take a couple minutes out of his or her precious time to write a review.
On with the story.
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Chapter 4: To the Limit
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The morning sun shone down on Jump City, the pristine rays of light glinting and reflecting off of the many windows of Titans Tower. Just outside the Tower, the five Titans were limbering up, getting prepared for a training session.
"Alright Titans, standard procedure…" Robin called down to his team as he made a few last adjustments at the control panel. "We'll start off light to get warmed up, then move on from there."
"Very well then, let us begin now, please." Starfire said eagerly, her fists already beginning to glow with Starbolt energy.
"Ok, system initiated…"
At Robin's word, the armed droids suddenly sparked to life with a bit of electrical energy, their eyes lighting up and their bodies beginning to move. Starfire and Raven floated a couple feet above ground as they each began summoning their strength. Cyborg took aim at one of the droids, his right arm morphing into the Sonic Cannon and glowing with blue energy. Deciding to make the first move, he fired off an opening shot, which ripped its way through the air as it hurtled towards its target. Just before the attack would've made contact, a wall of steel shot up between the droid and Cyborg's blast. The blast exploded against the wall, leaving only a dent and a small cloud of smoke.
"You'll have to try a little harder than that…" Raven said as she ascended a few feet more, her eyes glowing white. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
A moment later, the metal wall which had just came up to protect the droid from Cyborg became the droid's undoing as Raven coated it with dark energy. With a wave of her hand, she ripped it up from the foundation and manipulated it until it was horizontal, directly above the droid's head. She then let gravity assist as she sent it crashing downward, crushing the droid in one swift motion. The force of impact shook the ground just a little, as debris was kicked up around the outside edges of the wall.
"Heh heh…nice!" Beast Boy exclaimed before shapeshifting into a panther.
"Man, if I'd charged my Sonic Cannon a little more, it would've destroyed the wall and the robot!" Cyborg said as he dashed for the nearest opponent he could find. He encountered one soon enough, and grabbed the droid's gun arm before it could fire, swinging it around and around before flinging it into two more of its comrades, the three of them crashing into a wall.
Starfire flew through the resulting explosion, closing in on a target of her own. Aware of her presence, the droid aimed its gun at her and quickly fired off a series of bright yellow energy bursts. She dodged these in midair effortlessly, then fired off a salvo of Starbolts as a counteraction. The droid raised its free hand, palm open and facing outward as a white grid-like energy shield appeared around it. The droid then moved its arm accordingly as the energy shield negated each individual Starbolt.
Quickly devising a new plan as she neared the droid, Starfire landed, planting her feet firmly on the ground as she rammed a Starbolt energy-charged fist directly into the droid's midsection, before it could reactivate the shield or fire any more energy bullets. Starfire's tremendous punch left a gaping hole filled with exposed circuits and wires as she removed her fist, electricity tracing arcs across the gap from end to end. Another couple seconds and the droid exploded, Starfire shielding her face from the debris with her arms.
Just as the smoke was beginning to clear, Starfire could see a green shape, low to the ground, moving rapidly toward her. She instinctively ducked as panther Beast Boy bounded over her, the lean cat colliding forcefully with another droid who was in the middle of attempting a sneak attack on Starfire. Beast Boy pinned the droid to the ground, one paw restricting the movement of the droid's gun arm as he clawed at it with the other paw, until he'd scratched away some of the plating on the droid's chest.
Once he created this opening, Beast Boy transformed into a mouse, whereby he climbed into the droid and began gnawing at its internal wiring. After chewing through a wire or two, Beast Boy made his way back out, where he detransformed to watch the droid shut down, all smiles as he admired his handiwork.
"…I wish to express gratitude for your assistance." Beast Boy heard Starfire speak as she walked up behind him. Beast Boy turned his head to look her way, while flashing a thumbs up.
"Heh, no sweat!" Beast Boy said with a smile. Starfire giggled, emulating Beast Boy's thumbs up as best she could with one of her own.
"On my planet, such a gesture would mean the Alkrenians were invading…" Starfire mused, deciding that the Earth meaning was much different.
Meanwhile, Cyborg punched down a wall to reveal two more droids, already taking aim and shooting in his direction. As they began to move in on him, Raven flew over to his side, firing a piercing blast of black energy while Cyborg simultaneously fired a shot from his Cannon. Both attacks hit a droid in the head, which caused the droids to collapse onto one another. With no more immediate threats to deal with, Cyborg shot a glance back toward the control panel, where Robin was still standing.
