Part 2- Fiendish Power
(The Titans spend the night gathering all the information they can on the pirates. After they all catch a few brief hours of sleep, they get up for breakfast. In the middle of Cyborg and Beast Boy's argument over who will be cooking, the alarm goes off.)
Robin: It's them. Okay, you all remember how to take care of them this time. Titans, move out!
(Meanwhile, down at a random corner jewelry store, Dr. Light is busy stealing diamonds.)
Dr. Light: Ha ha! With all of these precious gems, my illumination abilities will be increased tenfold!
(The side wall suddenly bursts apart and the Blind Shotman walks in. The rest of the pirate crew follows.)
Echo: Hm? Hey! Hoist anchor and blow, ye landlubber! This is my pillagin' ground from now on, so ye can just clear out!
Dr. Light: Don't attempt to get in my way, you two-watt nothing! Nobody outshines Dr. Light!
Echo: (sighs) I'll be teachin' ye the hard way, then… (raises a hand and points it; Photon grabs his arm)
Photon: Don't waste your effort on this nobody, Captain. Let me handle this.
Echo: (steps back and grins) As ye wish, Mister Photon.
(Dr. Light opens the light bulb shape on his chest and fires a burst at Photon. Photon raises one gloved hand and stops the blast in midair)
Photon: You'll find that's not the best way to get rid of me. Ready to see a real light-show?
(Photon holds the blast up in front of his face)
Photon: Luminos Necrodin Xendrenel!
(The blast grows brighter, then multiplies. Photon transforms each one into a different form of light; ultraviolet, laser, and several others in the full spectrum of colors. These all move in and strike Dr. Light together. After the smoke clears, Dr. Light is covered with burn-marks, but still standing.)
Dr. Light: I…will…n-not be…defeated…
(Photon vanishes then appears right behind Dr. Light and smashes his staff down on his head. Dr. Light slumps to the ground with his eyes in the shapes of little swirlies. The store clerk gets up from under the counter and breathes a sigh of relief)
Clerk: Thank you so much! You saved me! How can I make it up you?
(The Captain grins wickedly then nods to Shotman. The hulking Russian pulls out a pistol and levels it at the clerk's forehead)
Shotman: You can give us all of your jewels, tiny man. And while you're at it, crack open the register. How do you say… "This is a hold-up!"
(Twin cascades of tears fall from the clerk's eyes, then he complies with the order. The pirates gather up their prize, then step over Dr. Light and out to the street just as the Titans arrive.)
Robin: Stop right there, Echo!
Echo: Oh, ye again, eh? Well, at least yer worth fightin; that imbecile in the suit was just a bit of… (snorts)…light exercise fer me first mate here. Ha ha! Light exercise! Ain't that a laugh, me lads!?
(The other pirates, except Photon, begin laughing hysterically.)
Beast Boy: Hey, when there are bad jokes to be made, I'll make em!
(Beast Boy transforms into a tyrannosaurus and shoots his reptilian head down to chomp Echo. Medic leaps forward and tosses a smoke bomb into the open maw. The bomb explodes and Beast Boy shifts back to human form, gasping and coughing.)
Beast Boy: Aw man! hack, hack And I thought Star's cooking was bad!
(Starfire flies forward and fires several Star Bolts. Photon raises a hand and freezes them in midair.)
Starfire: Robin, now!
(While Photon is distracted with the Star Bolts, Robin throws several energy disks. Medic responds with some shuriken that simply bounce off of the disks. The energy disks contact Photon and explode, knocking him out.)
Echo: What!? Hey, leave me crewmates alone!
(Echo blasts a beam of concentrated sound from his hand. Raven hovers in front of the blast and shields the Titans with shadows)
Cyborg: Yo, big man! Wanna see some real sharp-shootin?
(Cyborg fires his Sonic Cannon at Shotman. Shotman retaliates by firing his pistols fast enough to hold the sonic blast at bay.)
Cyborg: Looks pretty even, huh?
