WREEET! WREEET! WREEET!
Robin's voice filled the Tower as the alarm blared. "Mumbo Jumbo is robbing a bank in the business district! Titans, go!"
I teleported myself down to the garage and jumped on my Harley. It roared to life and I peeled out of the Tower.
"Ghost? Are you there?" Robin's voice filled my ears, startling me and nearly sending me off the land bridge.
"What the hell? Robin? Where are you? You aren't one of the normal voices in my head," I yelled as I regained control of my motorcycle.
"I had Cyborg install a communicator in your helmet. We need to be able to keep in contact on missions, and we don't need you to be distracted by fumbling with your standard communicator."
"Makes sense, but I wish you would have warned me about it before it freaked me out and nearly made me lose control. So what's going on?"
"You need to be briefed on Mumbo Jumbo. I doubt you've ever fought anyone like him. He's a criminal who likes to use his stage magic to rob people."
"Good to know. Anything else?"
"Yes. Don't let him suck you into his hat. It puts you in a different dimension where Mumbo makes the rules. He also likes to sing about that fact in there. But the source of his power is his wand. Get it away from him and break it as soon as possible."
"Got it boss man. Now stop talking to me so I can speed dangerously and recklessly through rush hour traffic."
"What?!"
"You heard me, and you do it too. At least I'm not on some stupid crotch rocket."
"Pardon friends, but what is a 'crotch rocket'?" Starfire asked innocently.
"It's a motorcycle that makes you have to crunch up into a little ball and look like an idiot just to be able to ride it," I laughed.
"You should watch what you're saying about Robin, man," Cyborg cut in. "He takes the R-cycle very seriously."
"All I know is that it'll take a lot to get me off my bike and onto something like that. Ghost out, I need to concentrate."
I weaved in and out of traffic, getting angry calls from the drivers and others flipping me off.
The tell tale blue and red lights flashed behind me, and the cop car pulled up beside me, flagging me down.
Shit!
I braked and pulled off to shoulder, the officer walking up slowly, hand on holster. "Keep your hands where I can see them. Do you know why I pulled you over?"
I tried my hardest to keep my voice even and calm. "Is it because I was driving in and out of traffic recklessly and doing ninety in a forty-five?"
The cop paused a moment when he realized that was exactly why he pulled me over. "…Yes, actually, that is why. And since you obviously don't have a pregnant women with you, I don't see any good reason for doing stupid shit like that."
"There's a dude called Mumbo Jumbo robbing a bank. I need to get there to stop him. Faster is better."
"Stopping him is a job for the police and the Teen Titans. You have no business going there."
A cocky smile crossed my face before I could stop it. "Actually, I do have business down there." I held up my yellow communicator. "And it's legit, so don't think I'm messing with you."
If I had better hearing, I would have heard a low growl coming from the officer's throat. "…Fine, but your motorcycle needs to be clearly marked as one of the Titans so this won't happen. I may not like you Titans, but I'll be damned if I let you costumed freaks take up the time of the real protectors of the city. Get going."
I took a look at the name on his uniform before roaring off. R. Kelton. Cricket, remember that name.
Yeah, no problem.
I drove into the business district three minutes later, figuring I was getting closer by the fact that there were large white rabbits and playing cards littering the streets.
I saw a man surrounded by the Titans wearing a black tuxedo and top hat waving a wand around. I figured this was the guy we were after, but the fact that he had blue skin pretty much sealed the deal.
"You have got to be kidding me. The dude even has the dollar sign marked moneybag. How cliché can you get?" I asked to the air.
I swiftly turned invisible and started creeping towards the blue faced magician. Robin said that all I had to do was get the wand and avoid the hat and we would be golden. Why charge in guns blazing when stealth would work better?
WHAM! CRASH! THUMP!
I watched as a giant white rabbit swatted Beast Boy through a window and crumpled against a wall inside.
I glanced back and forth between Mumbo and Beast Boy. Beast Boy didn't get back up within the five seconds I gave him, so I tore myself away from my goal and teleported to Beast Boy's side.
"Come on, wake up greenie," I whispered urgently. "Get up! Bad shit going down, come on!" I shook his shoulders a bit. "Damn, you're a deep sleeper."
