AUTHOR'S NOTE:
We've reached 30,000 views! Don't pinch me; if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up!
As the clock struck 9:50 PM, I took a deep breath to try and calm my antsy body. Today began the season finale for season three. With any luck, it wouldn't be as hectic as last season.
There was a knock at my door, and my mom peeked inside.
"Are you nervous?" she said.
"A little..." I said. It was comforting to finally have someone informed on this freaky phenomenon I've been experiencing for the past month-and-a-half, especially since that someone was my mom.
"I can't wait to hear all about it when it's over." Mom said. "Good luck."
"Thanks." I said. Mom closed the door.
Although, this must be terribly weird for her. Wishing her daughter good luck as she plunges into the world of a cartoon? I can't imagine how awkward that must be for her.
I sat on my bed and reminisced about the past season. As I thought back on those moments, I smiled and hugged my arms. Along with the happy memories, however, came the concerns. I still haven't figured out who the mysterious spoiler is, and until I do, they're still running around creating problems for me and the other Titans. Whoever they are, I hope to find them before the Brotherhood of Evil do.
In order to welcome a newly formed Teen Titans group in Steel City, Robin sent Cyborg and I to go take care of things. We left early that morning.
However, after a few hours of driving in a car with Cyborg, I was starting to think it wasn't such a good idea.
"When there's trouble, you know what to doooo: call CYBORG! He can shoot a rocket from his shooooe 'cause he's CYBORG!" Cyborg sang at the top of his lungs.
"Please. Stop." I winced, squeezing my hands over my ears.
"Robin calling Cyborg." the video screen said. Cyborg pressed the 'accept call' button, and Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy appeared of the screen.
"What's up?" Cyborg said.
"Hello, my dear friends! I have missed the sight of your faces!" Starfire said. "Tell me! How have your travels fared you thus far?"
"I regret not bringing a pair of earplugs." I said. "Remind me again why you made me tag along."
Beast Boy's face filled the screen. "Because you're the only one who can fill the new Teen Titans with all the details they need in order to kick Brother Blood's butt if you run into him. That is, of course, unless that mysterious spoiler gets to him first and spoils everything. Then you're kind of in trouble."
I glared at Beast Boy. Robin shoved his face out of the way. "Cyborg will take care of the technological matters, and the Titans East could use some leadership. You need to keep an eye out and make sure Brother Blood doesn't succeed in his plans, if he has any."
"But if the mysterious spoiler steps in?" I said.
"You'll find a way around it. If worse comes to worst, just run in with guns blazing."
"I might do that right now if Cyborg decides to sing his stupid theme song again."
"I hope I meet Blood again. I can't wait to take him down." Cyborg said.
"Even if you don't, a vacation from home might be good for you." Robin said.
"Make sure you whip those Titans into shape!" Beast Boy said, flexing his bicep. A game controller flew onto the screen and hit his head, knocking him off his feet.
"We'll see you guys later." The video ended, greeting us with the Teen Titans symbol.
Cyborg pressed a button on the dashboard and the tires of the T-Car changed into rockets and lifted us off the ground. The car settled on the surface of the water and cruised like a speedboat.
"Whoa." Cyborg said as we approached a very rundown Titans Tower. We parked next to the entrance doors. I pulled myself out of the car, reaching my arms high above my head to stretch my stiff muscles. Cyborg opened the trunk, and we pulled our suitcases out. Cyborg knocked on the entrance doors, and they fell off their hinges and crashed to the ground. The entryway was littered with hunks of metal and cardboard boxes. Loose wires hung from the ceiling.
"This place is even worse in person." I said. I could've sworn I heard a bat shriek from the air vents.
"Well, over time and with some hard work, this place will look brand new." Cyborg said. I could already feel my muscles aching from the labor.
"What were you thinking?!" a voice echoed from a floor above. Cyborg and I glanced at each other before heading up the stairs and into the main room. A wave of shouting hit us, and we saw the new Titans East, their arms flailing as they yelled at one another.
