Standard Disclaimer: Hi-ho disclaimer, AWAAAAY! (rides away from the lawsuits)
Author's Notes: Yeah, so it's not disclaiming anything…but who cares? You know the drill. In any case, look for funny reality altering in this chapter…along with a rather deadly threat.
Begin!
xxxx
Oops
xxxx
The same drone continued to hover outside Titans Tower, its lone mechanical eye analyzing the miniature Robin that was now inside the living room, chatting it up with an utterly confused Terra.
And the same one who was watching the transmitted images folded his hands. "How interesting…that little boy from before. It's been a long time since I've seen him." He recalled Ekard Mit's world…and he recalled the hyperactive child's incredible reality-altering powers.
The pieces began to fall into place.
The spell binding Noel Collins and Robert Candide together.
The magical aura that was slowly merging the two together.
The Gauntlet, magical artifact of the Old Ones.
And now…Ekard Mit's arrival.
The figure smiled. Although he was not a practitioner of magic, he knew well enough about it. After all, he did his research thoroughly; he couldn't be caught off guard when dealing with a foe who used magic. Especially when he fought one – the Titan known as Raven – on a constant basis. And when it came down to it, he could conjure up arcane works if he wanted (after all, he HAD summoned the demon known as Fire).
And so Slade Wilson – better known as Deathstroke the Terminator – smiled. "This little opportunity needs pursuing." After all…it was too good to pass up.
xxxx
"And so this icky biker was defeated by Robin and I got my power back and my magic finger rose out of the ground like a statue and turned everything back to normal and I fixed Robin's arm but I accidentally zapped him to nowhere, but it was all okay because Robin and I are BUDDIES!"
Tara blinked as she stared at the hyperactive midget. "Uh…wha? Who are you again?"
"Don't worry Terra," interrupted Beast Boy as he popped out from behind the geokinetic. "Larry's cool!"
"YAY! I'M COOL!" cheered Larry as he started popping in and out of the couch.
Cyborg grumbled as the little reality manipulator suddenly manifested a jetpack. "Well this is just peachy." Rocket smoke filled the whole room until Cyborg created a fan to blow it all away. "Mind keeping the reality alteration to a minimum? I'd like to not have a repeat of what happened last time."
Larry saluted the tall cyborg. "No problem sir!"
Sitting on the (miraculously) undestroyed couch, Savior was rubbing his temples. "Wonderful. The return of the spastic fanboy."
"How come you don't like Larry?" asked Gauntlet.
"Because he has enough power to rip apart a planet and doesn't have the control for it."
"Kind of like Pangloss, except hyperactive instead of lazy?"
"Correct," replied Savior.
Robin shot Savior a look. "Don't start Noel." He wasn't going to bother with codenames around Larry; after all, the little tyke watched them nearly 24/7 (or however time worked in his dimension). Names were something Ekard Mit knew by heart. "He may be hyperactive, but he has a good heart."
"And don't forget what the road to Dell is paved with." Noel screamed. "OH COME ON! I WAS DESCRIBING A PLACE!"
"Spells aren't picky," commented Raven. "And Larry DOES have control. His powers only went haywire after Robin accidentally broke his finger."
Robert commented, "Apparently, this whole breaking of reality affected only Jump City, because I didn't see anything weird while I was in Uberton with Terra."
"You live in UBERTON Rob," joked Victor. "You wouldn't be able to tell IF something went haywire."
"Point." He then turned to Savior. "SO. Larry OBVIOUSLY did something to tick you off. What was it?"
Savior grumbled, "Not telling."
"He turned the Shimmer into cherry-flavored licorice," answered Beast Boy.
"GAR!"
Gauntlet gaped. "NO WAY." The blonde-haired male immediately began snickering. "Man…watch out villains! Beware Savior and his power, the Twizzler!"
"Shut up," growled Noel.
"I would've SO paid to see that," remarked Gauntlet as the thought of Savior attacking with CANDY was just too hilarious. "Can you do it again?"
Savior formed a Shimmer blade and held it right in front of Gauntlet's face. "I don't think so you idiotic-"
"OKAY!" exclaimed Larry as his magic finger zapped the Shimmer with a bolt of whiteness. The white energy immediately transformed into red licorice.
"…COOL!" Gauntlet bit down on the 'Twizzler' blade.
"OOOOOOOOOOOW!" howled Savior as he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony. Apparently, the 'Twizzler' caused just as much pain as the Shimmer did when it was cut (or bitten, in this case).