Shotman: Not exactly…
(The blind man continues to hold off the sonic blast with just one pistol while his other hand taps a button on his shoulder. The cannon mounted on his back fires a cannonball right at Cyborg. Raven shields Cyborg, then hovers in midair in a meditation position.)
Raven: Azarath Metrion Zinthos!
(Raven's eyes open wide and gleam with white light. The Blind Shotman lets out a scream and clutches his head.)
Shotman: My Inner Eye…going dark…can't see…!
(The Russian also falls to the ground and passes out)
Déjà: Oh, so many powers to steal around here! I think yours will do nicely, Monsieur Leader!
Robin: Try it if you can!
(Robin fends off the Frenchman's axe with his staff. At one point, Déjà Vu goes for an overhead strike with one hand. Robin raises the staff in both hands to block and Déjà uses his free hand to tap Robin on the forehead. He laughs as his body and costume shift to match Robin's)
Déjà: (In Robin's voice) Now let's see how your powers handle! (Closes his eyes, brow furrows in concentration, after ten seconds, eyes shoot open in disbelief) What!?
Robin: (grinning) You made a fatal mistake, Déjà; I have no powers!
(Robin gives his double a fast kung-fu kick that sends him flying. Déjà Vu hits the ground hard and drops his disguise.)
Déjà: Sacra' bleu… (passes out)
Medic: You won't find this so easy when I revive my crewmates! (A golden glow forms in his hands)
Beast Boy: But you can't do that without your hands free, can you?
(Beast Boy becomes a boa constrictor and wraps around the ninja, binding his arms)
Medic: Captain!
Echo: Don't worry, Mister Medic, I'll get ye outta there! (Begins to whistle)
Robin: Starfire, now!
(Echo has just enough time to turn with a shocked expression before Starfire's Optic Blast catches him right in the chest and knocks him flat on his back.)
Cyborg: Boo-ya! We did it!
(Echo slowly gets to his feet. His eye is blazing with fury.)
Echo: Well, Titans, I must say, ye've impressed me. Not many who've pushed things this far in the past. To show me respect, I'll let ye see me most awesome power. Brag about it to the dead!!
(Echo reaches up a hand and pulls the patch from his eye, stuffing it into a pocket. His left eyelid and most of the skin under the patch is part of a jagged starburst-shaped scar that is lighter in tone than the rest of his skin. Then the eyelid opens; Raven gasps, her worst fears confirmed.)
Raven: No… Impossible…
(The left eye is entirely black, save for the pupil, which seems to be emitting a soft green light.)
Echo: (voice now has a strange rasp to it) Now ye all pay fer hurtin me crew! Ye pay… with blood!!
(On the last word, Echo fired a burst of sound from both hands, each one ten times the size of his first blast. The Titans leap out of the way just as the sound waves blow past, cutting a deep, semi-circular crevice into the pavement.)
Robin: Titans, get him!
Raven: No! We've got to get out of here! Now!
Robin: No way Raven! He may have more power now, but we can still take him! Let's go!
Raven: Robin, no! You don't understand! He's-!
(At that moment, the pupil of Echo's left eye turns yellow. Echo opens his mouth and begins to sing.)
Echo: Ancient community long since dead
Rise up now from yer earthen bed!
Stretch yer limbs, open yer eyes
Awaken now from yer demise!
On yer feet, do as I say!
Attack the Titans, make em pay!
(The ground beneath the Titan's feet begins to rumble. The Titans gasp as an army of people rise from the cracked pavement. Their skin is discolored and rotting; some have pieces of bone visible through the skin.)
Beast Boy: Ahhhh! Zombies! Just like in "Attack From Beyond the Grave Part 4"!
Cyborg: It's the former citizens of the city! He's summoned them back to life!
Robin: No problem! Titans, take em down!
(The Titans battle the undead army and crush them all into dust.)
Robin: That all you got, Echo?
Echo: (laughs maniacally) Guess again, Bird-Boy! Have ye forgotten they're already dead!?
