Disclaimer: I do not, did not, and will not own the Teen Titans… Humph.
Gunsmoke And Black Roses—Chapter Twenty-Seven
HIGH NOON—Part One
"How's everything going?" Robin asked, stuffing several sets of rather deadly-looking weapons and tools into his already-packed utility belt. "… Be sure you're ready; this is gonna take all we've got."
"Well, I've just finished sharpening my blade…" Sub-Zero responded, drawing his sword, Eviglasere, with a frosty hiss; it seemed much more cruelly pointed and jagged than usual.
He sheathed it again with a pleased smile. "… And I just ate five gallons of ice cream, so I have both an adequate supply of cold-essence in me, and plenty of sugary goodness for energy." He wiped his mouth on his cape while Robin groaned and sweat dropped.
"Zero, what did I tell you about eating too much ice cream?" His pink-tressed girlfriend asked with a cross frown.
He sighed and smiled sheepishly. "I know, I know darling, but… can you blame me? We're going to need as much energy as we can muster to take down Slade and Myntull together… and besides…" He sat down on the couch and peered at the ceiling pensively. "… Who knows…? This may be the last time I have any…"
She was immediately sitting beside him, grabbing his right hand in hers; she squeezed it reassuringly. "Don't ever say stuff like that!" She scolded. "You know nothing's going to happen to us…"
Zero just smiled and leaned over to her, giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. "… Thanks, Jinx. I needed that."
"She's right." Robin added. "Nothing's going to go wrong. Slade and Myntull are outnumbered."
"Heheh… and outgunned… no pun intended." Smoke crowed, swaggering into the room… but keeping his arms behind his back and his back in the hallway so that they couldn't see what was behind him…
"Uh… Smoke…? What've you got there?" Jinx asked. Then, her cat-like eyes narrowed. "Or do I even want to know? Some kind of bomb?"
He sniffed and gave the small witch a look of mock-hurt. "… Bomb? Bomb? Jinx, you cut me to the core."
Zero sighed softly. "Just tell us what it is… please."
The gunman laughed softly and lowly under his breath. "What is it, you say? Why, it's simply the biggest innovation in high-ordinance warfare since the day they came up with yours truly!"
He puffed out his chest and reached into his back pocket, revealing…
… A small black stick of metal.
The Boy wonder snorted derisively. "… Uh… Right… you're gonna fight a titanic madman with a body of steel and antifreeze for blood, piloted by a criminally insane brain…" Robin cocked his masked eyebrow skeptically. "… With a little stick…?"
"Oh thou of little faith…" Smoke chuckled, closing his eyes and nodding knowingly.
Without another word, he pressed a small switch on the side of the metal bar.
Rapidly, before anyone even knew what was happening, the thing was… growing. It slid apart, pieces and accessories popping out at high speed, lengthening, becoming broader and thicker, enlarging and getting heavier…
And the next thing they knew, they were looking at a giant rifle on the ground.
A golden four and a half-feet long barrel stretched out in a straight line from a brown, wooden handle carved out of highly polished oak. The trigger was thick and black, curving into a sharp point. The top of the rifle held a massive, 5 lb. Scope made out of sterling silver with crosshairs and a small, but hi-tech, computer display encased in a deceptively simple wooden exterior. The handle alone seemed a good three feet long and the space with the trigger and the scope was at least a foot and a half… overall, the rifle was maybe nine or ten feet long… unusually massive, even for Smoke… and it likely weighed at least a hundred pounds in total…
"What…" Robin started.
"Is…" Jinx continued.
"… THAT?" Zero concluded with a startled yelp.
Their eyes were wide as the tops of coffee-mugs and they were all three slack-jawed and gaping-mouthed.
"Friends… Titans… countrymen… lend me your ears, for I give to you…" He cleared his throat loudly and one could almost imagine the theme music from '2001: A Space Odyssey' playing in the background. "My latest piece of fine ordinance… the 'Advanced Sniping Super Killer Instrument of Constantly Kicking Evil Rump'… or…" He paused dramatically. "… The A.S.S.K.I.C.K.E.R."
Everyone sweatdropped heavily, twitched erratically for a few seconds, then faceplanted anime-style right onto the floor with a 'thump.'
"Heh. Say hello to my little, yet ludicrously large, amigo… Myntull might be a tough walnut to crack, but now I've got…" he picked the gun up and cocked it. "… A nutcracker."
"It looks very…" Sub-Zero struggled for a word. "Eh… potent."
"Potentially potent, yes." Smoke said with a nod. "I haven't tested it yet…"
"It's… um… huge…" Jinx said, unable to vocalize anything more eloquent.
