32 Productions Presents…

A Teen Titan Fan Fiction The Teen Titans in…

"For Friendship's Sake

Chapter Two

Beast Boy

Elasti-Girl: Beast Boy, keep up.

Beast Boy: Huh?

Negative Man: Come on, kid. Don't keep Mento waiting.

Beast Boy felt his face. His mask was back on…and his ears were pointed again.

Beast Boy: Déjà vu…

Confused, Beast Boy ran after the Doom Patrol. They were heading for some sort of underground base. He walked along side Robot Man.

Beast Boy: So…Cliff…pretend I hit my head and forgot what we were doing. What are we doing?

Robot Man looked at him as strangely as a guy with a metal face can.

Robot Man: We're storming one of the Brain's lairs. You okay, kiddo?

Beast Boy: Sure! Right as rain!

He grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Okay, something really weird was going on. Wasn't he in a mansion a few seconds ago?

Mento: Something's wrong…I'm not picking up any thoughts…

A speaker hidden above them click on.

Brain: How very perceptive of you, Mento. You are correct. There is no one on this island but you and your little friends. We are going to make a deal.

Mento: I don't think so Brain.

Brain: Perhaps you should hear my offer, before being so hasty. At this moment, there is a bomb placed on a nearby fishing island. I will detonate this device, killing the inhabitants.

The Doom Patrol looked shocked.

Brain: If you wish to save them, simply stay where you are. There is another bomb…this one inside the very base you stand in. Any attempts to escape will be punished.

A trapdoor opened and a large bomb rose up. The timer was up to two minutes.

Brain: Two minutes is plenty of time for the illustrious Doom Patrol to escape their demise. Just know that many more will die as a result. I leave you to your thoughts.

The speaker clicked off, leaving only the sound off the beeping timer.

Elasti-Girl: Steve…

Mento: …there is no choice. We stay.

Beast Boy: …dude…this can't be happening…

Negative Man: We gotta go some time, kid.

Beast Boy shook his head.

Beast Boy: No, I mean this can't be happening! I'm not IN Doom Patrol anymore! I don't wear this stupid mask!

Beast Boy pulled the mask off and threw it down.

Beast Boy: I'm a Teen Titan, and I'm supposed to be helping Terra! This can't be happening!

Beast Boy closed his eyes and screamed. When he opened them he was in an empty room. He stepped out into the hallway and bumped into Cyborg.

Cyborg: Was that you screaming? What happened?

Beast Boy: …nothing. That was the point.

Beast Boy started walking.

Beast Boy: Terra still needs help.

Cyborg: …er…right behind you.

Cyborg started following his usually goofy friend. Sometimes it was hard to imagine that Beast Boy was a superhero. Now wasn't one of those times.

Raven

Raven woke up in the middle of ruin. Smoke and dust clouded her view. She coughed and covered her burning eyes. With her powers gone, she couldn't sense people around her. It left her feeling disoriented. Yet despite not being able to see, she had a terrible feeling she had been there before. A strong gust of wind blew the smoke and dust from her view, allowing her to walk out of the clouds.

Raven: (whisper) …Azar, help me.

Azarath…or what was left of it, lay all around her. Places of worship, homes, everything was destroyed and left in pieces on the ground. She wandered the rumble, confused. There was no reason she should be here. In theory she should be able to travel here without her powers, but it would require intense meditation. So how did she get to Azarath?

Booming Voice: YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE I WILLED IT.

Raven's eyes widened with fear, her heart pounding. In the back of her mind she knew that it was a possibility that her suddenly being in another dimension was his doing, but she willed herself not to acknowledge it. She turned and was only slightly relieved to only see four red eyes in the sky, rather then the demon lord himself.

Trigon: THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO CEASE THIS FOOLISH BEHAVIOR.

Raven: There's nothing foolish about wanting to have my own life!

Trigon: DENY IT ALL YOU WISH. RUN FROM IT ALL YOU LIKE. IN THE END, I SHALL HAVE MY WAY. SO IT IS WRITTEN, SO IT SHALL BE.

Raven sank to her knees, covering her ears and closing her eyes.

Raven: It's not time…it's not time! You can't tell me what to do! Leave me in peace!

When she opened her eyes, she was in an empty room. She stood up, confused.

Raven: (whisper) It wasn't real. Thank the Elders, it wasn't real.

Raven exited the room, massaging her temples. All this stress was unhealthy, she knew it.