"Mmm, cherry flavor," remarked Gauntlet.
SLAP!
"GAH!" gagged Gauntlet as he spot out the Twizzler piece he had bitten off. Savior frantically grabbed it and merged it with the rest of the Twizzler. "DON'T do that again! I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time Larry did this!"
xxxx
Flashback.
After Johnny Rancid was defeated.
Shortly before Larry's departure.
Kory fidgeted nervously as Noel walked into the women's restroom, his expression one of utter displeasure. "I said that I was sorry. I did not mean to eat all of the Shimmer…but it was so yummy! It was truly pleasing!"
Raven commented, "At the very least, be thankful the Shimmer is capable of surviving digestion. Even with nine Tamaranean stomachs."
The alien feebly said, "I will say it was rather hard to…'poop', as the saying goes?"
Raven sweatdropped.
Then she sweatdropped again as the voice of her lover echoed out of the restroom. "AAAGH! Good LORD Kory! This is just…EECH! You are FORBIDDEN from eating the Shimmer ever again!"
Even Raven couldn't help but snicker at the absurdity of the statement. Especially seeing that Noel said it. "Just make sure you wash your hands. Use soap."
xxxx
"And that boys and girls is our designated amount of potty humor for this story!"
CRASH!
"ACK! Beast Boy!" screamed Tara as she started digging Gar out of the ruins of the fourth wall.
Vic glared at Gauntlet. "Nice going." The blonde teen shrugged.
Larry clapped. "YAY! The fourth wall! It broke! Let me fix it!" His magic finger resurrected the fourth wall…as a massive mouth that started eating Beast Boy. "Oops."
Savior grumbled. Ugh… "All humor aside, I DON'T want to relive that experience Gauntlet."
"You're just upset because your powers were utter crap!" cracked Robert.
Noel groaned at the pun. "WHATEVER. Larry, FIX THE SHIMMER."
The fourth wall finally fixed (and Beast Boy now knowing how animals felt when eaten), Larry floated over to Savior and Gauntlet. "Okay! Don't worry, I'll get it!"
ZAP!
The Shimmer was now a miniaturized version of a member of Solenoglypha Viperidae. AKA, a viper.
"Oops."
The 'Slither' hissed and lunged at Savior's face.
"LARRY!"
"I'll fix it!"
ZAP!
Spaghetti.
"Nope," muttered Larry.
ZAP!
Seaweed.
"Nope."
ZAP!
Liquid metal.
"Nope."
ZAP!
Ants. "AAAAGH!"
"Nope."
ZAP!
Fire ants. "AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Nope."
ZAP!
The Shimmer. "YAY! I fixed it!"
"My spinal cord has ant bites…" winced Noel, his body racked with pain.
"Awww, does the baby need a kissy-wissy from his mommy to make it all feel better?" mocked Gauntlet. Then he frowned. "Oh wait, she's dead. That doesn't work…hmm…can I substitute Raven in there instead? Better yet, can she just kiss me?"
"NOT HELPING."
"ENOUGH!" yelled Robin, trying to get a lid on the situation. "Okay Larry…now, why exactly are you here?"
"To help!" He pointed at Robert and Noel's conjoined hands. "I can fix it! My magic finger can fix anything! Watch!" It glowed.
"STOP!"
Everyone turned to Raven. "Remember when reality broke? I declined healing Larry's finger because my magic could not mix with his reality-altering powers. Does 'nullify all existence' ring a bell? Same thing applies here!" She regained her composure with a deep breath. "In any case, I'm almost done creating a spell to counter this one. I should be done in less than half an hour. 10 minutes at the very least." She teleported back into her room.
Larry moped. "Aww…I wanted to help."
"It is okay, little doppleganger of Robin!" reassured Starfire with a smile. "You can still do the 'hanging out' with us! Come, let us play with Silkie!"
"YAY!"
As Starfire and Larry giggled off, everyone just looked at each other. "Well…I suppose that's it," said Robin with a shrug.
"Then it's time to commence the butt-kicking! BB, you wanna race?" challenged Victor as he dropped onto the couch and turned on the Gamestation.
"Oh no you don't!" retorted Garfield as he leapt onto the couch – gorilla mode – and roared as he picked up the controller.
Terra shrugged. "Eh, I'm hungry." She started rummaging through the fridge, feeling a strange hankering for licorice.
At the same time, Robin noticed Gauntlet fidgeting. "Uh…are you okay?"
"I've gotta go."
Tim sweatdroped. Noel paled. "Oh no. No. NO. NO NO NO. I absolutely DRAW THE LINE at that."
"But it's number two!"
"Hold it!"
"I can't!"
"Go in your pants!"
Robert did a double take. "WHAT? Are you out of your mind?" Then he frowned. "Wait…don't YOU have to go?"
"I'm holding it."
"…why?"
"Do you REALLY think I want to go while you're in the bathroom with me?"
Gauntlet shuddered as he yelped. "Well I'M going!" Savior could only protest (loudly) as he was dragged away.
Robin sighed. I wonder how Larry's doing?
xxxx
"YAY! I'm a cowboy!" cheered Larry as he rode the mutant larva known as Silky.
And Starfire continued to clap with glee.
xxxx
Savior had thought of a rather inventive solution to make the trip to the restroom a bit more bearable: a Shimmer wall between himself and Gauntlet (with their merged hands on Noel's side of the Shimmer barrier, of course).
As Gauntlet did his business, Savior tapped his foot impatiently. "Can we hurry up?"
"You can't rush ART."
"…I know that you can NEVER resist using a clichéd phrase, but that doesn't even fit."
"That's what the square was told when it didn't fit into the circle. Lousy preschool toys."
Noel could only sweatdrop. He was SO grateful that Raven was almost finished with the magical incantation that would fix this predicament. "I just hope Larry doesn't do anything stupid."
"Oh come on, he seems like an okay guy!"
"He breaks the laws of physics whenever he uses that magic finger of his. Do I even need to explain WHY?" asked Noel incredulously.
On the other side of the Shimmer barrier, Robert scoffed. "My great great uncle Jefferson Candide practically WROTE the laws of physics. After all, he came up with the theory of relativity!"
xxxx
1905.
A patent office in Bern, Germany.
A man looking remarkably like Robert walked up to the office desk and handed a man with fuzzy white hair and mustache a set of papers. "I'd like to patent this. I call it 'Candide's Special Theory of Relativity'!"
Albert Einstein glanced at the papers from behind the partition that separated him from any visitors. "Hmm…say, what is this smudge right here?"
"Where?" asked Jefferson as he took a closer look.
WHAM! WHAM WHAM WHAM!
Einstein slammed the dividing glass door into Jefferson's neck repeatedly before stashing the papers away.
xxxx
"They never found ol' Jeff's body. Einstein made TRILLIONS off of his theory!" angrily exclaimed Gauntlet.
Savior's eyebrow twitched. "The Theory of Relativity didn't make Einstein his generation's Bill Gates. And you got that off of Family Guy."
"Seth McFarlane consulted me for that episode. And since when do YOU watch Family Guy?"
The white-haired teen growled angrily. Idiotic son of a finch.
"I am not a bird!"
"GRAH!' screamed Noel Collins. "Just hurry up!"
Another two minutes passed.
"You know Noel, I was quite surprised when I saw the 'stuff' you do with Raven. I mean, I know you've both gotten intimate before…but Mr. Stick Up His Butt getting rowdy? Whoda thunk it?"
"You know, I'm not against people having fun," remarked Savior.
Gauntlet dramatically roared, "I OBJECT! The mountain of evidence against you says otherwise!"
Noel wasn't amused. "Look. I may act like an utter bull at times. Sure, you may snicker whenever I say 'DON'T PRESS THAT BUTTON!' But you know what? This life we live in isn't all fun and games! I mean, look at the situation we're in!" He tapped their merged hands. "Because you had to go goofing off with Raven's spell books, we're stuck together and have become the subject of a media firestorm! They're already writing STORIES about us, and it's all because you don't KNOW any better!"
"Well THAT'S not true! I DO know better!" protested Gauntlet. "I always do my chores! I wash the dishes, vacuum the carpet, clean the windows, do my homework, yadda yadda yadda…"
Noel nearly snarled. "THAT'S NOT THE POINT." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "What I'm saying is…you don't take this life seriously enough. To be honest, I think the same thing of a few other Titans, but I ESPECIALLY apply that line of thought to you. You act as if this is all a game. IT'S NOT. Lives are at stake. The media watches us like hawks. Our actions beget SERIOUS consequences. That's why that, for all the irresponsibility you – and others, but ESPECIALLY you – show, someone has to pick up the messes you leave behind. Namely, me. Do you think I LIKE being portrayed as the 'bad guy'? You think I'd want to be serious all the time? Of course not. But I have to. SOMEONE has to make sure we don't stray off the narrow path of heroism. We have too much power to be reckless like regular teens." Noel took another deep breath. "Get my point? You act more like a teenager and not a hero. One day, that's going to cost LIVES. Starting acting like a hero."
