Titans Beyond

Episode 17: The Watch

Author: Brruundin

Warning, I do not own the Titans or any other DC characters I may use.

Raven, Cyborg and Aqualad were having a problem. They were watching the downtown early but nothing was going on. They were growing bored and tired. This mission was starting to feel pointless and unproductive.

"Hey Rae, you think we should call this mission off? It's starting to be a big waste of time." Cyborg asks, getting really tired of walking around the city while nothing was happening.

"Please be patient Cyborg, I have a feeling something will happen soon. Slade usually strikes after he gets what he wants. That's his style of play. We just have to wait for it." Raven says, and Aqualad nods in agreement.

However, soon after Raven had spoken the three of them heard an explosion from the other side of town.

"Looks like we got what we were waiting for Titans Go! Booyah!" Cyborg calls out, and the three of them head into that direction.

Insert English Intro Music

The local bank was being robbed, and a big group of thugs were loading money into a couple armored trunks.

"Looks like its clobbering time baby!" Cyborg says, and is the first to charge, knocking three of them into the street. Raven then hovers down landing in front of the large group about to ask them questions when they started firing guns at her. She shook her head and used her powers to knock the bullets away. Then she blasts the guns out of their hands and levitates them on top of a building. She then lands on the ground and forces them to start answering questions.

"Alright we won't have to hurt you, but only if you cooperate. Why are you doing these things?" Raven asks, trying to get some answers out of them.

"What makes you think we'll talk." One of them says, and then his cohorts begin to laugh.

"Maybe this will change your mind… Azarath Metrion Zinthos…. Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" While she begins to chant, a dark amount of energy appears in the form of a raven starting to horrify the thugs.

"Okay okay we'll talk but please make it stop please!" The thug cries out, trying to beg for Raven to stop messing with their minds.

"Much better" Raven says, and then she begins to stop scaring them.

"Now let me ask again. Why are you here?" Raven says becoming less patient with the thugs the longer they stall her.

"We were told get as much money from the bank as possible. That's all I know." The thug says, cowering in fear hoping Raven doesn't do anything worse.

"Who told you this?" Raven demands.

"When we asked he wouldn't tell us; he wouldn't even show his face. He wore a dark black hood. We only met once. He told us to leave the money behind the abandoned grocery store tomorrow morning. That's all we know I swear. He told us he'd make it worth our while. If you want to go check it out, then go for it. Just please let us go." The thug says, trying to negotiate a deal with Raven.

"Thanks for the info, but sorry you committed a crime. We can't let you go off that easy. Aqualad, Cyborg, tie them up. Let the police deal with these scum." Raven says, and the other two move in and do what she asks. The thugs scream and beg for help. Aqualad then turns to Raven for the next move.

"So now what Raven?" Aqualad asks, trying to figure out the plan.

"Well, it's getting dark, and they aren't supposed to be at the store until tomorrow morning. So I guess we camp it out somewhere until then. No point in going back to the Tower right now anyway." Raven says, trying to formulate a plan.

"So Rae, do you think that those thugs were working for Slade?" Cyborg asks, as they make a campsite on top of one of the city buildings.

"I'm not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was. His intentions are bigger than petty crimes. What would he need all that money for? There are a lot of unanswered questions. But we can't let that stop us from getting to the bottom of it all. But for now, time to sleep." Raven says, and Cyborg and Aqualad pull out some sleeping bags. Raven decides she isn't tired just yet and heads over to the top part of the building. She looks out over the city. It was really pretty. She loved living here, it was her home. It was peaceful and it had her friends. She couldn't let Slade or whoever destroy it. She feared the worst. With Robin gone she had to step up and take charge, it was the only way it could happen. She started to become sleepy and decides to lie down. She awoke before the others early the next morning. She looks around and the sun is just rising.

"Guys wake up; it's almost time to check out that place." Raven says, while shaking Aqualad and Cyborg. They complain but agree to awake. A few minutes later they suit up and head on out to that store.

"Alright looks like this is the place" Aqualad says, while checking the calculations on one of his small devices.

"Should we just go check it out from the back? Or go breaking in the front?" Cyborg asks, wanting to know how to handle the situation.

"Both. Cyborg you check out the front side, we'll check out the back. Call out if you see anything. Got it?" Cyborg nods and they head into the different ways.

Cyborg heads over to the front door, when he tries to open its locked. He punches out the glass windows; and unlocks it from the other side. Once he's inside he notices how quiet it is. He looks around but sees no sign that anyone has been here in a long time. He sighs, but keeps his eyes open hoping to see something. He sighs again, nothing.

"Looks like its empty." Cyborg says, loud enough so that Raven and Aqualad could hear. However, someone else responds.

"Not quite" A hooded figure pops down. Cyborg gets a closer look. He was wearing a black mask underneath a black hood and cloak. Cyborg didn't recognize him, but he didn't seem friendly.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Cyborg asks the mysterious hooded stranger.

"Let's just saying I'm doing an old friend a favor by helping him get what he wants." The hooded stranger responds.

