A/N: I don't like to beg, but please leave a review if you have a second, they really give me encouragement. And thanks Jay.
Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans, would I have to write FanFics about it? No, but to be perfectly clear, I do not own Teen Titans.
Ariel and Black Thorn appeared a few inches above the ground in their warehouse apartment and staging ground. They fell to their feet side by side, in the same positions that they had been transported in.
Ariel shook his entire body violently.
"Ahhh, I am, never doin' that again!" He exclaimed, rubbing his arms.
Black Thorn rolled her head around to crack her neck and looked at him.
"It isn't all that bad. I've done worse." She said, putting her hands on her hips.
Ariel gave a frustrated sigh, and threw up his hand momentarily. He turned away from Black Thorn and began to slowly walk away.
" 'Whatever you do…don't use them on yourself' that's what he told me. 'For object transport only.' But did I listen? No." He was walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet, and pulled out a bottle with a dark brown liquid in it, about half way to the top.
He considered the bottle for a moment, his eyes wide. Black Thorn took a few steps forward, her hand slightly raised. He muttered something to himself, and thrust the bottle back into the cabinet.
"No, you're right. The technology really isn't ready for living tissue transport, but it wasn't that bad. We were in a tight spot. We had to use it."
"Yeah, we never could have taken them, not all at once, right in front of us. We'll fight 'em eventually, but today wasn't that day. It's not time for that yet."
"No…" Black Thorn headed towards the hallway where their rooms were. "I'm gonna go take a shower…" She said in a passing fashion.
"Yeah. I take care of lunch."
"Right, thanks."
She walked into her room, removed her armor and placed it on its stand. She then undressed after turning on the shower and got in. She looked closely at the waterproof MP3 and stereo she had imbedded in the wall, trying to decipher the readout of the LCD through the steam of the shower.
She hit the touch panel a few times and extremely loud music began to pulse form the device. This was her favorite way to unwind at least a small measure.
---
Ariel was standing in front of the refrigerator, in a considering pose, obviously contemplating what to pull out and cook. He enjoyed cooking, to him, it was quite relaxing.
---
"Sie zieht sich aus doch nur für Geld, Die Stadt die mich in Atem hält"
Black Thorn sang the words with the song perfectly. The water came from the high volume showerhead in a boiling torrent of steam and pelting beads and mist.
"Sie ist alt und trotzdem schön, Ich kann ihr nicht widerstehen"
---
Ariel pulled a bottle of cooking oil from the cabinet beneath the counter, to the left of the oven and placed it on the black marble counter. He picked up an egg in each hand after sliding a large bowl in front of him. He cracked them perfectly and tossed the recently emptied eggshells—their contents now in the bowl—into the trash, and picked up two more eggs.
---
'I hope he didn't decide to make breakfast…' She thought as a much softer, yet still extremely loud, music played in the over the noise of the shower.
---
He set the whisk down next to the bowl and picked up the milk carton. He turned around, opening the refrigerator door and placed the milk back into its place on the top door shelf.
He stepped back over to the counter, next to the oven.
He twisted open the bottle of cooking oil and poured a generous amount into a large pan on the stovetop. He turned the dial and it lit, he grabbed the bowl with all the eggs in it and dumped them into the frying pan.
---
"Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose," Black Thorn sang. Had there been anyone listening, she would most assuredly not be singing, she never sang in public. She claimed she hated it, and her mind confirmed, but she knew it was simply a fear, one that she chose not to overcome.
She wiped her eyes and then the touch screen of the MP3 player, then selected a new play list to listen to.
---
The eggs were sizzling in the pan when in dropped a myriad of vegetables and meats by his hand, holding a plate.
He stirred the mixture rigorously until it was combined to his liking and turned up the heat.
---
The wind whipped by thunderously, only the helmet protected its wearer's eardrums from the deafening noise.
"My ETA is three minuets. Raven?" Robin activated his communicator and spoke to his teammates.
"Robin, our ETA is two minuets."