On the other side, Robert Candide blinked out of surprise. He hadn't expected a diabtribe like that from NOEL of all people. Did he just offer me advice?
"Yes, and if you're smart, you'll take it to heart."
"…hmm." Gauntlet reached for the toilet paper. "Interesting lecture…but basically, I got the idea that you'd want to live in MY shoes. A day in my life…but that'd mean I'd have to live in YOUR shoes for a day, so no deal!"
…why do I even bother?
Flushing.
"And I am done!" exclaimed Gauntlet.
About time, thought Savior with a frown as he glanced at their merged hands…and blinked. What the…?
The two hands were now starting to meld even more completely. The palms themselves had conjoined together at the skin, fully bridging him together. To Noel's shock, he couldn't flex his left hand's fingers anymore, because they were slowly fusing with Gauntlet's.
"…come on Gauntlet. We need to be ready for when Raven finishes the spell." I don't want it to spread any further.
xxxx
The living room.
Everyone had gathered in there: Robin, Larry, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Terra, Savior, Gauntlet, and Raven.
Raven stood near the large windows; sitting on the ground two feet in front of her was a paper mat with runes inscribed upon it with black ink. Sitting in the middle of the paper were medicinal herbs and ruby shards, complete with droplets of Noel and Robert's blood.
Standing next to the wall forty feet away were Savior and Gauntlet, their backs against the wall.
Kory worriedly asked, "Friend Raven, this will cure their 'hand in hand' sickness?"
"I…suppose you could call it that," remarked Raven as she made sure she had put the proper amount of herbs upon the paper. "After studying numerous spells similar to the one Robert cast, I managed to come up with a counter-spell that should split your bodies back to their normal selves. It's a different type of incantation than what I'm used to…but it won't be difficult."
Gauntlet smacked his head. "Raven Raven Raven…don't you know that expressing doubt about something you're about to do and yet saying it won't be difficult ALWAYS means it'll fail?"
"You're just making that up," sarcastically said Cyborg.
"Superhero Guidebook, page 44."
Cyborg facefaulted, resulting in applause from Larry. "YAY! It's my favorite visual gag!"
Raven frowned at Larry before turning her attention to Savior and Gauntlet. "Now just hold still you two; I don't want anything going wrong. It'll be over in a few moments." She held her hands out to the side as she began chanting. "Dellepsid eb tsap fo skcigam! Nigiro eht ot nruter, seidob eht fo gnittilps! Dnob gnidne!" Raven's magical incantations sounded far more fluid than Gauntlet's from only yesterday (it had felt much longer to Savior). Then she shifted hands forward, palms aimed at the two. A black aura surrounded the paper and the ingredients on it. "Babylon melrek rochior…Assyra maledor canviar…" The paper – and everything on it – ignited, fusing with the aura to form a blue energy that surrounded Raven's hands. Her eyes glowed white as she prepared to fire the spell at the two. "AZARATH…"
CRASH!
Everyone turned to face the figure that came bursting through the window behind Raven. The humanoid stood up…and upon the sight of the black-and-orange mask, everyone's eyes narrowed.
"Slade," hissed Robin.
"Good day Titans," said Slade, his lone left eye narrowing. "And I've told you before that you no longer may call me that."
Larry shrieked at the sight of the mercenary. "BAD MAN! BAD MAN!"
Robert impulsively activated the Gauntlet, intent on fighting Deathstroke (who oddly seemed to smile at the sight; perhaps he wanted to pick a fight?). Savior, on the other hand, roared, "WAIT GAUNTLET! LET RAVEN FINISH!"
Raven immediately returned to the task at hand. "METRION…"
Slade moved like lightning, clutching Raven's arms and aiming them as she spoke the final word, unable to stop.
"…ZINTHOS!"
A blue bolt of power lashed out from Raven's hands, heading to its new target: Larry.
"WAH!" screamed Larry as the blue bolt of magical energy hit him, and he started convulsing as his magic finger twitched uncontrollably.
Starfire gasped. "Friend Larry!"
Beast Boy glared at Slade hatefully. "What'd you do?"
"Nothing," casually remarked the cold assassin. "The young boy is not being killed…but his powers now need a larger outlet, thanks to the addition of Raven's magic. And there is only one suitable host for the massive power: the artifact known as the Gauntlet."
Larry screamed as he fell to the ground, his magic finger shooting a pure white spear of power…and to the shock of every Titan, it zoomed straight towards the Gauntlet.