Shade

Shade woke up to a terrible pain in his head. Then another in his shoulder. He opened his eyes and ducked as a rock came toward his head. He heard the jeering of semi-familiar voices. Another rock struck him in the stomach. In the past, he might have let this happen…but not anymore. He picked up one of the rocks and hurled it back. The only thing that resulted from that was an increase in throwing rate. Shade grumbled. This was bullshit. He may not be the brightest bulb, but even he knew that this was impossible. The chances that he could somehow be home and not be killed were zero. They would have executed him on the spot, not chain him up and let little kids throw rocks. Unless this was their idea of stoning someone. He turned and faced the other way, letting the rocks pelt his back. Shade was just going to sit there and wait for it to go away. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Raven: Shade?

Shade: Oh no. I'm not falling for this. You're not real.

Raven: Shade, come on. We have to go. You're sitting in an empty room with your back to the door. Stand up and let's go.

Shade shook his head. There was no way he was…PING. His hands shot to his head.

Shade: Ow! Did you just pull one of my hairs out!

Raven: I'll keep doing it until you're bald if you don't stand up.

Shade: But…

PING. Shade stood up and followed Raven out of the room. Illusion or not, it was better then having all his hairs pulled out.

Basement

Blackfire paced back and forth, annoyed. This plan was slow and stupid. Why couldn't she just go kill her sister while her powers were gone? It would be so easy! BOOM! Charred Koridan'r. She turned to Krystal who was painting her nails.

Blackfire: How can you just sit there? We could be killing them right now!

Krystal: My nails need a-painting. Want me to do yours? I got lots of colors! My favorite is the bright blue one, see? It matches my eyes.

Blackfire sighed. Krystal's carefree attitude was nice, but it irritated her sometimes. Dr. Blades just sat in his little rocking chair…rocking. Apparently he was watching how things were going. Blackfire let out a growl of frustration.

Blackfire: That's IT! I've had enough! Your plans sucks harder then a Tamaranian Muck Beetle! I'm going up there, I'm finding my sister, and I'm going to melt her face off!

Dr. Blades: No, you're not.

Blackfire: Watch me!

Blackfire tried to take to the air, but it didn't work. She turned to Dr. Blades, her teeth clenched.

Blackfire: You took my powers!

Dr. Blades: Hers too.

Blackfire turned to Krystal. She was still painting her nails.

Blackfire: Doesn't that bother you!

Krystal: Nah. It just gives me an excuse to kill him when he gives me them back. And he will eventually, because he can't hold them in forever, can you?

Dr. Blades regarded her with a surprised expression. Krystal just blew on her nails. Blackfire smirked. Maybe Krystal was more then a pretty face after all. She shook her head. Where'd that thought come from? …it probably meant nothing. Now with nothing else to do, Blackfire sat down next to the blonde psychopath.

Blackfire: Let me see that purple.

Krystal: Oh boy, oh boy! Can I braid your hair when my nails dry? I bet you'd look cute with braids!

Blackfire: ...er…I guess so…

Krystal: You're the best, Blackie!

Blackfire blushed as Krystal wrapped her arms around her tightly, grinning. What was wrong with her? She never blushed!

Robin and Starfire

Starfire: Robin, we have been wandering this mansion for some time now…and all the hallways look exactly the same.

Robin kept walking. Sighing, Starfire followed. Robin was being stubborn again…or maybe he didn't understand what Starfire was saying.

Starfire: For example, we have passed over this knot in the wood many times now.

Robin: It's not the same one. It can't be.

Starfire: I shall prove it.

Starfire lifted her foot up and brought it down on the knot on the floor until the wood cracked and splintered.

Starfire: We shall now proceed. Eventually we shall return to this spot.

Robin sighed and started walking again. Starfire followed.

Robin: As long as we keep moving, fine.

Starfire: That is my point, Robin. We are NOT moving. We are not getting anywhere. It is like one of those old cartoons where the scenery loops indefinitely thereby saving the budget on animation.

Robin looked puzzled.

Robin: How do you even know that?

Starfire: I like old cartoons and asked Raven.

Robin: Uh huh…

Starfire made a slight noise. Almost like…choking? Robin turned. Starfire was caught in the grasp of Slade, an arm around her neck. With Starfire's strength gone, there was little she could do.

Robin: Slade!

Slade: Robin. You look surprised. I assure you I'm no reagent induced hallucination this time. I'm sure if I wasn't slowly crushing her windpipe, your little girlfriend would vouch for that.

Robin clenched his fists.

Robin: Let her go!

Slade: You are hardly in the position to make demands. Tell me…did you really think I was gone? That I would simply plunge into the abyss, never to be seen again? I never thought you to be so naïve.

Starfire's eyes fluttered. She was passing out. As soon as she went limp, Slade dropped her.

Slade: Much better. It's so much more interesting when we're alone…don't you think?