"I know; it's gigantic. That's why I took the liberty of making it portable… it unfolds into combat-ready mode at the press of a button." He laughed.
He smiled and continued his explanation. "I based its design on the schematics of a World War 2 anti-tank rifle but integrated one of Cy's computer systems into its scope. I also modified it with a much longer barrel and a heavier frame, and based its visual outside appearance on a seventeenth century musket."
Robin groaned. "And I thought I was the one with a gadget obsession."
"Hey, I ain't obsessed!"
A long pause in which the chirping of crickets could be heard.
"Okay… maybe a little. But still, at least I had a good reason to build this thing. Believe me: I couldn't kill Myntull before, but… when I hit him with this baby, he's going down."
"It's not that you didn't have good reason, Mate…" Zero said. "It's just that… I think you enjoy your work a bit too much."
Beast Boy was changing shapes in front of a mirror, practicing those that might be useful during the imminent battle that they were about to be part of.
First, he took a deep breath and changed into an African lion, snapping his jaws together with powerful clicks and pawing the carpet with his sharp claws. After waving his tufted tail about a few times, he changed again, this time into a large swamp alligator. He wagged his scaly tail and snapped his long snout again, much like before. He changed again; he was now a rhinoceros. He swung his horn around and stomped hard enough to make the ground shake. He changed back into his normal form and sighed, sitting in front of the mirror.
Terra, sitting nearby was tightening her pair of bluish goggles over her head and looking at him with concern. "… Is something wrong…?" She asked hesitantly.
"Nah, nothing's wrong. It's just that…" He stopped abruptly.
Terra raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Just that… what?"
He looked around and scratched the back of his head. "Well… I'm worried."
"About what? We can take those creeps anytime we—"
"Not about them." Beast Boy interrupted. "About… well… you."
Terra dropped the hairbrush she was holding. "… Huh? Me…?"
"If you get hurt in all this stuff that's going to be happening, I…" His green eyes, usually alight and not particularly worried suddenly seemed to be weighted down with… something. "I don't think I could lose you again."
"You won't… and you never lost me in the first place." Terra said quickly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I mean, yeah I was a statue and all, but… I was still here."
"… Terra, I…"
"Yeah…?"
Beast Boy almost seemed to say something but grinned and stopped short. Instead, he suddenly pointed over her shoulder. "Hey, what's that?"
She blinked. Turning her head, she saw nothing. "Huh? What's wha-?"
Before she could finish, he took advantage of the situation and gave her a quick peck of a kiss on the cheek, causing her to jump slightly, startled.
He blushed heavily. "Sorry… I just had to do it."
She also flushed deeply in response and said softly. "Well… that's okay." She paused and smiled, batting an eyelash. "So did I."
"… What?"
Abruptly she tackled him to the ground and kissed him on the lips.
Raven was in the middle of meditating, chanting softly to herself in her dimly-lit room, with only a small circle of candles set down upon stacks of books. If she was going to be ready for Slade and Myntull, then she needed to be absolutely at her best.
However, this wasn't the only reason she was meditating. She was trying to purge her mind of something… something she'd seen just the day before, in Smoke's mind. When she'd read his mind, scanned his heart, sensed his soul… she'd seen things… things she would of much rather not seen.
In the process of sensing whether or not any of Smoke's goodness and sanity was left in his berserk body, she'd also accidentally tapped into something more: his memories. She shuddered lightly, covering herself with her cloak, as she envisioned his memory of the first time he'd lost control.
She'd seen it all, through his eyes, and felt every ounce of agony, confusion, and fear he'd experienced.
Waking up strapped to a table, but otherwise fine, Smoke had been a bit stunned. For a little while, nothing had happened. He tried to break free, but to no avail… he was strapped down with massive metal bolts that were nigh unbreakable. Finally, he slumped back onto his back and tried to think… but he noticed something strange.
Lights… shimmering lights in his eyes. Rather like when one sees a bright light and little spots of color appear in his vision briefly… but… this was not just spots; it was his entire line of sight. Red. Shimmering, rosy, bloody red… covering everything he saw.
Alarmed, he tried to close his eyes but still saw lights. This time, the blackness that came over him when he shut his eyes was dotted with glinting white pinpoints, like stars or diamonds in the night.
The lights intensified; his head spun. Everything… moving, turning, distorting and all covered in that deep crimson red. He heard ringing and whispers in his ears, nonsensical babble coming from some sourceless, disembodied voices.