The changeling groaned, but didn't wake.
"Okay, think, think, think," I muttered, sitting on the remains of a round table. "What would wake greenie up? Oh, duh. Cyborg eating tofu!" I shouted into his ear.
Beast Boy shot up, looking around frantically. "Hah, I knew it! Where is he? I knew he'd agree with me!"
"Dude, shut up, I just said that to wake you up. A rabbit knocked you through a wall." I paused. "Never thought I'd be able to say that honestly." I shook my head. "Never mind, get back in the fight!"
I jumped back through the broken window, a gorilla right behind me. A giant playing card swept over to me and I punched the King of Hearts in the face. He whirled around to face me again when I stopped him.
"Hey how are you fighting anyway? You have a knife stuck in the side of your head."
The playing card glanced at what I was pointing to. "Oh dear me," he said, promptly crumpling to the ground.
More cards floated towards me, growling and shouting calls of vengeance for their fallen comrade.
"Guys, he did it to himself; he's not called the 'Suicide King' for nothing."
My words fell on deaf ears, however, and the cards attacked me. I pulled my knife from where it was sheathed on my boot and got it up as one of the other kings swung their sword.
I expected a clang but to my surprise the knife cut straight through the other blade. As the end of the severed blade drifted to the ground, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. A devilish grin spread across my face and a worried look was shared amongst the cards.
I spun around, cutting the cards closest to me and backing the others up, giving me a little room. They were more on guard now, something I didn't need.
Away from where I was, Beast Boy was in gorilla form wrestling back and forth with the oversized rabbit that had sent him through the window.
Starfire was throwing starbolts, vaporizing the cards that came near her. She was trying her hardest to move close enough to get the wand from Mumbo, but the card army was protecting the criminal magician.
Raven was fifty feet away, her arms and mouth bound by a handkerchief snake. She struggled and her eyes glowed dull white, but she was still being constricted to the point she couldn't concentrate enough to release herself.
Cyborg and Robin were fighting a gigantic rabbit; Mumbo perched on its shoulder. While the rabbit Beast Boy was fighting was six feet tall, Robin and Cyborg's was nearly eighteen feet in height. Robin hammered the towering figure with his Bo staff as Cyborg fired blast after blast from his sonic cannon.
The rabbit's hide proved too tough as it shrugged off the combined attacks as if they were nothing.
BOOOOOM!
The beast hopped high into the air, landing and creating a shockwave that knocked both Cyborg and Robin off balance.
I was still carving up the endless wave of cards that were attacking me, the puffs of smoke they disappeared into beginning to hinder my breathing. I glanced around and saw where the cards were fewest. Charging straight at them, I cut my way out of the circle I had been confined in.
"Starfire!" I yelled, causing the alien to jerk her head around. "Little help?" She saw that while she had destroyed most of those attacking her, I was in much worse shape.
"A singular moment please!" she called back and threw a few starbolts at her foes before rounding to face mine. "We shall conquer them together!"
"Um, Star? They're cards that disappear in a puff of smoke. Conquering, not such a big deal as just hitting them enough to make them go away," I pointed out as I fell another card soldier.
"Oh, right."
Elsewhere, Beast Boy was still locked in combat with his oversized hare. He grappled back and forth with it, neither one showing an edge until the rabbit shifted position and got better leverage, bending the gorilla Beast Boy back.
Beast Boy was almost overcome when he pivoted and threw the hare into the nearby wall, knocking it unconscious. Morphing back into his normal elfin state, he grinned.
"HA! Loser by a hare!" He snickered at his own joke before running over to join Cyborg and Robin.
I cut the nearby cards to smoke with my knife and Starfire bombed the group from above, keeping them from organizing into a proper attack formation. Eventually, the group was mostly destroyed.
"Star! Can you finish them of by yourself?" A quick nod was all I needed before I teleported off.
I reappeared at Raven's side, finding her still engulfed in her handkerchief bindings. I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to stop struggling.
"Don't move," I said, holding my knife in her eyesight so she knew what I was about to do. I grabbed the scarf encircling her mouth and cut it in one pass.