"Uh..." Cyborg said. He cleared his throat, and the arguments ceased. Aqualad turned around.
"Cyborg! Ciela!" he said. "We're glad you made it."
"And it looks like we came at the right time... more or less." I said.
Aqualad scratched the back of his head. "Well... Anyways, I want you to meet the new Titans East..." he said, but Bumblebee and Speedy already dispersed from the group. Más and Menos approached us, sprinting across the few feet in a split second. Cyborg and I flinched. "This is Más and Menos."
"¡Hola! Somos gemelos. Nacimos siete veces la vida para ser más rápido que el sonido, pero sólo somos poderosos cuando nuestros cuerpos se tocan como este. ¡Más y Menos, sí podemos!" Más and Menos cried as they raced around us. Cyborg stared dumbfounded at the twins.
"Um... ¡Hola, we dos amigos soy nombres el Cyborg-o y Ciela!" Cyborg cried. I stifled a snicker when the twins glanced at each other in confusion and hurried off. "I think that went well."
"You already know Speedy and Bumblebee." Aqualad said.
"I thought we were only getting one Titan." Speedy said, pulling away from drilling a wooden board over a hole in the wall. I gripped my suitcase handle. "We don't need anymore space taken up in here."
"You should watch your mouth, Speedy. I've seen Ciela shoot better than you."
Speedy scoffed and raised an eyebrow, eyeing me. I shuffled my feet nervously. "I doubt that. Help yourself to the fridge. There are plenty of fish tacos for you to eat in front of Mermaid Man here."
Aqualad turned to us. "It's been a hard day..."
"Let us help you." I said.
"Please do."
We set our suitcases against the wall. Cyborg went to the security mainframe and started working on it.
"There's a nail gun over there. Think you can put in some extra screws on the walls?" Aqualad said.
"I'll do my best." I said.
I hurried over near the window. I crouched down and hefted the nail gun into my arms. It was much heavier than my bazooka. I turned and scanned the walls, searching for any missing patterns in the screws. I noticed one, and I lifted the nail gun and aimed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Speedy stepped in front of me, the barrel of the nail gun pointed at his chin. I lowered it. "I think you're a little lost. This job is a little dangerous for something like you; you don't want to hurt yourself."
"Aqualad thinks I can handle it. Now, if you'll move out of the way..." I said.
"Let the professionals take care of this." Speedy took the nail gun out of my hands. I scoffed and stepped back, folding my arms tightly over my chest.
"Security system online." said the intercom.
"At least I don't look like an overgrown Smurf." I said.
"A what-?" Speedy said when a bucket of blue paint fell on his head. He stepped forward, catching his foot on the other bucket of paint Más and Menos dropped from the balcony. I ducked as the nail gun went haywire, launching screws all over the room at rapid fire. A flurry flew at Aqualad and hit the water tank behind him. Water gushed out, throwing him onto Cyborg and the twins.
"Aw, man..." Cyborg said.
"I put Ciela in charge of the nail gun, not you!" Aqualad said.
"Don't pin the blame on me; it's all her fault! She somehow knew that paint would fall on me and she didn't do anything about it!" Speedy said.
"Maybe if you learned to be a bit nicer to people, you wouldn't be in this predicament." Bumblebee said.
"You're lecturing me about being nice?!"
The Titans East picked up their arguing again. Cyborg grumbled under his breath.
"Enough!" he cried, ceasing the shouting. He folded his arms and took a deep breath. "The problem here is your team. If you don't learn how to work together and get over trying to argue about every little thing, you're never going to accomplish anything." Cyborg's scanners chirped, and he lifted his arm to his face. "We've got trouble."
We entered a factory, where a giant, cybernetic monster named Steamroller stood midst a group of screaming worker dashing to safety.
"All right! Time to get your butt handed to you by the Titans-!" Bumblebee cried. Más and Menos dashed past her, making her lose her balance, and Aqualad shoved past her, knocking her to the ground. Cyborg sighed.
