Told you all I'll be doing daily updates this week. The things already written up to chapter thirteen, but I'm making you wait because I'm delightfully evil. Now, as a final preface, this portion of the fic is chronologically placed after the point in JL Unlimited after Brainiac/Luthor is defeated and the Watchtower is set to be decommissioned and deconstructed. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans or Magic: The Gathering. The odds of me owning either are about as good as winning the lottery while being struck by lightning, hit by a meteor, and seeing Michael Jackson doing something normal. I do own Captain Cameo, who has the power to show up for no apparent reason whenever you need some random guy to say a quick line.
THATISNOTDEADWHICHCANETERNALLIEANDWITHSTRANGEEONSEVENDEATHMAYDIE
Soon, the T-Ship was prepped, and the launch countdown began, courtesy of Cyborg. "10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1...WE'S OUTTA HERE, BABY!" With that, the ship launched, setting a course for the home of the greatest collection of heroes since the Iliad: The Justice League Watchtower.
Even though the hallowed satellite was being brought down after the world was almost destroyed (again,) it was still an impressive sight. The facility gleamed as a chance ray of sunlight glinted off the steel and glass. But something seemed wrong...
Beast Boy, surprisingly, was first to notice the oddity. "Dude, is the Watchtower supposed to be all crystal-y?" He had a point. The sunlight revealed a strange patina of crystal that, while thin, seemed to cover the entire satellite like a minimal amount of amber preserving a giant mosquito.
Cyborg frowned, concerned by the unusual state of their destination. "Definitely not." he replied. "I'll try contacting them. The com systems should still be online." He pressed a few buttons and spoke into his headset. "T-Ship to Watchtower. T-Ship to Watchtower. Come in, do you read me?" Only static could be heard in response. "I repeat, T-Ship to Watchtower. Please respond. Is anyone there?" Cyborg's concern was growing. What was going on? "This isn't good. We have to find out what's happening in there."
The others' reactions were mixed. Raven only nodded, acknowledging her duty to her fellow heroes and quashing the worry that was beginning to creep through her heart. Beast Boy gulped back his worry and agreed, but it was clear he wasn't as enthusiastic about going to the Watchtower as before. Starfire, however, was quite open about her concern. "M-Must we continue into the very scary and foreboding Tower of Watching?" she whispered shakily.
"It's our job, Starfire. We help those in need," answered Beast Boy.
Raven was impressed by the green teen's sudden display of maturity. 'I expected him to be the one who'd want to back out. Wow.' She began to sink into a daydreaming daze, when the sounds of a distressed communication blared through the ship.
"All available ships! All available ships! This is Captain Cameo! Abandon Watchtower! I repeat, Abandon Watchtower! All Javelin Ωs, prepare main laser cannons for siege bombardment!"
Cyborg stopped the T-Ship in the same orbit as the Watchtower, so the two would seem motionless to one another. The four Titans watched as the numerous Justice League ships charged their weapons, the cannons glowing with restrained energy. In a single instant, every single ship fired on the crystalline chrysalis. The lines of destructive power streamed towards the Watchtower, but once they hit the shining crystal, they ricocheted off the surface as though they had hit a mirror. The blasts rebounded away from the evidently well-protected base and screamed back towards their points of origin. The Javelin Ωs frantically escaped the blasts, and the surface of the Watchtower's cocoon wasn't even scratched by the assault.
"Dude!" screamed Beast Boy, ruining his earlier moment of maturity, "What's that stuff made off?"
"I don't know." replied a worried Cyborg. "I can't even scan it. It's deflecting the sensors."
"It's made of magic." declared Raven.
"HUH?" Everyone turned to her, shocked at such an idea. "You mean it's like your shield thingy?" asked Beast Boy.
"Yes," she replied, "only far more powerful. Only exceptionally powerful white magic can exhibit such powerful defensive properties. The Mox Pearl must know we're on our way, and I don't think it wants to leave."
The shapeshifter grinned. "Well, at least we know we're in the right place!"
"Yes," said Starfire, "but how do we enter if that strange magic does not allow anything to get past it?"