He sweated horribly, with feverish chills, while his head ached and continued spinning. He laughed for no apparent reason, a laugh he couldn't refuse or hold in. But this quickly gave way to screaming, then moaning, then sobbing, then a dark, bitter chuckling… and then silence.
And that's when all Hell broke loose. Pain like he'd never felt before and would never feel again was erupting through his body; something dark was taking hold. Unexplainable and terrible, he writhed under a shadowy sensation that was washing over him.
Hatred.
Anger.
Maddened, sadistic delight.
Lust.
Jealousy.
All these and more, all the base, animalistic urges and emotions that mankind was plagued by erupted within him at once and he had only one thought. Fight. Kill. Destroy.
He screamed one last time before he was overcome completely, not just because he was in pain. But also, what alarmed him the most was that…
… He was starting to like it.
And then, everything went red.
After much meditation, Raven had finally managed to get the experience out of her head. Her pity on Smoke had always existed, but never before had it reached such heights…
She got up, made sure she was ready, and set off to join the others.
Cyborg was making some last minutes checks on the T-Car. Full gas tank? Check. Washed? Check. Buffed counterclockwise? Check. Pimpin'? Double check.
Closing the hood and wiping his head with a towel, he sighed contentedly. He tossed the towel aside, turning around to his left. He looked over to the other side of the garage where Blackfire was watching Smoke toss some extra shells into the roof-top compartment where the punt gun was hidden. He closed the hidden compartment and climbed down.
Smoke opened up the back door of the humvee, tossing in several large crates of ammo along with all his guns. His two revolvers, his shotgun, his sniper rifle, his chainsaw, a big bundle of TNT, and his latest addition: his Anti-Tank rifle, which he had elected just to call his 'siege gun' since the other Titans weren't so hot on the name 'A.S.S.K.I.C.K.E.R.'
All this, along with a sack of first-aid supplies, several bundles of dynamite, and an extra large bag of Teriyaki-flavored beef jerky (that he had declared, "For the road") filled up the entire back end of the truck. He slammed the rear door shut and locked it.
By this time, all the other Titans had filed into the garage.
"Okay… remember the plan." Robin reminded his teammates. "Smoke and Blackfire will lead in the Desperado. We'll follow in the T-Car. Sub-Zero, Jinx, and Terra will bring up the rear, Sub-Zero and Jinx on ice and Terra on a boulder." He took a deep breath and looked around slowly, scanning the Teen Titans.
"Is everybody ready?" He asked.
"As ready as we'll ever be." Zero said.
"Good."
A Couple Of Hours Later, In Slade's Lair…
A brain bobbed grotesquely in a massive, cylindrical tank filled with churning, frothing blue liquid, giving off tufts of white foam and large, glinting bubbles. The room it was in was a large, elaborate laboratory (say that five times fast!) filled with all manner of computers, monitor screens, cameras, tools, switches, levers, gears, and lights. Unlike the rest of Slade's lair, which was perpetually dark and grungy, this place was brightly lit and spotless, the highly polished metal walls reflecting the wash of fluorescent lights that bombarded it.
With a loud beeping noise, the door to the room slid smoothly open with a whoosh of air. In stepped none other than Slade, still just as ominous right down to his boots.
"They're on their way Doctor. I trust your repairs on Project: Resurrection have been completed…?"
A large screen emerged fluidly from the ceiling; the lights dimmed and a picture appeared on the screen.
A large… no… an utterly massive silhouette, sporting wings, tail, and a huge horn. It walked around on all fours, making sounds that were somewhat like the roar of a lion, the hiss of a snake, and the trumpeting of an elephant, all mixed together… it almost sent a shiver down even Slade's spine.
Slade walked over to a small metal table in the corner of the lab, and viewed a small collection of glass statues placed on it. There were thirteen in all, large and very lifelike… the ten Teen Titans, Slade, Myntull… and a very large one with a small cloth thrown over it. He grouped the cloth covered one with the one of Sub-Zero, the one of Robin with the one of him, and the rest in a little group on their own.
"Good. Have it waiting for Sub-Zero when they arrive. Your O.R.C.S. will take care of the other Titans, but Robin…" His eye grew intensely cold and piercing. "… Leave him to me. What of the prototype…? Smoke?"
As if to answer, the human brain flashed with green energy for a minute. The lab was neurologically linked with Myntull, so it responded to his very thoughts. When the brain glowed, the table sprouted a small metal tentacle with a clawed hand on the end. It moved the small glass statues of Myntull and Smoke side-by-side, and then…
SMASH!
It pounded the statue of Smoke with its fist, shattering it. Slade got the message loud and clear.
"Understood."