"Yo Robin," he called, a hint of impatience in his voice. "…you just gonna sit up there all day, or what?"
Robin smirked, then extended his bo staff as he hopped over the panel, running down the cliff face for a few steps to build up speed until he hopped from the vertical surface, bringing the staff down upon a droid's head who'd just sprang up from the ground behind Cyborg and Raven. As Robin landed in a crouch, the droid whom he'd just attacked fell over sideways, its head smashed in.
"I figured I'd let you guys handle the easy ones…" Robin said as he whipped the staff around, getting into a ready stance. The others only looked at him quizzically as they wondered what was coming, but found out soon enough. A few mechanical sounds under their feet accompanied a low rumbling noise as metal plates under the ground began to move, opening a hole in the center of the plain. The rumblings became louder as the sound of metal grinding against metal could be heard. Something big was coming to the surface.
"Great…" thought Raven, brushing dust off her body and cloak while floating backwards a little to put some distance between herself and whatever was going to come out of that hole. "…What next?"
"Dudes, I don't like the sound of this…" Beast Boy began, sounding just a tad worried. "Robin…what have you got planned for us…?"
Raven and Beast Boy's questions were soon answered when a humongous battlemech rose from the center of the plain. The silver and blue behemoth towered at nearly 25 feet, and came equipped with a small armory consisting of a plasma rifle in one hand, a smaller energy gun in the other, various missiles and rockets lining its arms, shoulders, and torso, as well as energy blades that could be extended from the wrists. And that was only what could be seen on the exterior…
"…The Annihilator mk.III, courtesy of Cyborg." Robin said, the giant robot still not moving quite yet. Cyborg ogled the machine, adoring every aspect of it with a contented sigh. Beast Boy however, stared incredulously at it, mouth hanging wide as he pointed at it in total disbelief.
"Cy… you MADE that?"
Cyborg smirked, still admiring his creation. "Well, I had a little help from Robin. Logistics, you know. Ain't she beautiful, though? Not since the T-Car have I built anything this pretty. Brings a tear to my eye…"
"But…but…the thing's armed to the teeth!" Beast Boy shouted. "I don't wanna be blown up!"
"Don't worry," Robin began, turning slightly to glance at Beast Boy reassuringly. "Those aren't live rounds. Cyborg and I tuned it for training in order to avoid seriously injuring anyone. Well, most of the stuff it can do in training mode wouldn't hurt you any more than the energy bullets those regular droids were just using. It might sting for a little while afterwards, but you'll be fine."
Starfire nodded, looking up at the machine in slight awe. "Robin and Cyborg would not construct a machine that could seriously damage us…together, I know we can defeat it!"
"It still looks dangerous…" Raven said, making sure she was far enough from it to dodge anything it might shoot at her. She did not want to experience the feeling of being cut by its laser blades, even if they were set to low-intensity. At its current settings, such an attack probably wouldn't even break the skin, but Raven didn't care. Getting close to it was simply a risk she didn't want to take.
Suddenly, the Annihilator came to life, its eyes glowing bright yellow. Jets of steam hissed from the joints as it lumbered toward the Titans, one heavy step at a time.
"Stay sharp!" Robin yelled, his grip tight on his bo staff. "Titans, move!"
Without warning, hidden boosters on the back of the Annihilator fired, sending blue flames out behind it as it suddenly careened toward the five, all the while firing rounds from its rifle. The Titans dodged, Beast Boy transforming into a cheetah and sprinting around to the rear. Starfire flew up high, over the Annihilator's head, raining down a hail of Starbolts upon it. The Starbolts exploded on impact, but when the dust cleared, Starfire saw with dismay that little actual damage had been done, save for a few scorch marks.
Robin reached into his utility belt and drew a handful of bombs, which he then flung into the Annihilator's chest area. The bombs also left scorch markings on the machine, although there seemed to be no real effect besides slowing the thing down for a few moments. Cyborg rolled sideways in order to dodge bullets from the small energy pistol, while at the same time attacking with a burst of shots from his Sonic Cannon. Cyborg's aim was true, and his Cannon shots hit the Annihilator's plasma rifle directly, disabling it as a shower of sparks shot out from the Annihilator's right arm.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" At Raven's chant, all the destroyed metal walls and smaller droids in the area were absorbed in dark energy. After a few arm movements, Raven sent them all crashing inward, smashing into the Annihilator from all sides. The resulting explosion seemed to stun the giant, if only for a few short moments before it pointed its pistol at Raven and fired off a few shots. To defend, Raven thrust both her arms forward and created a black shield of energy that the bullets simply bounced off of.
