Well, this chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but I'm incredibly pleased with it. Thanks to everybody who's commented so far; It's great to get some positive feedback!
Disclaimer: I am not a massive corporation, so I don't own the Teen Titans.
Enjoy!
Part 3: Rude Interruptions
With just four words, it seemed as if the entire universe had frozen for a split second. "FANG! TAKE HER DOWN!" Still rang in Robin's ears, and he stared in awe as the spider-headed man leapt at his date. Snapping out of his trance, he sprang into action. Whirling around quickly, Robin launched his explosive disk, which detonated right before Fang's eyes, blinding him.
"AUUUGH! Ahhh! My eyes! Dammit!" screamed the monstrous figure as he dropped to the ground in agony, knocking over several tables and chairs and missing Starfire by meters.
Robin turned to Kitten. "I don't know what you think you're trying to pull, but you're not scaring anybody. Just surrender now."
Kitten giggled. "Robbie-pooooo... I'm not about to give up so easy. I've come for you, and I'm going to leave with you." Her pleasant demeanor melted away, replaced almost instantly with one of rage and terror. Her eyes seemed to glow as she shot her groaning boyfriend a look of death. "FANG! YOU WORTHLESS BLOB! GET UP!"
The Tamaranian teen turned to her leader and date with a look of displeasure. "Friend Robin, while I am grateful for the concern, I did not need your assistance."
"Er, sorry Star... it's just that.--GET DOWN!" screamed Robin, shoving Starfire to the ground as a grey blob of Fang's webbing missed the duo by inches. Turning to Fang, the Boy Wonder began to shout. "Alright, Spider-Man... let's--" His words were cut off when the approaching villain was blasted to the ground by a pair of starbolts. Starfire flew past the now-gaping Robin and proceeded to land atop the half-spider, delivering a flurry of punches. The spiky hero shrugged. I don't know what the heck I was worried about...
The creature used its extra legs to its advantage, forcing Starfire off, and quickly spat a barrage of paralyzing venom in her direction. Dodging in the air, Starfire retaliated with starbolts. While the two exchanged fire, the restaurant's Maitre D' began weeping as tables and chairs, chandeliers and windows exploded or burst into flame. The frustrated Fang didn't help matters when he began to indiscriminately grab tables with his legs and heave them at his alien opponent. Starfire did her part by destroying the projectiles with various blasts. With every splintering piece of furniture, the Maitre D' felt a teeny bit of himself die.
"Now that that orange thing and Fang are busy, what say we go for a walk...?" came the falsely seductive voice of Kitten, drawing the Boy Wonder's attention away from the battle. Unimpressed with her act, he rolled his eyes.
Robin smirked. "No offense Kitten, but I'm not leaving here without a fight, and you and I both know you're not exactly a physical threat." To show he was serious, he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his utility belt, wrapping it securely around his waist. He proceeded to draw another disk and a boomerang, and struck a combat pose. The entire time, Kitten shook her head and yawned, clearly unimpressed.
"Ohhh... you're so CUTE when you do that whole superhero-thingy. I can't wait until you grow out of this phase. C'mon Robbie, let's go."
"No. And stop calling me that."
"Robbeeeeee... I don't think you understand..."
"I understand that Starfire will have your boyfriend served up on a platter in a couple of seconds, and then it's over. You've lost."
Kitten sighed, a look of impatience on her face. She finally raised her pistol, pointing it directly at the Boy Wonder's head. "You're coming with me." She ordered, a harsh edge embedded in her tone. Her eyes were cold and distant.
A tad unnerved, the Titans' leader reminded himself who he was dealing with. "What, a gun? You're not going to kill me, Kitten. I know you."
"I'm not gonna kill you, silly. It's not that kinda gun. Fangeeee built it for me. It concentrates the paralyzing nature of his venom into an energy blast. Now... you can come willingly, or I can drag your limp body out of here. Well, Fang will be doing the dragging, of course... but... ENOUGH TALK! What's it gonna be?" She queried, the edge still resonating in her voice.
"I pick 'none of the above.' Put down the gun, call off Fang, and I'm sure the police will go easy on you."