Her eyes burned white and I backed off instinctively. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she cried, and the rest of the bindings burst apart. "I hate fighting this guy," she growled as she took to the air flying towards Mumbo Jumbo.
I teleported over to the remaining battle, shoving my knife back in my boot as I went. Cyborg was strafing the outside of the battle, firing his sonic cannon in short bursts so as not to overheat the weapon.
Raven hovered on the edge of the battle, throwing the rubble created by the constant shockwaves at the beast.
Starfire grabbed Robin and flew him up to the head, close to where Mumbo was standing. He swung his staff and Mumbo ducked, causing Robin to hit the rabbit instead.
Beast Boy hopped around the feet of the animal as a kangaroo, landing powerful kicks whenever it was safe enough. Of course, the rabbit was jumping and creating more shockwaves than before so it was getting progressively harder to land the blows.
I was standing on the edge of the battle, knife in hand, but not really sure what to do.
Okay, I'm a guy with a knife fighting an eighteen feet tall rabbit. What am I supposed to do to this guy? The knife won't do anything but piss it off, and I'm nowhere near strong enough to even get this thing's attention, much less beat it.
You don't have to beat the monster, Robin told you exactly what you need to do.
What are you—oh yeah, the wand! Thanks for reminding me.
I swiftly disappeared myself and calculated the best way to approach getting the wand away from the thieving villain.
I teleported up to a nearby roof, still invisible, and waited for my opportunity to get the wand.
Cyborg continued his sonic cannon assault and Starfire kept throwing starbolts at the rabbit. Robin threw an explosive disc as Raven telekinetically threw a gorilla Beast Boy at the massive animal.
Finally, the rabbit fell.
Mumbo jumped off his shoulder, and started to run. I took my shot and teleported down—
flicker
—grabbed the wand—
flicker
—and teleported off with it.
Ten feet from the blue magician, wand in hand, I snapped it neatly over my knee.
FWOOOOOOSSSSH!
The unconscious rabbit disappeared into a vortex of sorts, swirling out of existence. Mumbo tripped and a cloud of smoke poofed up around him.
I flickered over to him, wanting to make sure he didn't run any further. When the dust cleared, I was surprised.
Mumbo Jumbo wasn't the person lying on the ground. It looked like him somewhat, but only if Mumbo was an old man with gray hair and a big nose.
Robin grabbed the man and put him in handcuffs. "Don't even think about running."
As I watched the resulting scene unfold I felt a buzzing at the base of my skull. It didn't feel painful, more along the lines of a very mild and controlled electric shock. I grabbed the back of my neck, trying to make the buzzing go away, but it didn't work. Robin motioned for us to go and that the police had control of Mumbo. I hopped on my motorcycle, driving away and still trying to get rid of the buzzing.
--
In a side alley, a figure cloaked in the shadows watched the battle. Glowing red eyes pierced the darkness and the figure laughed.
"So they have a new member. This could be interesting. But this could be fortuitous. I shall have to study this new one further."
The red eyes faded away and the shadows masked the figure's departure.
--
As I neared the Tower, the buzzing faded away, but not before distracting me enough to make me almost crash several times. I crossed the land bridge, finding Robin waiting for me in the garage.
"I want you to type up the report on Mumbo. We need one for the archives and a hard copy in case something goes wrong with the computer."
I laughed. "Yeah, I was talking with Cyborg and I made the mistake of getting him on the subject of his computer system and how he believes that no one can get in."
Robin winced. "That was a bad move."
"I figured that out pretty quickly. So boss man, where's this report I have to do? I got shit I want to do today."
Robin gave me a look at the 'boss man' comment, but didn't say anything because he knew that would only cause me to give him a worse nickname. "Let's go."
"Lead the way. I'd get lost if I tried to find it myself."
--
"Okay, I know you beat Beast Boy yesterday, and you handled yourself well with Mumbo, but I want you to learn how to fight better," Robin said. "So, what training have you had?"
"None at all. At least no formal training. I've always been a natural born brawler so I've been in a lot of fights, but no real instruction or anything. And honestly, Beast Boy should have won that fight. I only beat him because I took his clothes away and he was too embarrassed to fight back. I don't know why he didn't think to just turn into an animal." I paused. "Where do his clothes go when he transforms anyway?"