Más and Menos sprinted around Steamroller's feet. When Bumblebee tried to fire at him, Steamroller threw a punch meant for the twins but wound up hitting her instead. Aqualad threw a large wave of water from the ground while Speedy perched himself on the balcony above and shot a series of arrows. Steamroller twisted his body so the attacks flew past him and hit the two boys. Steamroller threw a punch at Cyborg, sending him across the floor. While he was still down, Steamroller brought his arms together and pinned Cyborg to the ground. A small cord slithered out from a small hatch that opened on his shoulder and attached itself to Cyborg's back. It changed red as it sapped up Cyborg's data.
Pulling out my pistols, I pressed them together and transformed them into my energy sword. I ran forward. I jumped up onto Steamroller's arms and thrust my sword into the hatch. The antennae short-circuited and died. Steamroller lifted his arms and growled at me. I hopped down to the ground. Cyborg turned over on his back and shoved his feet into Steamroller's chest, launching him back into the wall. We regrouped with the other Titans.
"¡Esto es ridículo! ¡Parecemos aficionados! ¡Somos seis contra uno, tenemos que ganar! ¡Pero ella está en nuestro camino, y estos dos se están disparando, y este hombre nos está ganando!" Más and Menos cried.
"Ditto." Speedy said.
"I guess we really aren't working like a team." Bumblebee said, her arms folded.
"We'll start now. Follow my lead!" Cyborg said. "Speedy, Ciela, B, gun him down!"
Changing my weapon back to pistols, I fired multiple lasers at Steamroller. Speedy nocked an arrow with Bumblebee shrunk down and perched at the head. The arrow soared through the air. When it reached Steamroller, while he was distracted from my attacks, Bumblebee grew back to normal size and shoved her feet into his chest. While she flipped in the air, she shot at Steamroller with her stingers.
"Double M, heat him up!"
Bringing their hands together, Más and Menos dashed across the room and to the vat of molten magma boiling at the furthest wall. Using their speed, they carried the magma over and doused Steamroller. He stood up, all of his body except his head covered.
"Aqualad, cool him down!"
Aqualad lifted his arms. Water pipes burst from the ground and spewed water. The water came in contact with the lava, filling the room with steam and turning the lava to rock. The Titans were silent.
"Booyah!" Cyborg cried, pumping his fist in the air.
"We did it!" Aqualad said.
"¡Lo hicimos!" Más and Menos cheered.
I holstered my pistols and approached Steamroller. His eyes were closed and his head was bowed, but there was a smile on his face. Something red flashed on his neck. I leaned in closer and saw the H.I.V.E. symbol painted in dark red. I stepped back and scowled.
We may have done it this time, but this is only the beginning.
When we got back to Titans East Tower, we spent much of the evening tidying up the place. We moved boxes, cleaned the hallways, and found out where all the pieces of metal really belonged.
After several tiring hours, we were finished. The seven of us stood on the balcony and admired our masterpiece.
"This place doesn't look so bad now." Speedy said.
"¿Estas loco? ¡Se ve fantástico!" Menos cried.
"We really wouldn't have done this without you two. Thanks." Aqualad said to me and Cyborg.
"It's no big deal. Now, let me show you my favorite installment." Cyborg pressed a button on his arm. The lights dimmed and a disco ball slid down from the ceiling, casting colorful circles across the room while music blasted from the speakers. "I've always wanted to do this."
Our communicators rang. We excused ourselves and headed into the hallway.
"Hey, guys." I said to my friends on the screen.
"How's your luck been with Titans East?" Robin said.
"It's going great! The Tower's up and running, we took down our first bad guy, and we're finally all set to look for Brother Blood." Cyborg said.
"Good. Then it's time for you two to head back."
"What?"
"Professor Chang has escaped from prison. I need you here as soon as possible. Robin, out."
Robin hung up. Cyborg's arm fell back to his side, and he heaved a sigh. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the Titans East gang staring at us, having heard the conversation.
