Insaneiac: Sweet…Cheesecake…Zeus…I am tired. The coffee, it does nothing. I hope you all love me. Anyways, I promised a bit of a lighter chapter for you all, including some much needed explanations on Blink's part. Before everything else though, I need to dish out some respect. Psycicflower started from chapter one, and read the whole thing, reviewing along the way. Major kudos to you, and glad you like this story so far. Now then, I've just downed my pot of coffee, and am ready to get this show on the road. And for the record, albeit the lyrics are original, it is sung just like the Teen Titan's theme song. You'll know what I mean later.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone other than Blink, despite what he might tell you.

Chapter 3: The Exiles, Part 1

A large smile planted itself neatly on Blink's face as he walked into the main area of Red-X's underground mansion. Terra had not really been sure what to make of it, but Beast Boy was stunned speechless, his mouth hanging open. How a thief like Red-X could get himself such a mind-bogglingly intricate lair was not only beyond him, but well past any level of understanding he could reach. Throwing himself like a dart, Blink landed comfortably onto rather large couch Red had acquired through no legal means. Terra was content to sitting on the arm of the cough, a happy smile resting on her face. Red had went directly to his large central monitor to do various status reports, checking the footage from his hidden cameras to make sure everything was in order. Beast Boy, however, still stood in awe at the entrance to the room, mouth still hanging open.

"I thought crime doesn't pay…" Beast Boy muttered, not suspecting the slightly friendly smack on the back by Blink. Of course, Beast Boy was incredibly confused at this, seeing as how Blink had just thrown himself onto a couch; when he remembered just what Blink could do in the, and with every pun very intended, blink of an eye.

"BB, that's hypocritical hero-istic brainwashing." Blink cooed, scoring a slight chuckle from Red-X. "Why hell mate, with all the green I've gotten, I could run mah own theme park. I'd call it Blink-land."

"That's original." Terra quipped, humming innocently when Blink threw her the evil eye. Blink was absolutely famous amidst the friends for two things. His really lame original creations, and his very vicious evil eye. Both capable of sucking the humour out of any situation at all. Beast Boy had once referred to it as comedy kryptonite, before getting smacked upside the head by an eavesdropping Blink. Little did he know, he had been interrupting a very private moment between Terra and Beast Boy, and faced the full blunt of their wrath. And when confronted by one element controlling step-sister, and one shape-changing best friend, even the most steadfast person alive would pee himself.

"Seriously…Blink-land? Dude, that's lame." Beast Boy muttered, looking away and twiddling his thumbs as Blink cast the same evil eye his direction. Pre-emptively, he cast his evil eye at Red-X, who only responded with an uncaring wave of his hand. Defeated, Blink through himself back onto the couch, wrapping his arms around one of the pillows.

"How can you guys be so cold?" Blink moaned.

"Dammit!" Red-X yelled, slamming his hands on the desk. Spinning around, X hurled a stapler at Blink, who caught it in mid-flight. "How stupid can you be Blink?"

Before Blink could answer, both Terra and Beast Boy chimed in, simultaneously, "No one really knows." The two looked at each other with big smiles, before turning back to Blink, who was switching glares between the two. Both Terra and Beast Boy had to hold back their laughter as they saw his face red with embarrassment. It's not often your best-friend and step-sister deliver a perfectly timed co-operative insult.

"First of all, that was downright icy mates." Blink muttered, pouting. This only served to cause the two friends/more-than-friends to break into hysterics, embarrassing the Australian even further. "Second of all, what is with the hostility Red?"

"You attracted a busy little bee. He's peeking around my area of town. That's a bad thing Blink." Red-X replied, sighing as he pointed to the screen, which currently had Speedy's face on it. "I doubt I need to tell you how comfortable my little hovel is right now. If girl-scout finds even one of my camera's, hero will come down here and ransack the area until they find something."

Blink tilted his head as Red-X spoke, smiling at various points of it. "Are you sure zipper could pass as a girl-scout? I've met some of them, and they can be pretty tough cookies." Blink stated, this time getting hit clean in the head by a mug. "OW! Listen to me Red. Give me two minutes, and I'll have all the Titans out of town long enough for Speedy to forget about me punching him in the face."

A long, exasperated sigh escaped Red-X's mouth, as he stared down at the ground. "And how are you going to do that? Magic?"

"When you're as amazing as me, Red, you start collecting favours." Blink began, stretching his arm in the air. "All I need to do is place a few calls to some old friends. I'll have Steel city up in arms. Titan's show up to save the day and we sneak in proper." Blink replied, crossing his arms in front of him and looking smug. However, the rest of his entourage was giving him a wide spectrum of stares. Beast Boy gave him a confused glare, Terra was giving him a incredulous look, and even though there was a mask on, Blink was sure Red-X was giving him the "you're-an-idiot" glare. "I'm serious here. Common mate, have I ever let you down before?"