"Favor? Who's your old friend? Is it Slade?" Cyborg asks, thinking the stranger maybe working with Slade.

"It may be, but it may not be. That's for me to know and not for you to find out Cyborg" The stranger says, while reaching for something in his pocket.

"Hey how do you know my name? I'm not afraid to open a can of whoop ass on you boy!" Cyborg says, this time more threatening ready to fight if the stranger made any sign of hostility.

"I have learned a lot about you Titans over the years, and soon you will come to know who I am and what my plans are. Destruction will come to this city Cyborg, and there is nothing you can do to stop it" The stranger starts to laugh, while readying himself for a possible attack from Cyborg.

"Tell me who you are, and if it's a fight you want, and then it's a fight you've got!" Cyborg says, pointing his blaster cannon at the stranger.

"Oh no Cyborg, there will be no fight today, your time has come to end in a matter of seconds the building will be blown to pieces and you and your little friends will be dead goodbye Cyborg, if you do manage to escape then hopefully we meet again." Then the hooded stranger throws a smoke bomb off and the next second he vanishes.

"What where did he go? Guys get out of here this place is gonna blow!" Cyborg says, while searching around for his friends. However, as soon as he makes that statement, the bomb goes off the building is blown to pieces. But thankfully, Cyborg withstands the explosion as he ducks behind an old meat freezer. As soon as the explosion is over, Cyborg looks around.

"Are you guys alright?" Cyborg calls out while coughing out debris out of his lungs.

"Cyborg I'm fine but I think Raven may be hurt. Come quick!" Aqualad calls out, and Cyborg rushes over to where he is.

"Raven! Please wake up!" Cyborg says, while getting closer to Raven smacking her face a little to try to snap her out of unconscious.

"She's not dead is she Aqualad?" Cyborg asks, very concerned about their friend.

"No she's still breathing, but that blast did a number on her." Aqualad says, while checking Raven's pulse again.

"Alright well that was intense. Did you guys find anything back here?" Cyborg says while looking around at all the debris from the building.

"No we didn't we would hope you would, but just as soon as were going to start looking for you the building started blowing up. I was afraid you were gone for." Aqualad says, looking at Raven and the back at Cyborg.

"What about you Cy?" Aqualad asks him.

"Yeah there was a masked man in there, dressed in a black hood and cape. I had never seen him before and he wouldn't tell me who he was. Right before the building blow up he mentioned something about the city coming to an end, and the fact he knew who i was and who the Titans were. This guy seems dangerous, I'm also pretty sure he was working with Slade. That's all I got." Cyborg says, letting Aqualad know everything that happened inside the building.

"Wow that's intense; do you think that this was another decoy of Slade's to try to get us out of the picture?" Aqualad asks, coming up with some ideas.

"Most likely, Slade's clever, he knew we would come out here if some thugs started terrorizing the city and gave us a meeting point. I just wouldn't think he would go ahead and start blowing up buildings, Slade is becoming more dangerous. We need to stop him before he blows up the whole city." Cyborg responds, coming up with a plan for what to do next.

"Yeah I know, it's just so hard now that we're short handled. Now with Raven like this… I don't know Cyborg, about what we should do anymore…" Aqualad says, while sighing.

"Yeah I know what you mean, times right now are tough, and it'd be easier with Robin though. I wish he would come back. But there's nothing we can do about that." Cyborg says, picking up Raven.

"We should probably head back to the Tower, Raven needs to rest." Aqualad looks at him, and nods.

"You're probably right Cyborg, let's head out." Then the two of them get ready to head on back to the Tower when they get a signal call from Jinx. Cyborg is the first to answer.

"Hey Jinx, what's going down at the HIVE academy?" Cyborg asks, interested in what was going on over there.

"Everything is great Cyborg, we got the Titans East back, and the HIVE even agreed to help us out. So it'll be great having all the extra help. What about you guys?" Jinx says, and then asks Cyborg on their status.

"Wow that's really cool Jinx, good work. Well, we've had less success here. We got ambushed by some new guy in a black hood and mask. He blew up the building I was in, the old grocery store. Then the blast knocked out Raven. We're on our way back to the Tower now. Meet up with us with everyone when you can. We got work to do." Cyborg says, responding to Jinx's question and making up the next plan.

"Alright Cyborg sounds good! See you guys soon okay? Bye!" Jinx says, blows a kiss to the screen and signs out. Cyborg laughs.

"Looks like we'll have some good news for once" Aqualad says, as they head on out back to the Tower.

"Yeah dude, it'll be good to have your team around. Hopefully the HIVE guys don't give us much trouble, we can't afford that. But I believe Jinx when she says they're down to help us. I mean she knows them better than we do. Maybe she persuaded them to join up with us. She's got that charm after all." Cyborg and Aqualad laugh at this comment and head back to the tower, as it was time for some good things to happen.

A/N Chapter 17 is done! Looks like things are shaping up for the Titans. But who is this mysterious hooded stranger? His identity may or may not be revealed soon, but trust me he's important! So you can guess on the identity if you want. As always review! (: