For most of my life, I have dealt with a constant, onstop uneasiness. It's like a bad taste in the back of my throat. A fear… …a paranoia.. …an uncertainty. More often than naught, I am constantly assaulted with the sensation that something is always going wrong somewhere in the world and it's up to me to blur in and fix it.
Bard tells me to lighten up. He does the big brother thing and insists that I shouldn't be so anxious all of the time.
Which is why—for a short while today—I had managed to not let a single fearful thought concerning the Titans' whereabouts trouble me.
Blurring down the frigate deck after the dashing feet of a black-caped, skull face intruder.. ….
Well… …
I feel fate shouting 'I told you so' straight in my ear. If I'm to do anything right now, perhaps it will at least be to show the Titans that I mean business.
Truly. I mean business about this whole 'teamwork' thing.
Truly.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Fw-Fw-Fw-Fw-Fwoosh! I blur and blur and blur down the rusted metal deck of the ship. Far towards the bow and away from the thundering fight between the Titans and.. …and… …and—
Who were those creeps anyway? They had superpowers and bloodlust—I thought all of the nasty meta-thugs who called themselves the Titan's 'enemies' were in prison after the whole Brotherhood Fiasco.
I guess I was wrong. And here Bard, Static and I are.. .. ..stuck in what's probably going to be an apocalyptic conflict by our standards but a leisurely walk in the park by the Titan's. I wonder if we're going to nearly lose the world again or something?
Yeesh.. …talk about 'rookie experience'.
Anyways—Who is this bozo in black?--And red?
FW-FWOOOSH! He leaps up into the air and suddenly 'fizzes' out in a blur of optic madness. Disappearing.
I gasp. I skid to a stop on murking feet, Myrkblade held at ready. I look around. "… .. …" I glance towards the waves. The rusted lengths of the ship. The portholes… . … "… .. …" I raise the shades Bard bought me off my naked eyes and glance around for an unhindered look--
ZZzzt! TH-THWP! A black figure appears overhead, swinging two feet down from where he clings to an overhead pipe—
WHAM!.!.!
I spit a bloody breath up into the air before flipping back from the massive blow and landing like a broken ragdoll across the metal deck of the ship. CL-CLANG!.!.! I shudder all over as I hear a pair of footsteps and an electronic vibration of a voice announce his victory speech:
"Hey, don't blame yourself for having your ass handed to ya, kid," the skull-masked mysterioso salutes with a black glove. "You're new to Robin's ragtag nest of half-boiled eggs, and unfortunately for you this is the week of training when I am in town. So don't expect a perfect grade." He twirls about with a spin of his cape and sprints down the deck. "So long, fart face!"
I groan internally. I turn over. I shake my weary, frazzled head. I rub a fresh bruise and push my bangs back—only to gasp.. ….
My new shades.. .. …Bard's gift.. …
They lie in pieces against the wall. Shattered by that Skull'd rogue's fiendish boots.
I've tried being really 'nice' since we joined the Titans. I tried to play my part and stay in my place. I tried doing what I was told and as orderly as possible.
But right now—judging by the shape of my fists—I want nothing more to see how easily breakable that guy's mask really is….
Why that.. …that….that… .. …STUPID HEAD!
CHIII-IIIIIING! I drag Mrykblade up from the rusted floor with a shower of hot sparks as—snarling—I blur after his faint trail and teleport my way through a cracked doorframe leading into the ship's cabins… ….
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
ZAAAAP! Z-ZAAAAAP! Cyborg fires volley after volley of sonic blasts into the air. He grits his teeth and snarls, concentrating further with each launch.
ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! Z-ZAAAAP!
His target is an elusive Polaar, and she is darting back and forth through the air with a swift ease and grace of her twirling grey capes that surprises even Cyborg. She pauses and flexes a hand in the air. VROMMMMM!.!.!.! A metallic ring fills the air as shrapnel from a shattered fishboat and other random filaments of dust soar up into the space just above her wrist and sails down at the android Titan at her command. FWOOOOOSH!
Cyborg sweatdrops. "Hoboy….."
At the last second, a growling Starfire suddenly flies into Cyborg's path and launches a charged beam of fiery starbolts at the plummeting projectile. "YAAAAAH!"
FLASSSSSH!
The metal dust shatters as spits of alien flame pierce through and pelt the gray magneticette all over.
"Nnnngh!" Polaar folds her cape around herself and flinches from the miniature starbolts.
Starfire takes off into the air to ram into her when---
"HAUGH!" Acyd leaps down from an upper tier of a frigate like a ballet dancer from Hell and slams her dropkicking feet into Starfire's chest.
WHAM!
"OOOF!" Starfire collapses into a rusted crater.
Th-Thwp! Acyd lands in a squat.
"Hey!" Cyborg cackles and aims his sonic cannon straight at her. Klak-Klakka! "Go back to the cesspool, boogerhead!"
Acyd simply flicks a wrist at the robo-Titan and melts off his cannon-arm with a splash of hydrochloric concentrate.
"YO!" Cyborg grimaces and looks at his steaming stub. "That's the third limb this month—OOOF!"
Acyd has kicked him in the chest and sent him plummeting into a stack of crates. She ruthlessly hisses. "If a girl wants a hand at dance, she'll ask for it." She grins, her red-orange arteries throbbing as she reaches poisonous hands down and clutches Starfire by the throat. "And now…. …." YANK! She hoists the helpless Tamaranian up towards her face…and licks her lip. "What say we find out what's underneath that pretty face of yours?"
Starfire shudders: "But I have nothing to hide under m-my cranial exterio---"
BLRRRRRKKKKK!.!.!.! Acyd opens her mouth wide and vomits all over the alien princess' face in corrosive globlets of steaming, green slop. She chuckles and cackles breathily as the Tamaranian twitches beneath her, her entire face steaming…steaming…then—"H-Huh?" Acyd suddenly does a double-take.
Sllllll-Slllllppp! Starfire quite literally licks and laps up every dribbling glob of the green stuff and swallows. (Gulp!) "Mmmmmm!" She smiles wide with her eyes pleasantly shut. "Hee hee heeeee! Quite exquisitely akin to fresh southern glorkaberries back home!"
"…. … …," Acyd blinks. "… ….okay, girl, that was pretty damn gross---"
POWWW!.!.! A burst of electricity and shrapnel marks the explosive exit through the nearby wall of Static and Flaar. The battling electrokinetick and amber-skinned fiend soar straight out over the waves, wrestling and surging energy at each other.
In the meantime, Terra scoots back along the deck, wrestling for control of bits and pieces of her rock platform that she had summoned earlier. She struggles to form a solid wall of earth just in time to block—
FLAAAAA-AAAAAAAASSSH! Too late. A blue beam of cold agony sails into her and glues her to the rusted deck with sharp icicles.
CRRRKKKK!
"Nnnghh-Augh!" Terra winces, struggling. Hissing as she weakly watches the femme in blue slide up.
"You must not r-resist.. ….," Fraust trembles in spite of herself. Vapor limps out of her lifeless lips: "The sooner you are frozen, the sooner the pain of this c-confrontation will be over… …"
A flame spouts in Terra's eyes. She growls: "I will not.. .. …be frozen… ….AGAIN!"
Fraust says nothing. She merely readies a huge chunk of paralyzing ice—
"NNNNNGH!" Terra clenches her fists. Her eyes pulse a hot gold as—Fw-Fw-Fw-Fw-Fwooosh!—A dust collected from soil samples within a quarter-mile-radius impossibly flies around her and solidifies into a levitating spear that pries her out of the ice trap—CRACK!—and 'flips' into the earth maiden's grip just in time for her to jump up and launch the projectile like a stone javelin. "HAUGH!"
Fwisssssssh!
Fraust converts her ice chunk into a huge, blue shield—CLANG! The rock spear bounces off. She lets out a cry and then flings the entire ice wall forward. FWOOOOSH!
Terra gasps and flinches at the last second---POWWW! A wave of black telekinesis suddenly bursts through the flying ice and explodes, knocking Fraust back on her frail side. "Aaaugh!"