Finally out of the behemoth's field of vision, cheetah Beast Boy jumped up, morphing into a rhino in midair to ram his horn into the Annihilator's back, right between the two boosters. The force of the hit caused the Annihilator to stumble forward a couple steps, but it also sent Beast Boy reeling back to the ground, where he detransformed, holding his nose in agony.
"Dude…that HURT!"
Robin ran in on the machine, hopping up to strike with his staff at the Annihilator's legs. In turn, the Annihilator dropped its disabled rifle, which crashed into the ground as a blue beam blade emerged from its wrist. It slashed downward with the blade, but Robin skillfully dodged, flinging more bombs at the Annihilator's sword arm.
Starfire remained overhead, firing Starbolt after Starbolt, trying desperately to create a dent somewhere in the Annihilator's armor. To stop her pestering, The Annihilator shot a couple missiles from its shoulders, which curved upward to home in on Starfire. Distracted momentarily when she glanced at Beast Boy over on the ground, Starfire didn't see the missiles closing in until Robin called out to her, forcing her attention back to the fight. She crossed her arms over her face and chest to defend herself at the last moment, letting out a surprised gasp as the missiles detonated, sending her flying backward. The Tamaranian hurtled through the air until she collided with Raven, who at the moment was trying to focus her energies for another chant. The girls plummeted to the ground, landing in a heap. Robin broke off his attack to head in their direction, but Starfire was quickly back on her feet, smiling bashfully.
"Fear not, Robin," she began. "We are undamaged!"
"Speak for yourself…" Raven said softly, slowly rising to her feet. Sure, Starfire looked pretty light, but she felt like a ton of bricks when smacking into you at 70 mph, as Raven could attest.
A few moments later, the Annihilator attacked again, firing off a full set of rockets all aimed at Robin, Starfire and Raven. Despite the situation, Cyborg couldn't help but smile a bit while watching his creation do battle.
"It's…so beautiful…"
"Dude…" Beast Boy said, his hands still tending to his nose. "Stop gushing over it and help us beat it!"
Robin grabbed more bombs from his utility belt, and Starfire's hands and eyes once again began to glow bright green in response, but it was Raven who saved them.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
Her eyes glowed white as she thrust both arms outward again, palms open. The incoming rockets were consumed by dark energy, slowing to a halt just a short distance from the three Titans as Raven took control of them. She turned them in a complete 180° and sent them racing back to where they originated. After a massive explosion, the Annihilator stumbled back several steps, nearly crushing Beast Boy. To escape, he'd transformed into a cheetah again to sprint out of harm's way.
"Star, give me a lift!" Robin said, extending an arm to Starfire. She nodded, taking hold of his arm in hers before taking flight, making a beeline right for the off-balance Annihilator. Once they'd gotten close, Starfire flung Robin toward the machine. Robin flipped in midair, grabbing several more bombs from his belt. "Cyborg, NOW!"
Cyborg had been charging the Sonic Cannon, and at Robin's word, fired off a stream of blue energy, aimed straight for the center of the Annihilator. Robin simultaneously whipped a handful of explosive disks, aimed at the exact same spot to complete the Sonic Boom maneuver. Robin and Cyborg's assault was perfectly orchestrated, an enormous fiery explosion swirling out from the point of impact. The Annihilator was lifted off its feet, flying backward to land on its back in a monstrous crash back at the center of plain, where it had originally surfaced. Robin landed in a crouch right at the Annihilator's feet, the bo staff held at his side.
"So…that's it, then?" Raven asked, surprised that the fight was over so quickly, but in no hurry to complain. Robin slowly stood as Starfire clapped in delight.
"Yeah…" Robin said, just as the elevator began moving again, taking the defeated Annihilator back underground. "Good work, team."
A detransformed Beast Boy simply stammered, mouth hanging open before a slight scowl appeared. "You guys took it out just like that? You're the ones who built it in the first place!" he said, still in shock. "I bet you two had it all planned out all along!"
"Well, if training's over, I'm heading back inside…" Raven said, as she turned and flew back toward the Tower entrance.
"I think I hear the GameStation XL calling me…"Beast Boy shook his head and transformed into a seagull as he followed Raven inside. Starfire smiled and waved.