Robin opened his mouth, and then faltered. "…I don't know. I don't really think I want to know."
I snickered for a moment before returning to the task at hand. "So, what do you want to teach me?"
"I want to get a basic idea for your fighting style before we get into a heavier training regiment, so today, you're just going to be sparring training robots. I don't expect you to do fantastic, but no one does on their first time. Do your best, and don't get too hurt."
Robin walked out of the training room and I saw him enter the control room. He gave me a thumbs up and I signaled I was ready.
A door opened and a nondescript robot entered the room. He came in slow, with obvious weaknesses in his stance. A few punches and a kick later I flipped the robot over my shoulder.
"Good," Robin's voice said over the speaker. "Keep it up."
For the next hour, Robin sent robot after robot after me, each one a smarter fighter than the last. I was getting tired and sore.
I punched the robot in the face and followed up with an uppercut to the ribs. I kicked my leg back and tripped a second robot coming up behind me. I flipped the second robot and it slammed into a third.
"Okay, I've got enough information. Come on up here, I want to talk"
flicker
"That's going to take some getting used to," Robin said as I appeared at his side.
"Sorry. So what do you want to talk about?"
"I noticed something. You weren't looking around for your next opponent, you just moved right to them even if they weren't in line of sight. If you had already had some training, I wouldn't be questioning this too much, but it's really rather strange since you haven't."
"Well, I've always been able to do that, know where things were around me. A really good spatial sense."
"Why didn't you tell me about this when we wanted to know what your powers were?"
"I don't consider it a power. I actually think its part of my teleportation. Just before I reappear I get a picture of wherever I'm coming into and I can alter my reentry slightly so I don't end up in a wall or something. Still don't like teleporting where I can't see it though. And besides, everyone has a spatial sense, mine just happens to be better than most."
Robin sighed. "Okay, just how good is your spatial sense?"
I had to think about it. "I have a definite picture of a five foot radius, getting progressively blurrier after five, up to twenty feet, and after that, it's gone."
"So how defined is it?"
"Again, it depends on distance, but up close it's really good." I took a step forward. "Like right now, hold up a number behind your back."
Robin gave me a skeptical look but did so anyway. "Three. Now four. Now two. Three again. Five."
"Fine, you've made your point."
I shrugged. "Yeah, but any further away and I wouldn't be able to do that. I might be able to figure out the number if the fingers are far enough apart, but not likely."
"Okay, good to know."
"Do you know a cop named R. Kelton?"
Robin's face darkened a little. "Why do you ask?"
"When I was trying to get to the Mumbo battle yesterday, I got pulled over by this guy. He didn't seem to like the Titans much."
Robin took a deep breath. "He's a cop who has a major prejudice against the meta-human community. Apparently, he had a partner who was killed by one, and since then, he's hated all metas, good and bad. He's also been investigated a few times for excessive force when it comes to meta-human suspects."
"Nice."
"Yeah. Avoid him at all possible, and if you can't, don't antagonize him."
--
I walked down through the garage three days after the Mumbo Jumbo, finding Cyborg tuning up the T-car.
"Hey, you know you gave that thing a tune up yesterday, right?" I asked, leaning on the car.
"Yeah, well, I can't be too careful with my baby," Cyborg said sheepishly.
"Hey, I got some things I need to do, so I'm gone for a while, alright?" I tried to get away quickly, but it didn't work.
Cyborg rolled out from underneath his car and sat up. "Just where are you going?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I need to talk to some friends of mine. You know who."
Cyborg's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I do. Watch yourself out there. It can be dangerous."
I smirked. "Well, she didn't kill me when I stole a kiss from her the other night, so I think I'll be okay."
My mechanical friend let out a low whistle. "That was a risky move. When she was still at the H.I.V.E., a guy tried to kiss her and she put him in the medical wing for a month."
"Good to know. I'll be back in three hours, tops."
As I walked over to my Harley, Cyborg called after me. "Listen, I'm going to cover for you, but you need to tell the other guys about who your friends are soon, cause I don't like lying to them."