"Okay… everybody be on your guard. This place isn't safe…" Robin said, jaw set and frowning as he stepped around a corner in Slade's dark, dingy hideout.
"Tell me about it." Zero sniffed, eyeing a broken pipe in the wall that was spewing hot steam. "… Damn! When was the last time this place passed a safety inspection?"
"Never." Beast Boy answered gloomily. "Slade's not exactly a safety-oriented person, after all."
"Except when it comes to himself." Starfire pointed out. "He has most likely set this entire location with traps…"
"(Ca-click) That's fine with me." Smoke growled. "I've got some big-time payback in store for that bastard. And any property damage I can cause on the way is just icing on the cake."
"Speaking of icing…" Zero hissed. "I rather think that Myntull would make a nice frozen sculpture in my room."
"Nah. Too ugly for a statue." Smoke said with a shake of his head. "Now, maybe as a new target for my shooting gallery… I think I could work with that."
"I hate to interrupt, but…" Jinx paused. "… Does… anyone hear that…?"
At this remark, everyone present stopped dead in their tracks and listened, straining their ears to try and pick up the slightest thing that might be out-of-the-ordinary.
The machinery, including whirring conveyer-belts, turning gears, and churning vats, made a myriad of disconcerting noises… it was unnerving; the difference between what might be either a pumping piston or the footsteps of an approaching attacker was nonexistent.
"Let's keep moving." Raven advised, pulling her blue hood down a little further over her face. "Even if something is out there…" She motioned to the pitch darkness surrounding the walkway they were on. "… It'll be harder for him, her, or it to hit moving targets."
"She's right." Cy nodded. "And in the meantime…" He flipped open the small control panel in his right arm and brought up a radar screen. "… I'll scan for anything that moves. If it's alive, then I'll pick it up."
They walked on, speeding up just a little every time they heard a noise. Large crashes of working machinery and the rumble of thunder outside (it had started raining on their way here.) echoed throughout the dark. The path they took twisted and turned every several feet, never going in one direction for too long… but there were no forks or splits in the path; it was just one, long stretch of walking.
"I don't get it. Nothing's attacked us yet." Robin said with a furrowed brow. "I mean… surely they know we're coming…"
"I'm not picking anything up." Cy confirmed with a glance at his radar. "Maybe we still have the element of surprise."
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this…" Raven murmured, her eyes cutting all about.
They kept on still, unnerved by the lack of dangers they experienced. No traps, no guards, no… nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
But… unfortunately, all good things must come to an end; so it was with their luck… and Sub-Zero was the first to go, though the others followed very quickly.
As they walked, the knight in question never noticed a small wire on the walkway… until it was too late. He stepped on it, triggering a sudden trap. The floor literally opened up beneath him and swallowed him up into darkness quicker than he could so much as gasp.
Before they could even react, however, the same thing happened to both Star and Black, who had been standing next to each other. They vanished with a pair of muffled screams.
Then, mere seconds later, it happened again… and this time, both Robin and Jinx went tumbling down separate paths into the shadows, leaving the others on their own.
And yet again, Smoke went down into the depths of Slade's lair with an angry yell. The floor slammed shut again after he'd fallen.
When all this had happened, the remaining Titans could only stare at each other stunned. Their numbers had been lowered from ten to four in a matter of twenty seconds.
"This isn't good." Terra squeaked, looking afraid.
"You really think so…?" Raven snapped sarcastically.
Terra's eyes flashed yellow and she prepared to retort before Cyborg stepped between the two. "Okay, look!" He bellowed angrily. "We already lost over half our friends, we do NOT need to lose another two! So calm down and stop fighting because we're never going to get out of here if we don't work together."
They both looked away and went silent. Beast Boy plopped down on the ground and put his face in his hands.
"Oh man…" He groaned. "Could this be any worse?"
There was a long pause in which nothing but the banging and clanging of distant machines could be heard. The silence was suffocating…
(Beep… Beep… Beep…)
Everyone snapped their heads up, looking around for the source of the strange noise. They all heard it: muffled beeping. Suddenly, a look of horrified comprehension dawned on Cyborg's face. Raven noticed this.
"Uh… Cyborg? Is there something we should know…?" She asked hesitantly.
"Yeah." He said, face set. He opened up the panel in his arm, revealing the radar screen… now swarming with flashing red dots.
"We're in trouble."
Okay, I was wrong. This isn't the final chapter, but it's half of it. It was just getting so long that I decided to cut it off here and finish it next chapter, which will hopefully be up soon. It's obvious that the villains have plans for some of the Titans in particular.
Adios 'till next time.
--Count Le Madphantom…