"More than once in a single occasion actually." X replied coldly, glaring at Blink. "But I suppose you could try. Something is better than nothing."

With that, Blink grabbed a near-by phone and walked off, exiting the room. Turning to face Beast Boy, Red-X had to grin. 'That idiot actually manage to sucker one of the Titans into following him? Robin must have had a field day with this.' Red-X mused.

"Um dude, why are you looking at me?"

Red-X shook his head, regaining his senses as the question reached his brain. "Tell me, how did Blink manage to get you to ditch Bird Boy?" Red-X shot out. X noticed almost instantly that the mood in the room had grown significantly heavier. His eyes shot to Beast Boy, who was staring at the ground intently. He didn't need to turn his head to know that Terra was glaring at him, trying to burn a hole through his masked head.

"I was…kicked out actually. Raven did it. However, she told me that she would keep it from Robin." Beast Boy replied slowly, a chuckle escaping Red-X.

"Knowing Hero, she probably made the right choice. I could only imagine how the kid would react."

"Here's a question for you. How did your basement survive the Zenith Event?" Terra shot out, forcing the conversation off of Beast Boy. "I mean…this place looks perfect."

"Of course it is. I had the whole place reinforced. A bomb could go off on top of us, and this place would remain in tip top condition." Red-X boasted, slamming his hand onto a wall. "My impenetrable fortress. And before you ask, yes. It cost me quite a bit to get this all done. Though it was well worth the cost."

With that, Blink walked back into the room, tossing the phone back to Red-X, before dropping down onto the couch. "Done and done. Give it about an hour, and those blinkin Titans will be off to 'save the day.'" Blink bragged. "Of course, it doesn't help that I now owe several people in Steel city my thumb…" Blink muttered quietly, staring at his thumb. "But whatever mates. Once the Titan's get to Steel City, they'll be so wrapped up in the blinkin mayhem that we can just rest easy."

"You know…with Hero and his band of merry men going off…it would be the best time to get my belt back, what with Titan Tower Titanless and everything.." Red-X muttered, his voice sporting a subtle suggestiveness

"Well then, once the blokes are gone, we'll just pop in and take it. We should have ourselves a few nights without the wanksta squad to bother us. With the Titans gone, this town belongs to…" Blink began, disappearing and reappearing onto of a table to the end of the room, striking a leader-like pose. "…THE AMAZING BLINK SQUAD!" For the longest time, there was nothing but an insulting silence, only being disturbed by the sounds of eyes being rubbed in disbelief. Somehow, though no one was really sure, a big, round tumbleweed ball rolled into and out of their field of vision, effectively confusing everyone in the room.

"The…:" Red-X began, looking for something to throw. "…Amazing Blink Squad? No. No, not happening at all. Not now, not ever."

"Agreed." Terra chimed in, knocking Blink's ego down for the ten count.

"How about something like…The Exiles?" Beast Boy muttered, looking up at the group. Both Terra and Red-X nodded slowly in agreement, before looking at Blink, who was currently slouched over in shame.

"The Amazing Blink and the Exiles?" Simultaneously, two mugs and a chunk of ground slammed into Blink, knocking him off the table and flat onto his back. "Exiles is…fine." He choked out as he lay on the ground.

------ Theme Song ------

When there's trouble, you know who to blame (THE EXILES)

From their basement, mischief is their game. (THE EXILES)

When you have a job to be done

They are the best out of everyone

'Cause when the world has people to be floored

THE EXILES, ROCK!

With their awesome powers, they'll fight (THE EXILES)

Never met a hero that was alright (THE EXILES)

While good guys are totally lame

These guys rock all the same

'Cause when the world's feeling mighty bored

THE EXILES, ROCK!

1-2-3-4 ROCK!

THE EXILES!

------ The Exiles' Basement: Later On ------

Red-X smiled as he watched his screen closely, observing as the Titans collectively took off to Steel City to stop Blink's riot. "So, I guess we're bound for Titan Tower." Blink muttered, cracking his neck. "No stupid catch phrases, no annoying heroes…" Blink continued as X turned off the computer screens. "Now if only I had mah beer handy."

"Let's not forget, we're going to grab my utility belt before anything else." X stated, as the poked up through their hole. The coast was clear as day. As they slipped out, Blink gave a nod and disappeared, playing scout for the group. Looking up, Beast Boy saw Blink wave down from the rooftop of the building, then jump off towards the eyesore of a giant T off in the distance. A loud screech of a tire sounded from behind him, as Red-X skidded to a stop beside him on his X-Cycle. Flinching as a hand gripped Beast Boy's shoulder, the changeling turned to face Red-X's emotionless mask. "Welcome to my life kid. Stick with me, and you'll go far." With that, he raced off, leading both Terra and a slightly confused Beast Boy towards the tower.