Terra pants, glances aside, and sees a perturbed Raven limping up to her feet. "Nap time is over.. ….," she drones. "Time for someone to die—"
"Gang way! AH HA HA HA HA!.!.!" Raven and Terra are knocked off their feet as a wispy white human form soars down the rusted deck and between them. On hot feet of cloudy speed, the surging Miist shoves a green rhino ridiculously fast down the straightaway and tosses the changeling into a pile of old, abandoned cargo. CRUNNNCH! "Next time, don't choose an endangered species, ya green prick!"
"Prick this, you maniac!"
Miist turns around. "H-Huh?" He grins. "Oh, Hello again, Robin—"
WH-WHAMMMM!
Miist spits blood from the impact of Robin's steel-toed drop-kick.
The Boy Wonder lands nimbly and flings two birdarangs out towards Miist.
"Nnngh-HAAAA!" The psychopath cackles and teleports twenty feet in a blinking blur of white—effectively dodging the projectiles. "You couldn't hit the broad side of John Goodman's prostate, ya wuss! Ahahahaha!"
Robin merely leans a chin on his hand in nearly girlish fashion. "Who said I had to?"
Miist blinks. "H-Huh---"
WH-WHAMMMM! A southern fist-full-of brass knuckles slams into Miist's cheek. The elemental terrorist goes spinning three times from the impact—only to stop when the entrapping Bard follows through with a hard knee to the gut. WHUMP!
"OOOF!" Miist tumbles to his knees and clutches himself as if in royal pain. Wheezing….
"Look, fella. For a walking fart, it's high time somewhat lit ya."
"A-And who are you supposed to be…?" Miist hisses. "Howdy Doody?"
Bard gets into a 'draw(!)' position. "The name's Bard, ya sperm-headed little—OOF!"
FWOOOOSH! Miist has just teleported a short three feet—just enough to solidify right behind Bard with his arms entangling the Cowboy and locking him into a burning hold from behind. He exhales hotly into his body while he froths a steamy essence down his limbs, torturously scalding the new Titan through his clothes all over. Ssssssssssss!
"Nnngh…rrrrrkk!" Bard grits his teeth and struggles through the heat…Sweating…Heaving…
"Hckkkk!" Miist clutches Bard closer and spits into his ear. "What kind of a fruity name is 'Bard' for the Titan's new, sacrificial lamb?"
"You're.. …pickin' a fight.. .. …with the wr-wrong cowboy, Aerosol!"
Miist seethes against the back of Bard's neck, burning…. "I've killed two hundred people and tortured two dozen in my lifetime of service to H.I.V.E.! Just what have you done with your legacccccy?"
Bard takes a brave breath and half-sings/half-hums: "I was country when country wasn't cool." His eyes magically flicker a wintry blue. A wave of snow and miniature blizzard winds emanate from his empty guitar fingers and---
"Auuu-AAAAUGH!" Miist screams as the froths of frost blanket him from behind and—CHIIING! He's a metahuman Popsicle.
"Ahem… …enough said.. …or sung," Bard mutters. He disentangles himself from the mannequin Miist's arms and shrugs his shoulders—
The frozen Miist falls back. SHATTTERRR!.!.! The terrorist student collapses into a dozen pieces.
"…. …. ….," Bard stares at his work. "… …. ….eh, he'll regenerate." He adjusts his poncho and turns to Robin. "Like we were saying—"
"Get on the move, Bard!" the Boy Wonder shouts and motions along with him as he charges towards the stern. "Cyborg's down for the count and both Starfire and Static are needing our help—"
"Wait wait wait! Hold your horses!" Bard waves his hands."
"What?"
Bard points towards the bow. "Just what's up with that Zorro wannabe that Noir's chasin' after?"
It is the first time in his Titan 'career' that Bard sees it, but Robin almost shows a hint of embarrassment. He bites his lip for the briefest of seconds but soon cuts it short with a curt: "Follow me, and I'll tell you."
"Heh…I like you, boss man," Bard clutches his brass knuckles and jogs after the Boy Wonder. "Kick ass and talk a storm."
