A/N: So Just like I promised, the next chapter's up. So without further ado, on with the show… err, story, whatever.
Again, I'm pretending that the Teen Titans are around 17-18 range and for many people that it considered a man. Calling them 'boys' doesn't feel right. But hey, you're the reader, feel free to interpret it how you will.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, just the awesome name Kale.
"So…..?" said Beast Boy, as if he was implying something dirty. Cyborg noticed with annoyance that Beast Boy's hands were on the back of his seat.
"Hands off the seat, BB." Cyborg said, smacking the other man's hand away without taking his eyes off the road.
"Oh come on, you're not even going to tell us her name?" Beast Boy whined, slumping back into his seat.
Cyborg's temper was short. His car had been painted and scratched twice that day and he was not in the mood to play games. "Her name is Kale."
"Who is Kale?" Starfire asked from her seat in the center in the back.
"Just a girl I met at the library," Cyborg said shortly, hinting that he wanted to be left alone for the rest of the drive.
Starfire didn't get the hint. "Wonderful! And when will we meet this Kale?"
"I don't know, Star! I just met her, I don't have her number, and all I know about her is that she lives and works at some orphanage," Cyborg said, just barely keeping himself from snapping at her.
"Orphanage? I didn't know Jump City had an orphanage," Robin's voice came out of the intercom, through which he had been listening.
"Well, it does, you've probably never been anywhere near there, though," said Cyborg, remembering what Kale said just before he had left.
"Why?"
Cyborg took a cleansing breath and sighed. "Okay look, it's in a section of town that the Teen Titans don't generally go in. There are no bad guys there, because there is nothing to steal. Control Freak, and Johnny Rancid lived there when they were babies, both stole a bunch of stuff and got their butts out of there as soon as possible."
Raven, sensing the tiredness in her friend's voice, quickly asked everyone what books they got, though she could not sound less enthused. Each of them had a rather long list, so Cyborg didn't have to say anything all the way back to the Tower.
Walking into his room, he fell into an old comfy chair he used to have at his old house. Sighing deeply he said to himself, "What are you doing to yourself, man?"
He slept there for a few hours before he moved to his metal bed. He powered down for the night.
When he woke up in the morning, he heard a loud banging at the door.
"Friend, have you awakened? I have had the most glorious news." Starfire's voice floated cheerfully into his room.
Cyborg groaned as he lifted himself off the metal 'bed'.
He opened the door to Starfire practically bouncing with joy and look up at him with bright, kitten-like eyes. It was way too early for her perkiness.
"What's up Starfire?"
Starfire's voice was bubbling with excitement, "Robin said that there is a fair in town. It is the called Illusion Festival and we get to go!"
Cyborg thought for a minute. "The Illusion Festival? That's the carnival where all those pickpockets and perves come to town and take everyone's money… and other things?" he added after a moment's pause.
"Yes, we will have to do some monitoring." Starfire said, floating down to the floor. She smiled brightly, any thoughts unable to keep her down, "But robin says we have to blend in with the crowd to catch the thieves. Hurry, it is time for breakfast."
Cyborg brightened at the prospect of breakfast, "All right! I want waffles, and bacon and sausage and eggs and waffles and o.j, and waffles…" he said following his once-again floating friend.
Cyborg was starting to regret his former enthusiasm. The festival seemed to have cleaned up, and because he was constantly on guard, he could not enjoy any of the attractions. His stomach growled. He picked up the communicator.
"Yo, Rob? Man, when are we going home for some lunch?" he yelled into the device, more to mess with his friend than anything.
"Sorry, Cyborg. We're staying for the long haul. Do whatever you want; just be on the alert. And don't use the communicator. We don't want anyone to know we're Titans."
Cyborg saw a girl-shaped shadow pass under him. "Then you better check your girl." He flipped the communicator closed, cutting off Robin's stuttered denial. Sighing, he said to himself, "Sure, no one's going to notice a one hundred eighty pound mechanical man."
Then, reminding himself that this was a circus, he went off to have some fun.
A few hours later, Cyborg's regret from before rose up again as he stifled a yawn. The sun had set and he had been to every attraction twice. He met up with his friends a few times, but Robin thought it was a good idea to stay apart. Cyborg had a feeling there was something more to Robin's fear of this carnival than met the eye. Especially when he saw Robin reaching for his belt when a clown comically kissed him on the cheek.
The carnival was crowded now, and Cyborg could admit it was definitely more exciting. In the daytime, it had been too dusty and hot for the normal person. The fact that it was desrted and still littered with trash did not help the fact. During the twilight hours, closed stalls opened and the fair looked much more exciting with the lights lit and the masters energized after a boring and sleepy day. He decided to get on the line for the Ferris Wheel, a ride that was relaxing and fitted Robin's need to remain vigilant. As he stepped on line, he heard a familiar, laughing voice sounded behind him.