"From hero to thief…" Beast Boy muttered depressed, wondering what people would think. Shaking his thoughts, he catches up with Terra, who soon after lifts a chunk of earth off the ground, and zooms off towards the tower. "From Titan to Exile…dude."

"It's a weird feeling isn't it?" Terra stated as she stared into Beast Boy's eyes. "One moment, you're a hero. People look up at you and praise you. And now your living life on the opposite side." She continued, rolling her eyes as Blink pulls off a front flip onto the next building, showing off. "Suddenly, the people that praise you turn their backs to you. But you know what?"

"What?"

"If you still have friends, close ones, than it really doesn't matter. They'll stand by you. Through the fires of Hell and the judgements of Heaven." For a brief while, the two flew towards the quiet tower in silence, all smiles, before Beast Boy finally broke the silence. Wrapping his arms around Terra's stomach gently, he rests his forehead on the back of her head.

"Thanks Tara." Beast Boy whispered sincerely, completely unaware of just how much Terra was blushing. Blink knew, for he had just caught site of the two while jumping. Terra knew he knew because, in the brief moment he saw her, he forgot he was airborne and took a header into a billboard. She had to fight with all her being to stifle the laughter that threatened to break the tender moment.

"Anytime Gar…"

------ Titan Tower ------

The lair of the mighty Titans, the home of the teenage team of superheroes, was completely and utterly silent. Everything other than the cameras and alarms were shut off, casting the large main room into an eerie darkness of sorts. With no more than a gentle thud as he landed, Blink dashed to the control panel, following Terra's and Beast Boy's advice, and turned off the alarms and cameras. The Tower was blind. Going to the nearest window, he opened it enough to toss two balls of the purple "blink" energy into the air, creating two medium sized, firework like eruptions. Staring down below, Beast Boy gave the thumbs up. With that, Terra lifted herself, Red-X and Beast Boy up into the window Blink had opened.

When the group had gotten in, Blink was sitting on the couch, feet resting on the table. In his hand he held a big box of herbal tea. Of course, Beast Boy instantly knew that, by touching them, Blink had effectively signed his death warrant. Opening the box, he took a long sniff of contents, smiling. "Whoever has the common sense in this tower to drink this tea deserves a blinkin metal of sorts." He flinched when Terra smacked him upside the head, sighing as she walked past.

"Blink, we've got work to do…let's not overstay our shaky welcome." Terra muttered dryly, looking at Red-X. "Do you know where to go?"

"I mapped this place out the day I took this suit. Of course I know where to go." Red-X shot back, before running off.

"So...how do you know Red-X Blink?" Beast Boy muttered, staring at his friend. One moment he was sitting on the couch, the next he was in the kitchen, warming up a kettle. "And do you…like herbal tea?"

The second question immediately caught the blue haired male's attention, catching him off guard as he spun around on his heels. "BB, there are but two true pleasures in this world mate. Beer and herbal tea." With that, he invaded the tea drawer, grabbing greedily at a tin of green tea. Green tea that, as Beast Boy well knew, was Raven's favourite choice. And unlike everything else, that might very well require a video camera so spot differences in, Raven would be able to tell if any was taken just by looking at the tin. "Why, is it so strange for an Aussie like mah-self to enjoy a cup of tea?"

"Yes." Both Terra and Beast Boy replied, grinning at each other. Sighing painfully, Blink's head fell limp, hanging in shame and mental agony.

"I swear, I should'a just killed you BB." Blink began, sarcasm dancing wildly in his voice. "Killed yah dead and be done with yah." He continued, before looking towards where Red-X had run off too. "If you must know mate, me and Red worked together in a circus. When I came here, Red was this big named, prodigy acrobat in some no name circus. He was their star attraction. Until they saw me blinking around the place. After that…he actually brought it up. When everything is said and done mate…we both entered the world of thievery as a team. Back then, he called himself "The Amazing Monkey." The name is stupid, I know, but he liked it." Blink reminisced, grinning as he recalled the name. "The Amazing Fade and Monkey. We even had our own calling card. Then a job went south, and we were ambushed by some thugs sent to finish us off. I distracted them long enough for Red to run off, then I made like a ghost and disappeared. They proceeded to track me down wherever I went for close to three years, until I faked my death."

Beast Boy and Terra stared in awe, watching Blink intently as he stared at the ground. "Red and I kept in contact, but never real names and never mentioning any location. A year or so after I died, I became the "Amazing Blink." Dyed my hair and went underground." The sound of a kettle clicking filled Blink's ears as he poured the contents carefully into a traditional Japanese teapot, filled with just enough green tea mix to make a strong set of cups. Then, in the typical Blink fashion, he switched off his emotions, and turned his attention to his own pleasures. "There really is nothing like the strong, full taste of green tea to loosen the senses. And since it comes without the horrible aft'a effects of a beer party, it's a win-win situation mate." Letting the kettle steep, he turned his attention back to Beast Boy and Terra, who were staring at him in complete and total awe. "Go blow it out your arse. Is it so strange that I like exotic teas?" Blink quipped, quickly regretting saying so.