"And you think they would take that well? From what I understand, which may not be much, you were the closest to them and would accept their change the fastest. Except maybe Star."
Without waiting for a response, my bike roared to life and I rode out of the Tower.
--
I knocked on the door to Baran's apartment and waited for an answer. A minute later, he called out for me and I teleported in, not bothering with the door.
"Gaah! If you're looking for me to not beat you to a pulp, the door is a good idea," Baran growled.
"Sorry, I like keeping my powers in practice."
"Yeah, Kyd used to ignore doors too," Baran mumbled. "So what do you want?"
"First off, I want to say I didn't come here to fight."
"Yeah, well, I haven't had the best luck with Titans."
"I think I'm different than the other Titans. I mean, I joined two days ago and I don't have anything against you. And besides, if I were coming to attack you, I would have been more stealthy."
"Yeah, well, why'd you join those Titans anyway?"
"Well, I didn't really go out of my way to join them, I kinda got lucky."
Baran snorted. "Lucky? Titans? Yeah, right."
"When I went to the bank the other day I kept it from being robbed. I ended up getting shot and after Raven healed me boss man asked me to join."
Baran frowned. "So? You still didn't join up with them."
I raised a finger. "I didn't have to, but it was the best plan. And before you interrupt, let me diffuse your arguments. I am, for the most part, alone in this city. They offered me a place to live, free food, and being a Titan does pay so I'm not risking my life for free. Not to mention there was no way I was about to anger an alien who can fire energy blasts from her hands and eyes, and has enough strength to literally tear me in two."
"Fine, I can see where you're coming from. But why are you here?"
"I want a friend outside the Titans. I need a friend outside the Titans. And you, while I haven't talked with you much, seem like a good guy to hang out with."
"…oh." Baran shifted uncomfortably. "So what's up with you and Jenny?"
"Last time I checked, she was still upset with me over joining the Titans. And I probably made things worse the other night."
Baran looked confused. "What'd you do?"
"She slammed the door in my face. I then teleported in and gave her a kiss on the cheek and teleported out before she could react."
Baran had a look of complete shock on his face. "She's gonna hex you into next week!"
"A distinct possibility. And a definite probability. I've heard tell she once put a guy in the medical wing for a month for pulling the same move."
Baran's shocked face turned to one of disgust. "Cyborg tell you that?" he spat.
"Yes. And while you may not like Cyborg, and may not forgive him, and I understand why you wouldn't; but please accept the fact that I do work with him, see him on regular basis, and I don't share your deep seeded hatred of him. So in order prevent any future arguments, try to be civil when talking about him."
"……………There were way too many big words in there for me."
"I can be smart when I need to be. All I said was I get where you're coming from, but leave the attitude alone when I'm around."
Baran growled. "I'll try, don't expect much."
"So where's Jenny today?" I asked, trying to be nonchalant.
"She's working at the coffee shop today. You know where it is, right?"
"The one down the street from her apartment? Yeah, I know it."
"And remember that I warned you that she's going hex you into the wall."
"Gotcha. No problem."
"You're crazy."
"You aren't the first person to tell me that. And you definitely won't be the last."
--
I took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the coffee shop, scanning for Jenny's distinctive pink hair. She saw me a moment after I saw her. Her catlike eyes flashed hot pink.
Oh, shit.
Got that right cricket.
Jenny stomped over to me, grabbed my hand and started pulling towards a back door.
She's a lot stronger than she looks.
"Manny, I'm on break," she yelled at a guy behind the counter.
BANG!
Jenny shoved me away from her and I turned around to look her in the eye. A blast of pink energy hit me square in the chest and I flew back into the wall of the alley.
WHAM!
"That's for stealing a kiss from me," Jenny said indignantly.
I picked myself up slowly, checking to make sure I was still in good shape. "You know," I started, "both Cyborg and Baran told me you'd hex me into the wall. I didn't think it would hurt this much."
"When someone slams a door in your face, it usually means they don't want to talk to you."
"Well, you don't strike me as the type for the usual," I smiled, cracking my back. "Oh, that felt good."
"You don't give up, do you?" Jenny asked, her hands on her hips.