Oddly enough, upon contact with the Gauntlet, the artifact began glowing a bright gold…and the space where Noel and Robert's hands joined became a white void, sucking the two in.
Savior paled at the sight. "WHAT THE HULK IS GOING ON?"
"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?" yelled Gauntlet, their bodies now inexplicably being drawn towards the whiteness.
Robin whipped out his bo staff. "Answers Slade!" Obviously, he didn't care about Slade's demand to call him by his 'codename' of Deathstroke the Terminator.
"Gladly," replied Slade, his dark eye indicating pleasure in what he was about to unveil. "Remember our little 'adventure' some time ago? Back before Robert Candide and Tara Markov joined your little team? I'm referring, of course, to where I created the Chronoton Destabilizer."
The Titans frowned. They remembered that incident VERY well; Slade – creating a machine similar to the Chronoton Detonator – had flung the Titans into alternate timelines of the same world, each one more exotic, deadly, or wondrous than the last. Unfortunately, due to Savior's meddling, Slade had wound up flung into various timelines himself. It was only with Batman's help that Savior managed to pull everyone back to their timeline. "And that has to deal with this HOW?" demanded Cyborg.
"It is how I encountered the young fellow known as Ekard Mit…or as you call him, 'Larry the Titan'," answered Slade, gesturing towards the frightened child (it obviously explained Larry's fear; he had seen one of the Titan's deadliest enemies IN PERSON). "When I was thrown into his world, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a great deal of Earth's populace had reality-altering powers similar to his own. Such power was of great interest to me…so I read all I could on the subject during my short time there. Unfortunately, before I could find a way to utilize their ability to manipulate reality myself, I was torn away to another timeline…but it turns out that what I learned there actually has a use."
Raven could barely pry her eyes away from a screaming Noel and Robert, their bodies slowly merging together (now both up to their shoulders). No…Larry's powers mixed with my spell! It's actually speeding up the process! "What do you mean?" she barely managed to get that out without sounding scared.
Slade's eye narrowed. "Imagine my surprise when I learned that these powers were bred into the human race by another civilization…as an experiment, you could say. This civilization…well, you know them as the Old Ones." The shocked look on the face of the Titans' made him smile. "Yes…according to historical documents, the first few generations of reality-manipulators had to use magical technology from the Old Ones to control their tremendous abilities. Magical technology similar to Robert's Gauntlet, which is why young Ekard Mit's power was drawn to it." The mercenary sighed out of remembrance of Old One machinery. "A fusion of powerful magic and technological mastery…only artifacts such as those could harness the immense reality-altering powers effectively. Naturally, the first humans to use these powers had to be trained mentally for years to handle them…" He grinned maliciously as he stared at Savior and Gauntlet, their bodies now disappearing into a single form. "…of course, I doubt they have the mental capacity for such power."
Tim Drake scowled hatefully at the one who once called him 'apprentice'. "What's the point Deathstroke?"
The assassin chuckled. "Quite simple Robin…or should I say, 'Tim'. I've been monitoring you all for some time…and when this new 'development' arose, I began watching intently. When Ekard Mit arrived little more than an hour ago, I knew I had to act. Such an opportunity, slim as it was, was too good to pass up."
"What opportunity?" asked Cyborg.
Slade smiled. "The opportunity to effectively annihilate my opponents. I know a great deal about magic Titans…and this spell that Raven cast will have two outcomes now. One: the two will split apart as intended…but the backlash of power from both her magic AND Ekard Mit's reality-altering powers will kill them. Or two: they merge into one being with magical powers, reality-manipulation abilities, a mutated nervous system, a magical artifact, and the combined mentality of two teenagers…and it looks like it will be the latter, which is fortunate."
Raven growled. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it: the combined mental capacity of two teenagers in command of power great enough to wipe out the universe…I doubt their feeble minds could even handle the strain of such power." He smirked behind his mask. "Then again, that's what I was hoping for…and with no conscious mind to control such power, it all comes down to animalistic instinct, which has no regards for friend or foe…and with so much power coursing through their veins, they'll want to use it." He glanced at the single humanoid of white. "Of course, perhaps I should call them a 'he' now."
Robin's eyes narrowed; so that had been Slade's plan: to manipulate Raven's spell to merge Savior and Gauntlet together, complete with Larry's powers…and in the aftermath, have a barely-in-control Savior/Gauntlet destroy their own teammates. "It won't happen Slade…and you're not getting away!" He charged. "HRAAAA!"