"Yes!" Terra and Beast Boy exclaimed simultaneously, this time breaking into laughter. With a stomp of his foot, Red-X took the attention back to him. Around his waist was his special belt, the one that gave his suit all the awesome abilities a thief could ever want. With a smug nod, Blink lifted his hand to Red-X.

"So the king of thieves is back on his throne then?"

"You had better believe it." Red-X shot back. "What tea this time?"

"Green Tea. And it should be ready right…about…NOW!" Blink exclaimed, lifting the teapot up. Seconds later, a laser ripped through the pot, exploding the contents across the room. Although the tea was scalding hot, it wasn't that which irked Blink. It was the fact that someone, anyone, had opted in interfere with his drinking time.

"WHAT ARE YOU SCUM SWALLOWERS DOING HERE!" A juvenile like voice yelled. Blink's head finished its slow, methodical shift towards the newcomers, glaring angrily as he met the eyes of what looked like a child. Behind him were three others, one being a pink haired woman, another being a very large and foolish looking brute, and the final member being a regular looking freak in a red suit with a division symbol on his chest.

"First of all…that was mah tea mate. You never… NEVER… interrupt an Aussie's drinkin time mate. Second of all, you pintsized buggah, please don't take this the wrong way and all, but we were here first so PISS OFF!" Blink roared, throwing his hands into the air. Soon, Terra, Beast Boy and Red-X had gathered around Blink, and the two groups faced off. "Now, who the hell are you blinkin idiots, and what the hell are you doing SHOOTING MY TEA!"

Just as the kid opened to make a grand entry, Beast Boy interrupted. "It's Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth…but that other guy I've never seen before." Beast Boy counted off, staring confused at the man in red.

"For all I care, it's some freak that woke up one morning and thought he'd look pretty in a nice red suit." Red-X taunted, scoring a very angry glare from the red one. "Did you're mommy make that suit for you?

"NO SHE DID NOT!" He yelled, getting only a snicker from Red-X, and blank looks from the rest of his own team. Determined to gain some ground, he struck a pose, and pointed threateningly at Red-X "It's Billy Numerous! Remember it!" He shot back, getting only blank looks from the entire team.

"Never mind that! This Tower is now property of HIVE, you stinking crud munchers!" Gizmo shot back, pointing at Blink. Tilting his head very meticulously, Blink's eyes narrowed and locked onto Gizmo's eyes.

"I'm sorry, but did I hear that right? Sorry runt, but Titan Tower is property of The Exiles, and not you wankstahs." Blink shot back, grinning as Gizmo's eyes narrowed in response. For a second, it almost sounded as though a gust of ominous wind swept through the tower.

"I call Little Boy Red." X muttered, pressing a button on his belt, and bringing his wrist blades to life, pointing them threateningly at Billy. A very quiet gulp exited Billy's mouth, but none the less, he stared back at Red-X.

"Whatever. I'll crush greeny!" Mammoth growled, pointing at Beast Boy. A confident smirk rolled onto Beast Boy's face as he stared at largest member of the HIVE squad.

"I'll take the witch." Terra said confidently, before her eyes glowed a dim shade of yellow.

"Oh, like I haven't heard that one before." Jinx shot back, grinning as her eyes lit up in a shade of purple.

With a crack of his knuckles, and a quick rotation of his head, Blink grinned at Gizmo, pointing at him in a cocky stance. "Guess that means it's rumba time for you and me mate. Don't take this personally, but I'm going to kick your scrawny lil ass."

"Just shut up and bring it, you boot licking snot sucker!" Gizmo growled, as he pressed a button on his chest, and four large spider like legs lift him into the air. Another button was pressed and a rather large energy weapon of sorts pops up under his arm. With the two groups in lines, each member of each team facing the other, a steady silence overtook them. Then, very suave like, Blink whips his hand out towards Gizmo, pointing it at him in a gun like shape.

"EXILES! LET'S ROCK!"

A/N: Gah…yet another short chapter…Well, this was more an introduction into the Exiles. The next chapter is going to be one hefty brawl between the Hive…Four, and The Exiles. I depending on the reviewer reaction over this and the next chapter…I may have a surprise for you all. Anyways, sorry if this chapter was a little less then steady compared to the rest, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. Next chapter is the rumble inside Titan Tower. And for the record… Billy Numerous is here in place of Agent HIVE and Seemore because I figured Numerous would be a more fitting opponent for Red-X. Ugh…Personally I hate this chapter, but I'll leave judgement up to you people.