"Oh! It is time to feed Silkie again! He will catch 'the grumpy' if he does not have his Zorkaberries…" With that, Starfire took to the air, heading back inside as well. Cyborg was already on his way back in too. "Man, that was some nice teamwork back there…even though I didn't even get to see my baby use her internal cannon…"
He then glanced back and saw Robin still standing down in the central area, his back to the Tower.
"Cyborg…" Robin said, still not moving, his tone sounding serious. "…run the Red X simulator for me."
Cyborg went wide-eyed, not believing what he was hearing. "Say WHAT? Robin, man, Combat Training is over!"
"Not for me…" Robin said calmly.
"Besides, didn't you see everyone else head back in already? They're--"
"I'll fight it alone."
"You sure?" Cyborg asked, slowly walking back over to the control panel. "If you want, you can rest up a bit first, and--"
"Positive."
"Alright man…you got it…" Cyborg put in a few commands at the panel, pausing for a moment to ask Robin a question. "What difficulty level? Simple, Average, Advanced…?"
"Total Simulation." Robin said. That mode was placed above even the most challenging of the Training Center's difficulty levels. It was built to accurately simulate every aspect of the person being emulated. Cyborg couldn't help but feel concerned, but he had to remember who he was talking to. This was Robin. Robin was the one who once taught him about ignoring the body's limits, taught him about pushing himself just a little bit farther than he once thought possible, to be just a little bit better…if anyone knew what he was doing, it was Robin. Cyborg would just have to trust him on that.
"Ok then, it's all set. Do your thing. I'm headin' back in to whomp BB in the games, then I'll probably head down to start repairs on the Annihilator. If X starts kickin' your ass too bad, just holler…"
"Right…" Robin said, finally turning his head slightly to smirk up at Cyborg. Cyborg nodded, then turned to head back into the Tower.
A few moments later, the ground some distance behind Robin lit up, a column of white light seemed to surge up from the ground itself. A figure began to take shape in the light, the image made complete as the light began to fade away.
"You know, you should've kept your team out here if you wanted to do this, kid." There was no mistaking the voice. The Boy Wonder turned around, whipping his staff about to point the end at the simulated Red X.
"The next time I fight you…" Robin said, eyes narrowed, "…the real you…I'm ripping that damn mask off your face."
The simulation stood firm, hands on hips. "I'm shaking with fear."
Robin made a mad dash for Red X, swinging the bo staff in a wide, swinging arc. Red X simply chuckled, dodging by leaping straight up into the air. After a couple midair flips, Red X thrust both arms and legs outward while facing Robin, almost seeming to float weightless for a few brief moments. Robin quickly looked up, to see Red X pointing both palms at him, a barrage of Xs closing in on his head…
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Starfire drifted through the Tower, carrying her pet worm in her arms. There was a look of slight worry on her face as she headed into the Tower's main room. There, she saw Cyborg and Beast Boy playing video games, while Raven sat on the couch, totally immersed in a thick book, seemingly oblivious to all the noise coming from the two boys and their giant TV screen.
"Oh, I got you now boy!" Cyborg exclaimed, eyes lit up with excitement. "You can't beat me!"
"No way! I'm still totally gonna trash you!" came Beast Boy's competitive response.
"Friends…" Starfire said, her growing worry seeping through into her voice. "…where is Robin? After the Combat Training, I have searched the Tower, including the rooms where the villainous items are held, but he is not--"
"He's still out training." Cyborg said, refusing to look away from the game.
"…Training? But, the Combat Training for today has already--"
"Yeah…Robin still wanted to keep going. He's out there fighting the Red X Sim right now. Can't you hear all the explosions?"
Starfire gasped a quiet gasp, and quickly turned around to begin heading toward the Training Center, nearly dropping Silkie in the process.
"Hold it right there, Star." Cyborg called, still focusing on the game. "He wants to be alone, so just be cool, alright?"
"Be cool?" Starfire said, furrowing her brow as hints of anger began rising in her voice. "Surely you do not understand… Robin should not be--"
"Star, calm down…" Beast Boy said, trying to assist Cyborg in the debate while at the same time trying to smash his car off the road in the game. "You know how Robin gets all 'Leave me alone' when Red X or Slade comes up. You just gotta let him do what he wants."
"Starfire…Robin knows what he's doing…" Raven said, glancing up from her book for only a moment to meet Starfire's worried gaze. "We just need to trust him."