Deathstroke smiled as a familiar switch slid into his palm. "Sorry, but I must depart." A click of the button…and in a white flash, he was gone. Robin grimaced. He got away!
Suddenly, the humanoid fusion of Savior and Gauntlet stopped glowing…and everyone stared.
He stood roughly at six feet…but his appearance made him seem taller. His entire body was covered by shimmering golden armor from the neck down, segmented into very slim plates to allow for maximum movement. A white breastplate protected his chest, and a giant red ruby was implanted in it. The armor around his arms looked exactly like the Gauntlet – one for each arm – but with the added addition of spiky red fins around the forearms and shoulder blades. The face itself was hardened like Savior's…but his spiky white hair was standing straight backwards at a diagonal (think Vegeta in DBGT), and it was complete with blonde streaks. His crystal blue eyes stared quietly at the Titans. He said nothing.
Raven calmly – and fearfully – asked, "Noel? Robert? Are you in there?"
The figure – his voice a fusion of Noel's and Robert's – spoke painfully. "So much power…so much..." Slade had apparently underestimated the combined willpower of the two Titans…but their control was meager at best (actually, it was mostly nonexistent). And it was slipping away by the second."…can't hold it in..." His face twinged with agony...and then it was replaced by ahardened look, colder than stone.Whatever remained of Savior and Gauntlet was now buried underneath the new psyche that commanded their new body. A psyche spawned from basic instinct and the realization that it had power. And lots of it. "So much power...enough to destroy everything...like an Oblivion...and that's we are. It's what I am." He glared at the Titans. "I have too much power...and if I don't use it, it'll consume me. Please understand."
Oblivion suddenly dove through a window, shattering it as he fell to the ground below. Before anyone could shout or pursue him, the fused Titan pointed his right hand at Titans Tower.
Five Shimmer strands erupted from tiny slits in the armor, except they were colored a brilliant gold. The five strands lashed at the midsection of the Tower.
The one strike separated the molecular bindings of countless particles…and an entire section of the Tower collapsed into small, sand-like grains. Result: the upper half of Titans Tower collapsed in on itself, kicking up a cloud of dust that would have made any innocent bystanders think of the World Trade Center.
Oblivion looked on as his enhanced nervous system – now known as the Glimmer – retracted, even though he continued to fall. Then, without even thinking, his hands crackled with white energy…and the ground beneath him morphed into a giant trampoline.
The fused warrior bounced off harmlessly and landed on the ground feet-first. His eyes gazed at Jump City on the other side of the bay…and they narrowed. Destroy…destroy…
The two souls within him cried out for Oblivion to stop.
But Oblivion could not and would not listen. He had too much power to control…and in his own eyes, he thought that the destruction he was about to cause was better than holding all of the tremendous energy within until he burst.
Then, with a terrible roar that echoed through the sky, he charged across the bay – the water solidifying under his feet – towards the city.
The upcoming fight would result in a battle as great as the Final Night.
xxxx
Several miles outside of Jump City, atop a mountain…we see a log cabin. It seems normal at first glance: homely, quaint, and small.
Step inside, you'd think the same thing.
However…press a hidden switch…and the fireplace becomes an elevator…which leads down into the mountain…into a lair filled with rotating gears, whirling cogs and creaking sprockets. Monitors lined the walls, and a number of equipment littered the massive room.
One such piece of equipment looked like a giant ring. It was built upon a raised platform, and its outer rim was lined with a number of blue diodes. Diodes that started flashing.
A bright light came into being, and ceased to exist within a second.
Slade Wilson stood within the ring, calmly walking down. "Foolish Robin…was he really so surprised that someone who could obtain a Chronoton Destabilizer would be unable to find something as relatively simple as teleportation technology?" It was a rather limited teleportation device; whenever Slade pressed the hidden switch in his arm, he would teleport back to his new base…and ONLY his new base. Nevertheless, it was a useful precaution, in case he ever bit off more than he could chew.
However, he had come home…to merely catch the show.
He sat down in his self-styled throne, gazing at the monitors as they showed different images of Jump City and Titans Tower. The fusion of Savior and Gauntlet – dubbed Oblivion – was dashing toward the city at high speed.
Slade smiled wickedly. "Let it begin."
xxxx
To be continued…
Next time…
Oblivion
xxxx
Author's Notes: Now to begin the big final battle in which lots of property damage occurs and also features a big twist or two!
See you soon, and please review!
EDIT: A quick fix and a dialogue change with Oblivion.