"Nope, definitely not this quick." I waved my hand. "And besides, if I give up, how will I know when you aren't mad at me anymore?"
"There's a little device called a phone you may have heard of."
I put my hand over my chest and mock staggered. "Oh, your wit slays me. What ever will I do?" I laughed and went back to normal. "But seriously, I would much rather see you more than talking on the phone. Just different dynamics, you know?"
Jenny grumbled, "Yes."
"So are you going to forgive me anytime soon?" I smiled hopefully.
Jenny put on a look of deep thought. After a moment, she spoke again. "I get off work soon. Meet me at my apartment in two hours. You're taking me to a movie."
"I am?" I was puzzled as to when I agreed to this.
"Yes, you are. Now, go get cleaned up, and don't be late, it counts against you."
"Noted." Jenny held out a hand and a pulse of pink pushed me back some. She opened the door to the coffee shop and I gave a quick two-fingered salute before teleporting away.
--
Cyborg rolled out from underneath the T-car just in time to see Robin walk into the garage. "What up's, Robin?"
"Have you seen Ghost anywhere? Beast Boy said he saw him coming down here earlier and I wanted to go over some combat techniques with him."
"Yeah, um, he stepped out for a bit, said he had something to do. He should be back soon though."
Robin frowned. "Did he tell you exactly where he was going?"
"Not exactly…"
"He should have told you. We need to know—"
Cyborg cut him off. "Wait, I really don't want to hear you go off on one of your tirades right now. He didn't tell me exactly where he was going, but I have a really good idea."
"Well?"
"He didn't really want me to say anything if anything came up…"
"So he wanted you to cover for him while we don't know where he is."
"Yes, no, well—stop that man. We agreed you wouldn't do the creepy Batman 'fluster me, trip me, get me to say what I want you to hear' thing anymore. And truth is, he wanted me to cover for him because he's nervous."
"He's not the type to get nervous easily."
"No, he's not. He walked around in front of us all completely naked with no problems." They shared a mutual shudder. "I know he doesn't get flustered easily."
"So why did you tell me that he doesn't want us to know where he is because he's nervous?"
"Because, well, he's going to talk to this girl he met the other day, and he didn't want anyone to know. He only told me where he was going because I got it out of him when I was helping him with the dishes during the Initiation."
"Good grief. He's in town for less than a week and he's already found a date. He's as bad as Speedy." But Robin still wasn't satisfied. "I don't understand why he would care us knowing about him having a date."
Cyborg finally put on a smile. "Because he doesn't have it yet. He doesn't want us messing with him cause he got shot down by a girl."
"We wouldn't do that."
"Robin, I don't know how you can say that with a straight face. Remember that clerk at the video store that B.B. try to get a date from. You teased him just as bad as me."
Robin's eyemask narrowed just a fraction of an inch. "…Fine."
Cyborg continued, "And besides, do you know what Starfire would be like if she knew?"
Visions of Starfire dragging Ghost around by the arm, trying get him dressed appropriately, making a strange pudding to celebrate his date, and other general scenes of embarrassment flashed through the leader's mind.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. And I'm impressed that Ghost had enough sense to not tell Starfire."
The loud rumbling of a motorcycle engine filled the garage as a large Harley Davison pulled into place.
I pulled me helmet off, and teleported over to Cyborg.
"Alright dude, I need your help. Badly." I turned my head and noticed Robin standing there.
How the hell did I miss a dude in a bright red, yellow, and green suit? He's a freaking stoplight!
"Robin, you come too, I'll probably need it."
Cyborg grabbed me by the shoulders. "Calm down, man. What's got you freaking?"
I stopped long enough to stare the mechanical teen in the eyes and speak slow and even. "I have a date in less than two hours, I need to shower, shave, and get dressed. However, my entire wardrobe consists of white T-shirts, most of them permanently stained or dirty, blue jeans that have the same problem, and this pair of boots. Can I go back to panicking now?"
Cyborg blinked at me, well, winked might be a better way to put it. "…Yeah, panic away."
"Great, meet me at my room in twenty minutes."
flicker
Cyborg turned to Robin. "So, I guess we know what can trip him up now."
"Yeah."