Robin's reply was to lunge forward, his fist aiming for the masked man's face. Slade stepped to the side and Robin quickly followed with a spinning kick. Slade blocked that with his arm.

Slade: Impressive, but old news.

Robin continued to assault Slade and Slade continued to either evade or block his blows.

Slade: I see you've learned nothing new since we last met. A shame. I had expected better of my former apprentice.

Robin: Shut up!

Robin managed to connect at last, his fist slamming into Slade's mask. Slade staggered back, but quickly righted himself, standing as though nothing had happened.

Slade: Have I hit a nerve?

Slade sprang forward, his fist driving into Robin's stomach. He gasped as the wind was forced out of him.

Slade: Look at you. You exhaust yourself swinging at me and for what? Did you think that I'd fall from a simply punch?

Starfire: Perhaps this will work better!

Starfire leapt forward, kicking Slade across his face. This only seemed to piss him off.

Slade: GRRAAAH!

Slade slammed the back of his fist into Starfire's face. She hit the wall and slumped down. Wobbling, she tried to climb to her feet. Robin needed her help. Any sort of help… Slade pressed his boot against her shoulder, pinning her to the wall. He continued to apply pressure. Starfire grit her teeth against the pain. If he wanted her to cry out, she would disappoint him.

Slade: You've interfered with my plans for the last time, alien.

Robin: NO!

Slade gurgled as Robin plunged his sword-thing into his back. He convulsed, then turned to ash, collapsing into a pile on the floor. Starfire sat up, amazed.

Starfire: How did you know?

Robin: I learned from last time. The wood here is weak. It creaks and groans from us stepping on it. Why wouldn't it make a noise when somebody heavier like Slade stepped down?

Starfire clasped her hands together, then hissed.

Starfire: Truly, he felt real enough. …but that was a most brilliant deduction, Robin!

Robin thanked her. Inside he was grateful. He HADN'T known it wasn't really Slade…at least not for sure. It was simply a guess, one that had turned out to be right, fortunately for him. Suddenly the lights along the walls went out, one after the other on either side of them. Robin took a defensive stance. Whatever was coming wasn't going to be good. Then there was utter darkness.

Cyborg and Beast Boy

Beast Boy moved like a man on a mission…which I guess he was. Cyborg followed, his hands in his hoodie's pockets. Nice of the crazy doctor to supply him with some clothes.

Beast Boy: Dude, what's taking you?

Cyborg: Calm down, BB. I don't even think we're getting anywhere.

Beast Boy stopped and looked around. It did look awfully familiar.

Beast Boy: You really think so?

Cyborg: What's your hurry anyway? You know as soon as we find Terra, we're back to being freaks.

Beast Boy shrugged and started walking again.

Beast Boy: I may have been green and all, but at least I wasn't useless. Now what am I supposed to do? I can't fight worth a damn, dude.

Cyborg snickered.

Cyborg: Bet Shade wouldn't think that.

Beast Boy: …oh yeah.

He snickered too.

Beast Boy: Finally shut him up. Probably won't last, knowing him. The point is, what good am I to the team like this? You still got that inventing thing going for you. Me, all I do is watch TV and play video games.

Cyborg saw his point, but thought he would be a little happier about being normal for a little while. He knew that he was pretty glad. What reason could he possible have for not wanting to be normal right now?

Blood: Oh, I can think of one or two, Cyborg.

They turned to see Brother Blood standing at the end of the hall.

Blood: Don't look so surprised. While I still can't control your mind…you can't stop me from reading it.

Well, this did count as a reason to want his cyborg body back.

Cyborg: So I guess you're gonna try and kill me now, huh?

Brother Blood put his metal hand over his chest, a look of mock surprise on his face.

Blood: Me? Why, no Cyborg. He is.

Cyborg turned and got a punch to his stomach, causing him to pitch forward. Beast Boy's eyes glowed red as he caught Cyborg in his jaw with an uppercut.

Blood: Surprised? As lazy as he is, you don't train and fight crime all the time without gaining some muscle.

Cyborg caught Beast Boy's fist.

Cyborg: Yo, Beast Boy! Snap out of it, man!

Beast Boy's reply was to knee him in the groin. Cyborg's eyes watered.

Cyborg: (high pitch) Forgot what that felt like…

He certainly didn't miss it. After trying to talk him out of it unsuccessfully a few more times, Cyborg did the only thing he could. He punched the little guy right in the face. Beast Boy fell flat on his back, dazed. Cyborg turned but Brother Blood was gone. Beast Boy got up, rubbing his nose.

Beast Boy: Dude…why'd you hit me!

Cyborg: You started it!

Beast Boy: Like Hell I did!

The lights went out.

END PART TWO