(The Titans gasp as the zombies' remains rise up and form into an even bigger army)
Echo: Oh yeah, I forgot ta mention; they multiply whenever ye destroy em! (Laughs again) Attack! Peel the flesh from their bones! Drain their blood fer yer Captain!
(As the scene is shown through Echo's eyes, the Titans are apparently engaged in a fierce battle with the air in front of them…)
Robin: Don't give in! We can still win this!
(No sooner are the words out of his mouth then the zombies begin to overwhelm them, pulling them down to the ground, moving in for the kill)
Echo: Now finish em off!
(As yet another insane laugh escapes Echo, Shotman wakes up and sees what is happening.)
Shotman: Captain, stop!
Echo: Eh? Mister Shotman? Yer okay? (Echo's voice has returned to normal) Okay, no point in stayin here then…
(Echo takes careful aim and fires another burst of sound. A building behind the Titans is struck and falls on them.)
Before you write angry letters, you should know that this building was condemned and was goin' down anyway – The Cap'n
(When the smoke clears, the spot where they were is a pile of rubble.)
Echo: (replacing his patch) Mister Shotman, get Mister Medic over here, grab the loot, and let's go.
(A few seconds later, Medic has revived Photon and Déjà Vu and the pirates are gone. The pile of rubble shudders and the Titans emerge, floating in a bubble that is composed of shadows. The bubble lowers them to the pavement and dissolves.)
Robin: Nice work Raven. But they got away again…
Raven: Good thing they did; we could have been killed.
Beast Boy: Man, why do you have to be so morbid all the time?
Raven: I'm serious! Listen… let's go back to the Tower… There's something you should all know… something I should have told you sooner.
(The Titans all turn to leave. Robin hangs back for a second, staring at a nearby alley.)
Starfire: Robin? What is wrong?
Robin: Nothing, I guess… Just a feeling…
(As the Titans leave, the scene shifts to the alley, where a shadowed figure is seen holding a mirror that is reflecting Robin's face. He chuckles to himself as the scene fades out.)
(Back at Titans Tower, Raven brings a book to the war room and opens it to a page bearing a picture of the strange eye)
Raven: The Fiend's Eye. An artifact of pure darkness. It is obtained by making a contract with the Fiends; the immortal rulers of the dark world. Anyone possessing it can command enormous power. But… nothing mortal is supposed to be able to take the strain of having such power, let alone be able to control it! The fact that Echo has the Eye and can use it is very, very bad. To hold an artifact so dark and to be able to tap its power, he has to be extremely strong.
Robin: So, how did this Eye help him do what he did?
Raven: The Fiend's Eye takes the natural abilities of its wielder and amplifies them. In his case, his power over sound waves.
Beast Boy: So, how did he make all those zombies?
Raven: They were never there. Not really.
Cyborg: Say what!? Did you not see the maggots crawlin outta those things!? I'll be smellin those creepys all week!
Raven: It was very convincing, but did you notice that we didn't really get a scratch from them? It was illusion; a very realistic illusion.
Robin: So that's how he's been attacking people; that Eye creates illusions so convincing that the victim's body actually believes it. And if the illusion is frightening enough…
Raven: Death by fright, or extreme neurological damage; he's been scaring people to death. Those that haven't died lost their minds… But it just doesn't make sense! He can't be using something that powerful without paying a price… It has to be affecting him somehow.
(Meanwhile, aboard Echo's ship…)
Echo: Here's to another victory! Crew, now that the Teen Titans have been eliminated, I think we oughta stay here awhile. It's been so long since we've had a good place to pillage and I…I…I… (suddenly loses consciousness and falls to the deck)
Gemini: Captain!?
Photon: Medic, get over here!
(The ninja hurries over and tries to heal Echo; his power flickers out the second he starts)
Medic: It is no good. He is paying his energy price for using the Fiend's Eye. We can do nothing but wait for him to recover.
Gemini: Captain…