"But--"
"Star, it's alright. Robin's gonna be fine." Cyborg said, trying his best to reassure her.
Starfire looked from person to person, then sighed heavily, realizing that they were probably right. She resignedly floated over to an empty spot on the couch, cradling Silkie in her arms as she rubbed his belly, the look of saddened concern still present in her eyes.
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Robin lay sprawled on his back after taking a forceful kick to the gut from Red X. Unrelenting, the simulation pounced, extracting wrist blades and attempting to stab them through Robin's throat. For his private training session with Red X, Robin made sure that there were no safety precautions, save for life-threatening injuries. If the Red X simulation hit Robin in Total Simulation Mode, he'd feel every ounce of the pain, and he'd also have the bruises to show for it.
Robin brought up his staff just in time to parry Red Xs stab attack, while kicking his feet up into Red X's torso to flip the simulated thief over him. With Red X temporarily grounded, Robin rolled into a standing recovery, getting back into fighting stance as Red X got back to his feet.
"You're getting tired…" Red X taunted, folding his arms. "I can tell."
"Tired or not, I won't rest until I put you away!" Robin defiantly yelled.
A second later, Robin pulled a Birdarang from his belt, tossing it at Red X. To avoid this, Red X extracted a single wrist blade, slicing the Birdarang into two pieces which harmlessly fell at his sides. Seeing his attack negated, Robin dropped into a defensive stance as Red leapt at him again, aiming a punch for his head. Robin blocked it with his forearm, countering with a palm thrust that nailed Red X square in the face. Red X took a step back to recoil, then ducked under a swipe from Robin's staff, to rise up with an uppercut that caught Robin's chin. Robin stumbled back a couple steps, quickly shaking off the sting to dodge a few more punches from Red X.
Going on the offensive again, Robin swung his staff, aiming it for Red X's chest. With a skillful sidestep, Red X dodged, hitting Robin with a side kick that forced him to the ground again. In retaliation however, Robin threw a single bomb, which Red X saw coming but was unable to avoid. The explosion sent Red X flying several feet, until he landed hard on the ground, although he was quick to rise once again. Robin too was back on his feet in an instant.
"Hey kid, ready to call it quits yet?" Red X asked, his back to Robin.
"Not by a longshot." Came Robin's reply, as serious as ever.
Without warning, Red X swiftly turned to fire a shuriken X aimed at Robin's head. Reacting on a dime, Robin deftly slapped it away using his staff. In the same motion, Robin flung a handful of explosive disk-shaped bombs Red X's way. With the same speed Robin had, Red X protected himself by firing off explosive Xs, each one aimed at one of the bombs Robin had thrown. The opposing sides met in the middle, a giant explosion knocking both fighters several feet away from each other. Not long after, both were on their feet again, sprinting toward each other, their weapons at the ready, an inevitable clash waiting to happen...
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Back inside the Tower, Starfire had been watching Beast Boy and Cyborg's game on the big-screen TV, Silkie asleep in her lap.
"May we now go see Robin?" She asked hopefully.
"He said he wanted to be alone." Cyborg said, mashing the buttons on his controller like a madman. Starfire sighed again, becoming dejected as she remained on the couch.
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Robin's staff collided with Red X's wrist blades, a shower of sparks coating both sides. The lock didn't last long as both sides disengaged, only to lock weapons again at a different angle, and again, and again. Tired of the stalemate, they leapt away from each other as Robin dashed in again, aiming a roundhouse kick for Red X's jaw. Red X ducked under, sweeping a leg out to trip Robin to the ground.
Once again, Red X tried to attack the downed Robin with wrist blades, but Robin rolled to safety, holding firm with his staff to deflect a few more incoming Xs. While Robin was busy deflecting, Red X dashed at him, both wrist blades closing in on his face. Just before Red X would've reached Robin, he faded from view, vanishing entirely in a flash of light. Still caught in the moment of battle, Robin looked about his surroundings in a panic, thinking Red X had either teleported or activated his Invisibility Cloak. Neither of these were the case as Robin soon heard a familiar voice calling down to him.
"Yo, Robin!" It was Cyborg. Robin looked up to see him at the control panel. "We got trouble..."
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Author's Note: Whoo! Feels good to update! Not a whole lot to say this time around, just wait for the next one! (Oh, and write a review while you wait!) Next time, the Titans answer the call, and Raven decides something needs to be done…