---
"I just need this stage to be seen" the freely flowing water was still exceedingly hot. There was a reason they had a gargantuan water heater in the warehouse.
---
Ariel tipped his cupped hand over the large pan, and shook it to loosen the fine dust of the different spices he had put in the eggs.
He moved over to the refrigerator and pulled out the bread. He took four slices and put them in the toaster.
---
"Cyborg, is everything ready?" Robin twisted the throttle on his motorcycle ever further and picked up more speed.
"Yeah, Robin. We've got a complete go on this one. Everything's set up.
---
"I know what I want but I just don't know…" She reached for a bottle of conditioner that was meant to be left in for at least 10 minuets, while you shower.
---
The toast popped, high, out of the toaster and Ariel reacted in the blink of an eye; sliding a plate in between the toaster and the toasted, catching the pieces and setting down the plate.
He threw in four more pieces of bread.
---
"We're here, Robin. Circling above, awaiting your orders." Came Raven's voice through Robin's helmet.
"Roger that, prepare for breach. I'm there in 45 seconds."
"Wilco."
---
"…got outta bed. Dragged a comb across my head." The conditioner bottle was in her hand. She snapped open the top and squirted some into her free hand.
---
'She's still in there. It's baffling.' In many years of working together, Ariel had discovered that Black Thorn used her showers to unwind and relax. They could sometimes last two hours. That is why he made sure to have a colossal water heater.
---
Robin let go of the throttle and brought his bike sideways to stop it. He took off his helmet and opened his regular communicator.
"Titans, plan in place?" Simultaneous confirmation came from the four other Titans.
---
Ariel opened the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of orange juice, then set it on the counter. He turned the knob on the stove near its lowest setting, just keeping the now ready food warm.
---
"…doin' lines, don't do it, don't do it. Inject your soul with liberty…"
---
"Titans, GO!"
---
Ariel looked studied the orange juice for a moment, as the carton stood on the counter. He had become lost in thought and that is where his gaze had come to rest.
He was snapped out of his self induced trance when the widow he was next to exploded with green energy, sending the thick safety glass pellets soaring in all directions, a wave of which collided with his now shielding arms. He was pushed back several feet and more than a little stunned when in the 12 foot tall double steel doors they used as their main entrance both buckled violently inward; ripping from their hinges and clanging to the floor with a thunderous clatter.
He recovered himself almost as quickly as the incident began, and before the doors had fell to the floor. He went into a ready stance and much to his horror in streamed at least 20 men from the front doors and another five from the window; all of them armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry, covered from head to toe with the latest body armor, concealing their identities.
'No insignias, no commands, too much tech. They're not cops.' He observed as they began to surround him.
Ariel had only a long dining room table between him and 25 fully armed and apparently well trained men. Sitting on the thick overly thick oak table was a pair of holsters, and in each those holsters there was a Colt .45.
"Surrender or die." The ultimatum came from the man in the middle, who seemed to be the group leader. They had formed a half circle around him, pinning him between the table and the kitchen counter.
"Come on guys, don't you think this is a little extreme? I'm only a day late on the phone bill…" He needed to stall for time; maybe Black Thorn had gotten her ass out of the shower and would give him a much-needed hand.
"I'm not going to tell you again. Surrender or die."
"So I guess you're not from the phone company." 'This is going to be a tough one.'
The commander in the middle began to raise a pistol in his hand as Ariel ran forward and leaped for his guns on the table.
---
"Team report." Robin demanded in frustration.
"All clear in back, coming forward." Beast Boy chimed in over the communicator.
"Left is clear." Came Cyborg.
"As is the right." Starfire put in.
Within a moment all the Titans were in the kitchen/living room/dining room, all gather around Robin.
"There's nobody here. Where are they?" Raven asked.
"Damnit."
A/N: Not really a cliffhanger but more a cousin. I am really happy with how the story is going so far, I have a map, but it is under detailed, so between 60-75 of each chapter is made up as I write so right now, I am pleased; hope you are too. Please review.