"Well there's my knight in blue amour."
Cyborg turned towards the voice. He could not believe it. Flanked by two small children, there she was. She was dressed in a dark blue tank top and plaid T-shirt still opened, with the same old dark jeans and her hair worn down. The girl that he had almost hoped all day that would just 'pop' out of nowhere, at least to relive him of some amount of his boredom.
"Kale?"
"Hey Cyborg," Kale walked to the end of the line, motioning to the two little kids on either side of her, "this is Tommy and Adelaide." Cyborg recognized the bright red hair of Tommy, who had passed out papers that day in class.
"Kids from yer class?" Cyborg asked smiling at them.
Kale beamed at him, seeming to be happy he remembered. "Yup. I take a few kids up here for a treat every year, and they're the only ones who haven't gone yet."
"Oh."
There was an awkward silence, but Kale didn't seem to mind. She smiled and occasionally touched Adelaide on the shoulder or ruffled Tommy's hair (much to the dismay of the boy). The line moved quickly, as many people were going on with their friends and there was more room than Cyborg had first anticipated. When they were next in line, Cyborg could hear Kale talking to the kids, trying to get them excited rather than scared of going up so high.
"Single?" The conductor asked happily.
"Yeah," Cyborg said, forking over some money. He held his hand out for the change.
The conductor eyed his robotic hand for a moment, and then said brightly, "Sorry, no change sir."
Cyborg stepped into the cart sullenly. He watched from his place as Kale and the children jumped the foot space to the cat, Kale putting one foot on solid ground and one in the cart to haul Aldelaide across the gap. The Wheel started a few minutes later and for some reason, Cyborg didn't like the way the conductor was acting. He was a young kid, and after Cyborg had got on, more young people were jogging to meet him. He soon found out why.
The Wheel started to go up, it was creaky and his cart swayed a lot. He heard the laughter of fair-goers all around him. He scanned the bright red fair below him. As he was neared the top, he heard a foreboding creak and crack and felt the wheel sway to the right. Sparks jumped from the axle and the right side of his face was really hot. His alarms were going off for himself, his surroundings, and his friends. Then, in an almost out-of-body experience, he realized several things at once.
He could hear children below him crying.
There were women screaming.
The axle was on fire.
Acting quickly, Cyborg jumped out of his seat and swung to the carriage behind his own. He took the two passengers out and left them the highest he could leave them so they could climb the rest of the way down.
The fire was creeping up and he had done four more carts in little time at all. There were only six more to go, but they were on the other side of the fire. He heard shouts of the fire men and more children screaming as he jumped over the flames. The first cart he opened was empty and he nearly froze when he heard a voice above him.
"Come on now, it'll be alright." Kale was holding a small child and was being followed by two adults. She stopped when she saw him. "Cyborg, there's one more cart left, but there's a lot o people in it. Go!" She jumped down, landing nicely on the wide pole beneath them.
Cyborg could have sworn his heart skipped a beat as he watched Kale jump through the maze of poles and spitting sparks. She spared another glance at him, and when she saw him frozen, glared and mouthed 'go'.
Cyborg, startled by screams of the group in the cart ahead, resolved to yell at her later, and climbed as fast as he could. The sparks were still jumping and he could feel them hitting his legs. Kale had been right. There were seven teenage girls in the top cart. He wrenched the door open. He sent two of the bolder ones on their way down, shrieking every time the axle flickered.
Things were bad. Five of the girls were frozen stiff, more than half of them hysterically crying. The axle could explode any moment, bringing every on the Wheel to their fiery deaths. And he could hear Kale coming up.
"Get down there!" he yelled, but Kale ignored him
"Cyborg, drop them down to me!" Kale yelled, her eyes burning with bright determination.
Cyborg was incredulous. "Are you crazy?"
"Don't worry! I've got an idea." Her face was begging him to trust her.
The axle groaned.
Cyborg, praying that this idea would pay off, took the smallest girl (who was, luckily, one of the ones who was staying as calm as possible) like a rag doll and aiming her towards Kale. Gritting his teeth because he could not shut his eyes against what he was sure to be the girl's death, he dropped her.
Kale caught her, but just barely. He saw Kale yelling, but the wheel was swaying again and he dropped another girl. The two below him caught her, and sent her on her way. He dropped the other two, both who were caught by the others below. Kale sent them downward and Cyborg jumped the first twenty feet down to her. Kale coughed and looked lightheaded. Without a word, Cyborg slipped an arm around her waist and jumped down to safety with the girl in his arms.
A/N: Hey, did anyone like the second chapter. Please, for the sake of chocolate, review! I got double stuffed oreos… Please?