"WRONG ANSWER!" she shouted, firing a shot at Robin. Using his catlike reflexes, Robin dodged the blast by milliseconds, leaping to his right and rolling into a defensive stance. Kitten fired another blast, and he dove backwards blindly, flipping in midair and landing crouched. He quickly grabbed a table that had somehow managed to survive the chaos, rolling it in front of him to act as a shield. He heard heels click towards him just over the din of crashing and banging that proved Starfire and Fang were still engaged in battle.
Great. I've been outwitted by Kitten, of all people? Is this Bizarro world or something? Well, I'm not licked yet. "Oh Kitten! I've... thought about it... and you're right. Let's go! I know this great place down by the pier where we can get some dessert." Robin stood up slowly, hands raised and empty. Kitten lowered her pistol.
"Really, Robbie-poo? I convinced you?"
"Uh, yeah... A raygun helps a man make up his mind."
"I knew you'd see things my way! You cute l'il man, you!" squealed Kitten, closing her eyes and beaming. Her eyes shot open quickly as she aimed the pistol clearly at his face. "Robbie... I just paid you a compliment." She spat through clenched teeth.
Robin sighed and shut his eyes tightly. "Thanks." he muttered, offering up the most sincere laugh he could manage.
Kitten did not look sated. "Annnnnd... What do you do when somebody gives you a compliment?"
This plan had better work. He thought. He grit his teeth as he spoke. "You look sane this evening." Kitten cleared her throat, narrowing her eyes. "And, uh... beautiful... I guess."
Kitten laughed. "OH ROBBIE! You sure know how to make a girl feel special!"
Across the room, Starfire glanced over to see Robin with his hands raised, appearing remarkably submissive to Kitten. Nervous tension tore through her at that moment. He is giving up? This cannot be! This is not the Robin I know! she thought as she dodged another blast of Fang's venom. Anger replacing her nervousness, she blasted her spider-headed opponent in the chest with an emerald shot from her eyes, sending him flying through the wall and into the street.
"Non! Non! Pour quoi? Pour quoi!" screamed the Maitre D', his hands twisted into ragged claws as tears poured down his cheeks. Starfire blushed, unable to comprehend what the man was shouting at her.
"I am sorry, friend! I--" she began before a blast of webbing enveloped her body and sent her spiraling to the ground. Starfire struggled to free herself as she watched the approach of spindly legs from the corner of her eye.
"Man, it's too bad you're cute. I was gonna enjoy this..." chuckled Fang as he moved in for the kill.
Starfire groaned, dazed. She heard nothing but white noise and saw only fuzz before she regained her bearings. Shooting herself free from the spiderweb, she leapt into the air, missing Fang's pounce by mere seconds.
"Grah! Stand STILL!" shouted the spider-hybrid, firing a glancing blow of venom in Starfire's direction. She easily dodged it, and laughed.
"I would like to see you force me to take on such a task!" she taunted.
"What the hell are you saying? Speak English!" demanded Fang, his voice full of disbelief and confusion.
As the two carried their battle into the coatroom, the Maitre D' had resigned himself to his fate. His sallow form was slouched over the bar, taking regular pulls from a bottle of red wine and humming a sad song to himself. Maybe I should just go back to Marseilles and join my brother the carpenter... he thought as the coatroom wall erupted outward and two bodies flew back into the dining room, arms locked together in a titanic struggle.
A titanic struggle was occurring inside Robin's head at this moment as well. His gag reflex was fighting a losing battle not to throw up as he played along with the fantasies of a deranged teenage girl.
"Oh, Robbie-poo... I've waited a loooong time for this." mumbled Kitten dreamily, stepping even closer to her perceived lover.
"Uh, yeah, me too. Totally. Well, let's go. Put away the gun, Kitten... dear..." sputtered Robin, trying with all his might to sound convincing.
Kitten's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why are you so eager for me to put my gun away? This is all just a trick, isn't it?"
"Um, no, of course not. It's just that it's not polite to point a gun at a loved one and..."