"Like this," declared Raven, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" With that, Raven's avian soul-self reached out from her body and encompassed the entire T-Ship. Once it finished spreading out, it surged forward, almost invisible against the void of space. Once it reached the luminous crystal, it passed through with barely any resistance. As the T-Ship docked, the crystal it passed through faded and blackened, as though it were diseased.
INADOCKINGBAYINADOCKINGBAYINADOCKINGBAYINADOCKINGBAYINADOCKINGBAYINADOCKINGBAY
The Titans stepped out of the ship, some more shakily than others. "Warn me next time you're gonna do that!" exclaimed Beast Boy, looking even greener than usual. He noticed no one was paying attention to him, and then saw why. "Duuuuuuuuuude..." The docking bay was sheathed in the same luminescent crystal as the outer portions of the Watchtower. Beast Boy moaned as something occurred to him. "Ah man, does this mean Raven's gonna hafta phase us through everything?"
Not if I can help it. The strange voice wasn't heard, but sensed by some feeling that defied description. It sounded like the smell of yellow. It felt like the taste of justice. You who have invaded my sanctum of truth and justice, feel my wrath.
"I'm guessing that's the Mox Pearl?" guessed Cyborg. As the mechanoman finished his comment, pieces of the crystal surrounding them grew and rose, forming strangely humanoid figures. In a matter of seconds, a dozen crystalline soldiers, swords drawn, faced our heroes. "Man," moaned the cyberteen as he prepared for battle, "this was supposed to be a quick trip." The soldiers charged forward, and Cyborg quickly broke out of his revery. With a thunderous "Titans, GO!" he began the battle, firing his sonic cannon at the faceted warriors. The beam struck one of the soldiers, causing its crystal structure to resonate at the same frequency. The vibration quickly shattered the being into innumerable shards.
The others were having a harder time with their inorganic foes. Starbolts passed right through the transparent creatures, and even Starfire's alien strength couldn't shatter the beings. Beast Boy was struggling to find a form that was both strong enough to destroy the beings, yet small enough to fit in the cramped space. Worst of all, the soldiers seemed impervious to Raven's magic. Black auras surrounded the creatures, yet they simply walked out of the fields unfazed and unharmed.
Obviously, the creations weren't simply standing around as the Titans struggled against them. Though Cyborg had already shattered four of them, they seemed to regard Starfire and Raven as the largest threats. One threw its sword at the Tamaranean, who eeped and tried to avoid the blade. Though she couldn't get out of the crystal weapon's path, she was only knocked out by the hilt. After she fell to the ground, the soldier that brought her down and two others congregated around her and formed a solid hemisphere of crystal around her, trapping her like a bug in a paperweight.
Shocked by her imprisoned friend, Raven shouted "We've got to get out of here!" Avoiding soldiers as they dove at her, she grabbed Beast Boy, and called to Cyborg, "Come on!" He struggled towards her, but three more soldiers grabbed the high-tech hero and trapped him as well. Cursing, Raven cried, "Hold on tight, Beast Boy!" and phased through the floor, headed for the source of the crystalline menace: the Mox Pearl.
BACKINTHETOWERBACKINTHETOWERBACKINTHETOWERBACKINTHETOWERBACKINTHETOWER
Robin had largely gotten over his latest bout of Slade madness, but was still drooling significantly. Suddenly, Silkie found his way into the rubber...er, special Slade investigation room. Yeah, that's it. Slade investigation room. Robin turned to face the larva and, his mind becoming progressively unglued, exclaimed "Robin! What are you doing here! The city needs you! I'll just stay here and squirm around, eating everything in sight!" With that, he began squirming around the room, convinced he was Silkie. Silkie shrugged as well as a mutated moth larva can, and dashed off to Robin's room to retrieve his uniform, eager for a chance to go "Robinning."
ENDCHAPTERFOURENDCHAPTERFOURENDCHAPTERFOURENDCHAPTERFOURENDCHAPTERFOUR
I know, my fight scenes are horrible. Still, I had to give BB and Raven some alone time. There will be some fluff next chapter, and don't worry! Cy and Star aren't dead, just preserved. You'll see what the crystal prisons did to them next chapter. See you then, and remember: If you had time to read it, you have time to review it.
Afterword: A blueberry virtupie to the first person who can identify where my first section break (the big string of capital letters) came from.