--
I stepped out of the shower and dried off quicker than the Flash. I ran a razor over my face to get rid of the stubble and ran over to the door, pulling it open just as Robin was about to knock.
"Great, get in here." I pulled the two Titans in and slammed the door shut.
Robin and Cyborg stood silent, staring at me as I dashed around the room in panic. I stopped and looked at them before finally piecing it together. "Right, pants." I disappeared my bottom half as I did the other day and continued my running around.
"Dude, you got to calm down, or you're never going to get this right," Cyborg said. "Take a deep breath, slow down and listen to me."
I stopped running long enough to hear what he had to say. "Okay, now, before I became the fine looking piece of metal and man you see before you today, I was a big hit with the ladies."
"Teach me, oh great one," I said, my voice flat and oozing with sarcasm.
"First, we need to get you some clothes. And for that, we need to go to Robin's room."
"Hold on a second." I gave my room a final look and found what I had been searching for. "I knew I had some. Behold, my one pair of clean jeans!" I held them up to inspect them. "See, no stains."
Robin smacked his forehead. "Why did I agree to this?" he whispered aside to Cyborg.
"Because Ghost will probably convince Starfire to drag you to the mall with her if you don't."
"Right."
"Alright, now for a shirt," I said, zipping up the fly of the jeans.
Five minutes later I found myself in Robin's room. "How do you even know about these clothes? I never wear them."
"Remember that time when you went to train off in the middle of nowhere with that old lady?" Robin nodded. "Remember how we raided your closet?"
"Wait a second, you raided his closet?" I asked, a grin splitting my face.
"Yeah, we all dressed up in his uniform and were Robin until he got back."
Robin scowled. "Cyborg, that's an example of a story that is best left untold."
Cyborg just ignored him. "Raven made the uniform look real good. Real good."
"I bet."
"Of course, Robin liked Starfire in the costume the best."
"Cyborg! Leave. The. Story. Alone."
We finally found a shirt that Cyborg said would be good. It was a dark blue T-shirt with a dragon emblem on the back. It was a little tighter and shorter than I was used to considering I was bigger than Robin, but Cyborg said it would be good. I don't want think about why he would know that.
After Cyborg said I passed inspection I found myself in the garage again. Cyborg and I traded Robin off to Starfire upstairs and were alone once again.
"One last word of advice. Get flowers. Pink and purple are best."
"I'm taking her to the movies. Are flowers really necessary?"
"No, but if you're looking for her to forgive you, they're a good idea. So get them."
"Fine, I'll get them, but if they don't work I'm blaming you."
I started my bike and gave Cyborg a quick good bye before driving out and away.
--
"The target is moving," a metallic voice said into a communicator. "Approximate speed: fifty five miles per hour. I have a shot."
"Take it," a cold voice said on the other end of the communicator.
"Affirmative." BANG-SssssssTHWUMP!
The dart fired from the gun hit the target square in the back of the neck.
"Target hit," the metallic voice said. "Target slowing…target is stopped."
"Excellent. Retrieve the target and bring it back here. Don't waste any time. We don't need anyone seeing us."
"Understood."
--
Cyborg was in the living room, playing video games with Beast Boy.
"Yo, I got these guys, you get the ones coming up from the rear."
"Gotcha, Cy. Watch the ones coming down from sides."
"Okay, we need to lead them somewhere else. Bottleneck them down here. Let's get them. Go, dude, go!"
Thirty seconds later, all the enemies were gone. "Yeah dude, we rock. We totally slammed them."
buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz
"Hold on, what's that buzzing?" Beast Boy asked.
Cyborg scanned the room and his eyes fell on a vibrating phone on the coffee table. "Ah, it's just Ghost's cell."
"Should we answer it?"
Cyborg shook his head. "Nah, they can just leave a message and it's not our business anyway."
"Cool. Next level?"
Cyborg and Beast Boy played for another five minutes before the phone rang again. "You sure we shouldn't answer it?"
"Yeah, it's probably not that important."
Another five minutes passed before the phone rang once again.
"Dude, I'm answering it," Beast Boy said as he reached for the phone.
Cyborg grabbed it away from him before he could get it. "No offense, but you're not the most tactful when it comes to this kind of stuff."