"You're mean, Robin! MEAN! MEAN! MEAN!" she shouted as she stamped her feet, aiming point blank at his chest and applying pressure to the trigger. Relying solely on instinct, Robin's right hand shot out and knocked the gun from Kitten's hands. Arcing across the room, it landed and slid across the ground, softly tapping against the wall before stopping. Kitten's eyes grew wide with horror, her mind unable to comprehend just how quickly that had happened. Robin used the free moment to sprint towards the one advantage Kitten had. Shrieking like a banshee, Kitten drew her whip, lashing it quickly around Robin's legs and sending him crashing to the ground. He groaned and attempted to free himself as Kitten plodded past him.
"Drat these stupid shoes..." screamed Kitten, kicking off her heels as she dove for the gun. Grabbing it, she turned to blast her unrequited love, only to find the firearm snapped out of her hands once again by her own weapon. Robin stood before her, her whip in his left hand, eyes like ice pellets.
"First of all, it's not wise to just leave your weapons lying easily within your enemy's reach. Second of all..." He drew in a deep breath, his eyes narrowing further, his teeth clenched "Kitten... you have ruined my date... You have ruined this restaurant... And you are going to pay..." Kitten's eyes grew very wide and she began to cry. Robin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Awww... geez..."
Across the room, Starfire stared straight into the eyes of her own foe. All eight of them.
"You do not scare me in the slightest, ugly beast." she scoffed, tossing a starbolt that Fang dodged, leaping onto a nearby wall.
Fang hissed, spitting a blob of web which she dissolved with her eyes.. "Kinda mean, isn't it? I mean, I haven't insulted you at all. In fact, you're pretty hot. But you don't deserve such compliments if all you're gonna do is call me ugly." He scolded as he clutched the wall, wagging one of his human index fingers.
Star paused, dumbfounded. "I... am sorry?" she blurted, amazed to find herself saying such words to her foe.
"I can't believe you fell for that!" shouted Fang, spitting a second time and hitting her dead in the chest with a net of webbing, binding her arms. Starfire shrieked as he jumped on top of her, sending her crashing to the ground.
The Boy Wonder's attention was drawn away from the bawling lass before him to the screams of his date. Turning he saw Fang atop of the red-headed beauty, hissing as he attempted to overpower her with his multiple limbs.
"STARFIRE! NO!" Robin shouted, drawing a boomerang and tossing it, nailing the arachnid in the side of the head. Fang grunted in pain, his concentration broken. Seizing the opportunity, the Tamaranian was able to tear off his webbing and grab hold of his spider legs, twisting him into a pin, holding his human arms down with her legs.
"All right, Star!" congratulated the spiky-haired warrior, pumping a fist into the air. Starfire blushed, but maintained a firm grip on her foe.
"Thank you, Robin..." she began, only to see Kitten scurrying behind her lover. "LOOK OUT!" she screamed, but too late. Robin spun around quickly, only to find the re-armed Kitten staring at him down the barrel of the gun. Before he could even speak, she shot him in the chest. The blast knocked him off his feet and he collapsed to the ground with a loud bang.
"Gaaaaaack!" he gurgled as his muscles tensed. He froze into a warped pose, his face a mask of pain, his body a warped statue.
"Finally, Robbie-poo! You are so difficult to get ahold of, you know that?" chastised Kitten as she stood over him, gun raised, a smile on her lips. She giggled. "And what was that about leaving weapons lying around again?"
"If... I could... glare... at you... I would..." choked Robin, anger in his voice.
"You... you monster!" screamed Starfire, letting go of Kitten's henchman and soaring towards the pink-clad villainess who had just harmed her beau. Her mind had been wiped clean of all thoughts but one: Revenge.
"At last, geez." mumbled Fang, leaping to his feet and spitting a shot of venom at Star, hitting her in the small of her back. The alien's eyes shot open in horror as she felt herself becoming numb. She plummeted to the ground like a stone, smashing through some tables and leaving a large dent in the floor as she crashed into the marble below. She let out a low groan of intense pain. The arachnid-hybrid walked over to his fallen enemy and proceeded to cover her entire body in webbing, chuckling to himself now and again.
"Fang! Help me with Robbie!" ordered Kitten, stamping her feet.
"In a second! I'm finishing something here!" he shouted. He took a second to admire his work moments before he made his way over to his boss. "That took way too long." he complained as he used his massive legs to pick up the prone Titan leader.