"¡Señor Cyborg! ¡Señorita Ciela! ¡No se vaya, no se vaya!" Más and Menos cried as they clung to Cyborg's legs. With suitcases in hand, we headed down to the garage and to the T-Car. The garage door was already open, and I could see the inches of snow piling up on the roads. I shivered from the cold nibbling at my legs. Cyborg bent down and plucked the twins off him.
"Sorry, boys, but we're needed back home." Cyborg said, opening the driver's side door.
Speedy rested a hand on top of the door. "We need you here, too."
"We discussed it and we decided... we'd like you to be members of Titans East." Aqualad said.
I paused. Me, too? I looked to Cyborg.
"I... I don't know what to say..." he said.
The grinding of gears interrupted him and the garage door closed.
"That's weird. Security system is down. Maybe it's a glitch." Cyborg said.
I looked past the others. "It's definitely not a glitch."
The others turned and saw what I saw- a horde of purple cloaked figures surrounding us.
"Be careful, Cyborg. You have a lot more in common with these things than you realize." I said.
"Say what?"
Bumblebee flew up behind one of the figures and ripped the cloak off. Underneath was a robot replica of Cyborg with yellow cybernetics. All of them were copies.
"Titans, move!"
We sprinted to the other side of the room, knocking down any Cyborg replicas in our way. We plowed through the wall and down the hallway, stopping at a six-way intersection.
"We've got to make our way to Ops and change the encryption keys so we can reset the security system." Cyborg said.
"Which way do we go?" Aqualad said.
"Let's split up. One of us will find the right way and let the others know." Bumblebee said.
"How are we going to deal with the giant robot army? There's too many of them!" Speedy said.
"We'll get through this! We just need to stick together!" Cyborg said.
Two of the hallways overflowed with Cyborg replicas. The Titans East gang fled in four separate directions. The Cyborg replicas surrounded us.
"Let's move!" Cyborg said, summoning his sonic cannon and taking off into a run. I pulled out my pistols and followed him. We plowed through the robot army and made our way up to Ops. I glanced behind us at the pieces of yellow parts strewn across the floor.
"Well done, Teen Titans!" Cyborg and I turned and looked to the balcony, where Brother Blood stood with a smile. "I welcome you to my new H.I.V.E. Headquarters. It looks so much nicer thanks to your hard work. After all, you do owe me one after you destroyed all the others."
"I owe you nothing but a can of butt-whooping!" Cyborg growled.
Brother Blood scowled. "It looks like you need to be taught a lesson. Allow me to teach you!"
Brother Blood jumped off the balcony and dove toward us. We jumped out of the way. Brother Blood waved his hand, creating a shock wave that knocked us off our feet. Cyborg sprung back on his feet and charged toward Brother Blood like a steaming bull. He threw multiple punches, all of which Blood dodged effortlessly. On the last punch, he grabbed it and threw Cyborg across the room and into the wall. I aimed my pistols and fired at him. Blood raised his hand and created a telekinetic barrier. The lasers ricocheted off and hit the walls.
"How did you build those third-grade science projects? We stole my blueprints back from you!" Cyborg said.
"Did it not cross your mind that someone with my mental capabilities wouldn't have a photographic memory?" Brother Blood said. He tapped his temple. "All of your secrets are in here."
"They won't be once I'm done with you!" Cyborg fired his sonic cannon, but Blood maneuvered past them and flipped Cyborg over.
"You're a rare specimen, Cyborg." Blood said. Cyborg lifted his foot and shot a sonic ray from the bottom of his boot. Blood flew back, landing in a crouch. "That's what I like about you. You're always full of surprises."
Brother Blood sprinted over, picked up Cyborg by the shoulders, and threw him across the room and over by the security mainframe. Cyborg crawled to his feet and typed feverishly. Brother Blood approached him.
I aimed and shot at Brother Blood's feet. He jumped back and turned to me. He grit his teeth and pounded his foot against the floor. The ground beneath my feet rumbled, and I ran out of the way as it caved in.