Beast Boy turned around to sulk and Cyborg brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hello? Who's this? This isn't Keith. Who's there?"
"This is Cyborg. Who's this?"
"Oh Cyborg, it's Jenny. Have you seen Keith? He was supposed to come take me to a movie half an hour ago and he hasn't shown up yet."
"Yeah, that's weird, he left early saying he wanted to make sure he was on time."
"Well I don't know where he is? Can't you do a trace for his communicator or something?"
"Look, it's probably nothing to worry about."
"Just run a trace. If something happened to him, you should know as soon as possible."
"Fine, I'll do it, but chill out."
Cyborg walked over to the computer and typed in the codes necessary to locate a communicator. "Alright, this is weird, he isn't moving. He's on the side of the highway."
"Well call him and see just what the hell he's doing!"
Cyborg punched in a number on his arm and a waited for an answer.
…
……
………
"Why isn't he answering?" Cyborg mumbled to himself. "Hey, Beast Boy, try calling Ghost on his communicator."
Beast Boy punched in the code and came up with the same result.
"Yeah, I'm not getting anything. Where's he at?"
"Who's he pissed off so far?" Jenny asked.
"Just Rancid and Mumbo, couple non-powered people, but no one who could kidnap him," Cyborg said, already knowing what Jenny was thinking. "Especially since none of them have busted out yet."
"Where's Ghost?" Beast Boy asked again. "And who're you talking to?"
"Listen, Jenny," Cyborg started. "I'll call you back later. Right now, I need to find out why Ghost isn't answering his communicator."
"Fine, but I want updates." CLICK
"Yo, Robin," Cyborg spoke into his arm communicator. "We might have a situation. Both me and B.B. have tried to call Ghost but he isn't answering his hails."
"Great. Meeting in the common room now. I'll contact Starfire, you call Raven."
--
"Where is friend Ghost now?" Starfire asked.
"He's in the same spot. And I don't mean he's still in the same general area, he hasn't moved."
"So he ditched the communicator. We shouldn't have let him in so easily," Raven said.
"We don't know he's betraying us. And we shouldn't jump to that conclusion," Robin said.
"I'm not going to pretend that it hasn't happened before," Raven said. "And I won't say that I trust him yet, because I don't, and this doesn't feel good."
"You mean it feels like Terra," Beast Boy said quietly.
Raven sent a glare in his direction. "No, it doesn't feel like Terra. But it doesn't feel right."
"We will reserve judgment until we have more facts," Robin ordered. "Cyborg, fire up the T-car and get us to where Ghost's communicator is now. If Ghost was just planted to get information, I don't want this blowing up in our faces. Titans, go."
--
I felt a cold slab of steel underneath me as my eyes fluttered open. Bright lights shown in my eyes, and I tried to twist my head away, but found I couldn't. Steel restrains held my wrist and ankles in place.
I instinctively tried to teleport out of them, but found I couldn't. I dug deeper and tried again, but was met with an electric shock.
"Try all you like, but you won't be able to escape those bonds." I heard a cold voice coming from my right. "Your restrains have built in power suppressors that prevent you from utilizing your abilities."
"Who are you?" I asked hoarsely, my mouth and throat dry.
"Oh, yes," the voice said, "one of the side effects of the tranquilizer we used to bring you in is a severe dry mouth. Oh well."
"What do you want with me?"
"You are the perfect candidate for what I have planned for the Titans." Metallic footsteps clanged forward to a position in front of me. The man standing in front of me was wearing white robes with a gold and black chest piece. His head was part machine, reminiscent of Cyborg, but red instead of blue. His fingers were cold gray claws, and his metal 'hair' was brought up into two spikes on either side of his head.
"You are new to the Titans and so are perfect for infiltrating them for me."
"What makes you think I'm going to be doing anything for you?"
The man sneered. "You won't have a choice. You will be my new student, and you will do everything I say." His eyes began to glow red, and a buzzing grew at the base of my head.
"What are you doing to me?"
"You will be my student, you want to serve me." His eyes glowed brighter and the buzzing intensified.
"No way will I serve you!" The man's eyes burned red, and my head erupted in pain.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"