Part 3- Unforgivable

(The next day has the Titans out searching for the pirate ship. It had already pulled up anchor and moved on to a different part of the city the night before. The Titans spread out and search and relay to one another through their communicators)

Starfire: The criminal's ship is not in this sector.

Cyborg: My area's clear.

Raven: Nothing here.

Beast Boy: (Shifting back from bloodhound form) Nope.

Robin: Keep looking. They've got to be… (His communicator suddenly beeps an alarm at him) Titans, trouble!

Cyborg: We're on our way!

(When the Titans reach the source of the distress call, they find a building completely in ruins. There are people everywhere among the wreckage, many unconscious, some badly hurt, a few possibly worse.)

Robin: What happened!?

Man: (groans) He came out of nowhere…started attacking everything...leveled the whole building and left, laughing…

Robin: Who!? Who did this!?

Man: No…I don't want to remember…I want to forget that man…that man with the eye patch… and that eye…that eye! I can still see it! I see that thing staring at me! Keep him away! He's a monster! He'll kill us all!

(The man continues to scream. His encounter was clearly very traumatic.)

Robin: (Snarling) Echo…

Cyborg: Man… how could one guy do this?

Raven: You've experienced the power of the Eye firsthand. This is a simple job for that type of power.

Starfire: On my planet, such needless attacks would be seen as grounds to declare war. The Echo is a terrible person!

Robin: He has to be stopped… we can't let him keep hurting innocent people! Titans, fan out, find him, and take him down!

(Days afterwards, the Titans still have not found Captain Echo or his ship. Then, out of the blue, the pirates turn up in a grocery store and steal all of the money in the registers as well as some food. This they justify as "restocking the galley.")

Medic: Captain, are you sure you are okay?

Echo: Oh, come off it! We go through this every time I use me Eye; I'm fine! Now, let's get back to the ship and Mister Déjà can start makin' use of our fresh supplies. Now move it, ye swabs!

(The pirates return to where their ship is docked.)

Shotman: Captain, is it wise to turn off the cloaking shield?

Echo: Where's the harm? The Titans are no more. We've only been usin' our cloak fer the past few days so the navy couldn't find us while I was out of commission. Now come on, let's get this booty on board. Ahoy there, Miss Gemini; we're comin' aboard!

(Echo waits for the usual response of "W-welcome back, Captain…". When it doesn't come, he turns up his eyebrow in a quizzical expression.)

Echo: Miss Gemini?

(The pirates run up the gangplank and are shocked to discover Gemini lying unconscious on the deck, covered in dark bruises and a thin trickle of blood coming from the corner of her mouth.)

Echo: Miss Gemini! Mister Medic, get over here, quick!

(Medic runs over and starts up the healing glow in his hands. When he lays them on Gemini, the glow dissipates.)

Medic: What!? Captain, my power… it is being repelled! Something is preventing me from healing her.

(Captain Echo's hands quiver as they ball into fists. He turns to Shotman and speaks with barely suppressed anger.)

Echo: Mister Shotman, perform a mind scan on Miss Gemini immediately.

Shotman: Captain?

Echo: Look at her attacker through her memory. I want to know who did this to her… right now!

(Shotman pauses for a second, invoking his Inner Eye. After a moment, he turns to Echo with a touch of fear in his voice; he knows how the captain will react.)

Shotman: Captain…? It seems that she was recently attacked by Robin of the Teen Titans.

Echo: What!?

(Echo turns to the side of the ship facing the ocean and fires a blast of sound at the sea. After the blast hits the water, he turns around and begins barking out orders.)

Echo: Mister Medic! Get Miss Gemini into the sick bay! Mister Déjà, assist him! Mister Shotman, load the long guns! Mister Photon!

Photon: Aye Captain?

Echo: Set a course fer Titans Tower! It appears I've got some unfinished business to tend to…

(The scene zooms in on Echo's face)

Echo: Now ye'll pay Robin… Nobody attacks me crew…This time I'm not leavin' until me body is drenched in yer blood!

(Inside Titans Tower, the Titans are looking over maps of sea routes near the city)

Beast Boy: Come on, dude! This is pointless! How are we gonna find one ship in all that ocean!?

Robin: I don't care, but we will find them! I can't let Echo get away with harming that many innocent people.

Raven: Something seems strange about that… Why would he attack with nothing to be gained? The records don't show anything like that happening before.

Cyborg: We'll worry about his motives after we find him. It's not like he's gonna sail up and knock on our door.

(At that moment, an explosion rocks the tower. Outside, there is a smoking crater on the rock upon which the Tower is built, marking the exploded shell. About forty yards out, Echo's ship bobs up and down in the waves, all of its cannons rolled out. One cannon barrel is still smoking. Echo stands up on the rail of his ship and touches a fingertip to his throat. The fingertip glows blue, then Echo's voice booms from his mouth as if he were speaking through a megaphone.)

Echo: Alright Titans, listen an listen good! That was a warnin' shot! All of ye get out here right now, or the next one lands right on top of ye!

(The Titans all come outside and stare at the ship out on the water.)

Cyborg: What is going on here? We've spent days finding nothing and he suddenly shows up and calls us out?

Robin: Well, if it's a fight he wants, he'll get it. Titans, go!

(Starfire carries Robin while Beast Boy turns pterodactyl and carries Cyborg. The Titans land on the ship and confront Echo.)

Robin: You've got a lot of nerve to come here. We've been looking for you.

Echo: I figured as much by the little memento ye left on me ship. We both know what's comin next; shall we?

Robin: (cracks his knuckles) I'm ready when you are.

Echo: Hold! This is sure to be one whale of a fight. Let's take this away from the city an leave the natives outta this.

Robin: Hmph! You didn't have any qualms about attacking innocents before; why the switch?

Echo: I don't know what yer talkin' about, but let's get goin. Follow me. Mister Photon!

(Photon creates a bubble of light around the pirates and raises them into the air. The bubble floats away over the sea. The Titans follow. The pirates land on a tall, barren rock that rises from the ocean. Titans Tower and the pirate ship are just tiny specks in the distance.)

Echo: Now this little island will be our battleground. Let's finish this, once and fer all!

Robin: My sentiments exactly. Alright Titans, take whoever you want, but Echo is mine!

Cyborg: I'll take the big guy.

Starfire: I will deal with the power-thief.

Raven: I'll handle that living flash-bulb.

Beast Boy: So I get the ninja? Fine with me.

Echo: Crew? They have hurt one of our own; fer this they die! Kill them!

Robin: Titans, go!