"Yeah, well, if you hadn't messed everything up, I'm sure it would've gone a lot quicker." she spat, her eyes shooting him daggers.
"What... have you done... to Starfire?" demanded Robin, his voice hollow.
Kitten laughed. "That..." She searched for a word, and opted to go for a milder one. "...tramp is just buried under Fangy's webbing. Right, dearie?"
"Yeah, babe. I'm pretty sure she won't suffocate." he added before bursting into twisted laughter.
"If you hurt her... I will introduce you both to a world of pain..." threatened the Boy Wonder, his voice regaining a threatening tone.
Kitten's eyes briefly went wide before she regained her composure. "What are you going to do? You're frozen! C'mon, Fang. Get him into the car."
"I will get free... You can't keep me like this forever." shouted Robin as Fang carried his stiff body outside into the darkness of a nearby alley.
"Just watch me!" came Kitten's reply as she began to follow the two men into the corridor. She paused before the small web-filled pit in the floor, kneeling towards it. "Oh, Starfire... I hope you can hear me in there. I just want you to know... you look hideous in lavender!" cackled Kitten before standing and leaving.
Watching them leave, the Maitre D' looked at his empty bottle of wine before tossing it over his shoulder, sighing. "Mon dieu..." he grumbled, shaking his head as he surveyed the carnage before him. He winced as the last chandelier plummeted to the ground and shattered into thousands of pieces.
Outside, Robin saw a familiar pink Ferrari parked in the alley. If the colouring didn't give everything away, the familiar license plate did.
"DDYSGRL..." Robin sounded out the plate phonetically as Fang tossed him in the backseat.
"That's me, Robbie-poo!" replied Kitten, posing before she opened the driver's side door and plopped down behind the steering wheel. Fang opened the passenger's door, and with a miraculous amount of squeezing, finally got into his seat.
"You cut us off earlier. You've been following us the whole night, haven't you? The park, downtown..."
Kitten opened and closed her hands like they were puppet's mouths. "Blah blah blah, Robbie! Don't you ever stop talking? Yeah, yeah, so we've been following you, so what? I only did it to save you from a horrible date, and take you on a great one... with yours truly, of course!" She replied, turning the ignition on her sports car, putting it into gear and driving off into the night.
"That sentence is wrong on so many levels..." Robin groaned. "And you! Fang! Why are you helping her if she wants to date me?"
"I'll admit it, we've been on the rocks lately. But she'll see the error of her ways and come crawling back to me. I know it. I figure helping her do things like this will make her understand that I'm the only one for her."
Robin's voice rang with frustration. "That doesn't make any sense, you idiot. Don't you realize what she's getting you to do here?"
Kitten shot Robin a glare in the rearview mirror. "You're just jealous because what Fang and I had won't even be close to what you and I will have in the future"
"That makes even less sense!" Robin hissed.
"Just be quiet while I take us someplace special, Robbie-poo. Fang! If he even flinches, hit him with a shot of venom."
"Yeah, babe."
Robin sighed and closed his eyes. Starfire, I hope to God you're okay... I need your help right now...
Sitting in the darkness of her cocoon, the Tamaranian was trying with all of her might to do two things: Move, and cry.
"I have let Robin down. I have let the Titans down. I have to make this right..." she whispered to herself. "I cannot let that horrible woman and the giant... spider... get away... I have to get free... I must get free..." Closing her eyes and focusing, she felt a single teardrop trickle down her cheek. Paradoxically, she grinned at the tear. My muscles are relaxing! came her joyous thought. Concentrating on the feeling of the droplet sliding down her face, she put forth all of her energy into a single effort. Slowly but surely, she felt her pinky finger begin to bend. Gasping, she moved it up and down over and over and over. She giggled as she felt the feeling return to her hand. Within seconds, she had limited movement to her appendages, and she was able to move her eyes..
"I am victorious! Now... to free myself... and save my Robin!"
Don't miss the exciting conclusion to "A Night on the Town" in Part Four! I'll try to get it up as soon as possible, but while this is much more fun and entertaining than writing my Shakespeare essay, it does have to get finished this week. But it won't be much of a wait at all, I promise. And feel free to drop me a comment... Always appreciated!