"You always make thing terribly frustrating for me." Blood said.
"Leave him alone!" I said.
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?"
"I've dealt with plenty of villains to know what to do. I'm not afraid of you!"
"Maybe not... but you are afraid of heights. You're afraid of snakes. You cower from any form of confrontation. You're afraid of the world outside this one finding out your secret." Blood said. "Your favorite color is orange, your middle name is Rose, and you aspire to be a therapist when you're older."
I gasped. "You... Tell me who told you that! Tell me right now!"
Brother Blood threw his head back and laughed. "Have you really not figured it out by now?"
I slammed my pistols together and transformed them into my bazooka rifle. I fired at Blood. Blood pushed himself off his feet and flipped over the laser. It zoomed past him and out of the room, blasting a hole at the end of the hallway. Cyborg still worked furiously on the security mainframe. I fired repeatedly as he spiraled in the air, the lasers missing and hitting the ceiling. Blood landed in front of me and swiped his arm. He hit my bazooka, and it flew out of my arms. My eyes followed it as it bounced off the wall and landed on the ground. The red circuitry dimmed. Brother Blood snagged my chin, forcing me to look at him.
"You say you're not afraid of me, but that's just one of the lies you keep telling yourself." Blood said. I swung my fist at him, but he caught my wrist and twisted it. I winced from the sharp pain. "I'd love to see what else makes you tick."
Brother Blood's eyes glowed red- his mind control powers. My ears rang loudly, and I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head to try and break free. Blood's grip tightened on my jaw. My head throbbed violently. I felt Blood's control begin to sweep over my mind. It grew hard for me to think.
"Encryption keys randomized. Security system resetting." the intercom said. "Intruder alert. Intruder alert."
Brother Blood looked up and around the room. He released me and stepped back. His powers left me all at once, and I collapsed onto my butt. Laser guns emerged from the walls and pointed at Blood, covering him with red target circles. Blood gasped and shielded his face as the guns fired. He flew back, crashing through the window and down into the lake below.
I hugged my arms, pulled my legs to my chest, and took deep, slow breaths to calm my adrenaline-filled heart. The back of my neck tingled and my jaw ached. Cyborg knelt at my side and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Let's get you out of here." he said. He offered a hand to me. I took it and we stood up. My knees felt weak, so I leaned on Cyborg as we walked. We headed down the hallway and to one of the guest rooms. Cyborg opened the door for me, and I walked inside and sat on the edge of the bed. Cyborg's communicator rang. "You gonna be okay?"
I nodded, keeping my eyes on my hands. Cyborg closed the door, and I heard his muffled voice fade as he headed back to Ops. I pulled myself further onto the bed. I grabbed a pillow and hugged it against my chest. The room was near pitch black. The large window on the opposite wall gave me a view of Steel City, but it lacked the vibrant lights of Jump City. How far were we from there? I missed Jump City. I missed my friends.
I reached for my belt and pulled out my communicator. I turned it on and pressed one of the speed dial buttons. The dial tone hummed for a few seconds before the screen lit up.
"Ciela? Why are you calling so late?" Robin said. He furrowed his brow. "Don't tell me you're quitting, too."
I shook my head, recalling that Cyborg did that just a few moments ago. "No, I'm not quitting. I just... needed to hear a friend's voice."
"Are you not having fun there? Are the others treating you all right?"
"Yes..." Most of them are, that is. Speedy's degrading jabs were still fresh in my mind.
"Ciela... what's wrong?"
My chin quivered, and I pressed my mouth against the pillow to hide it. I blinked rapidly and looked away as tears filled my eyes.
"We were attacked. Brother Blood snuck in and ransacked the place. We chased him away, but... It's not safe here. It never was safe here." I said. "I'm... I'm afraid."
As the confession spilled from my mouth, I heaved a sob and buried my face in the pillow. I hugged it even tighter to try and still my trembling muscles. The exhaustion of today weighed on my shoulders. As my vision faded to black, I heard Robin one more time.
"We're on our way."
