"GONE" - THE TITAN BOYS HAVE MYSTERYIOUSLY VANISHED.
GONE
Aqualad moved gracefully though the ocean water polished by moonlight. He dived under and did loops and spins. He then raced upwards, jumping from the water with a cape of water falling in his wake before going back down. His eyes meet that of a dolphin.
"Show off," the dolphin told him before nudging him with his nose.
Aqualad smiled and stroked his friend's head. "See you later, Fin."
The dolphin turned from him and swam away. Once the underwater mammel was gone Aqualad poked his head above water, his eyes on the full moon that graced the Steel City sky. Had his eyes not been on the view he would have seen the bubbles that lurked behind him, drawing closer and closer until finally the source of the bubbles pulled Aqualad under. Despite his struggles the pull was to great.
He never surfaced...
Cyborg drummed his fingers against the steering wheel to his baby, humming to nothing in particular. In the empty passengar seat next to him was a bouquet of flowers and a tupperware of brownies. From the corner of his eye he noticed the brownies. It was in that moment his stomach growled.
"Maybe one brownie wouldn't hurt...," he said as he reached out his hand.
A little Cyborg with white angel wings and a halo appeared to smack his hand away. "Don't you even think about it. Those brownies are for Bumblebee."
A little Cyborg with devil wings, tail, horns, and a red pitchfork appeared. "Aw, let him have one! He's the one who made it afterall."
"He's right you know," Cyborg began. "I did make them. They're my own special recipe."
The angel Cyborg considered this as he looked over his shoulder and at the massive mountains of brownies tucked inside the clear tupperware. His mouth drooled. "Fine... but you only get one!"
The two little Cyborg's disappeared and Cyborg plucked one (a big one) brownie from the tupperware and popped it into his mouth. As he munched he zipped across the bridge, his eyes focused ahead.
That's when the bridge began to collapse and his car tumbled over the edge...
Raven and Starfire had taken over the living room since the boys were out. Cyborg was on his way to see Bumblebee, Robin, was riding the R-cycle to test out its new upgrade, and Beast Boy had traveled to the mall. The two were enjoying having the tower to themselves and having quality girl time, and they were in the midst of laughing when Beast Boy returned.
"What's so funny?" he questioned as their laughter ceased upon seeing him.
The two girls glanced at each other and smiled.
Finally, Raven spoke. "It's girl stuff. You wouldn't understand," her eyes lowered to the plastic bag in his hand. "What's in the bag?"
"Just some tofu and other non-meaty items," Beast Boy replied proudly as he crossed over to the kitchen to put away his things.
Raven rolled her eyes and sat up from the sofa. "I'm in the mood for some tea. Would you like some, Starfire?"
"Oh. Yes, please," Starfire replied with a smile.
Raven crossed over to the kitchen and put some water to boil as Beast Boy stashed his tofu eggs, back, soy milk, and other assortments of tofu items in the fridge. She opened the cabinet and pulled out her box of herbal tea. When she opened it she frowned.
Empty.
Suddenly, Beast Boy was handing her something. She looked over at him and was surprised to see a box of herbal tea in his hands.
"I noticed you were all out," he explained once he saw her bewildered expression.
"Thank you," she responded softly after a pause. She took the box from his hand and he beamed at her before turning away.
"I'm going to bed," he announced as he headed for the door. "Goodnight guys-I mean, girls."
"Goodnight, Beast Boy," Starfire called after him.
Raven said nothing as he disappeared behind the door. With him out of view she didn't bother to hid the blush that spread across her cheeks as she clutched the box of herbal tea close to her chest.
TT
Morning came and with it awoke a jubilant Starfire who eagerly flew out of bed and to the roof. It had become somewhat of a tradition for Starfire and Robin to meet on the roof during the morning time and it was her favorite part of the day. She sat in her usual spot and waited eagerly for her boyfriend's arrival.
And she waited... And waited... And waited some more...
Finally Starfire gave up on waiting and left the roof, traveling to Robin's room. She hadn't heard him come in last night, perhaps it took him longer to work out all the details to the R-cycle and he had went to bed late which resulted in him sleeping in. Starfire was positive this must have been the answer and she knocked on Robin's door.
"Robin? Robin, it is I, your girlfriend Starfire," she loved saying that.
There was no reply so Starfire took it upon herself to open the door and take a peek inside. She was surprised to find the room empty and thought that perhaps he was somewhere else in the Tower. She checked the common room. Empty. She checked the evidence room. Empty. The garage had shocked her the most. Even if Robin himself wasn't there she had at least expected to see his R-cycle, but it was nowhere insight.
A panic swelled up inside her and she flew towards Raven's room. When she got there she pounded on the door. "Raven? Raven! Please, I require your assitance! It is the emergency."
Raven reluctantly got out of bed (she had tried to ignore Starfire but pulling her pillow over her head didn't work) and opened the door, her expression flat and irritable. "What?"
"I fear something terrible has happened to Robin. I cannot find him anywhere. We must hurry and search for him before it is to late!" Starfire exclaimed, punching her fist into the palm of her hand.
Raven cocked an eyebrow. The boy wonder was rubbing off a little bit too much it seems. "Starfire, I'm sure he's fine. You need to calm down."
"But I cannot! Not when he is the missing on the action."
"That's missing in action," Raven corrected. "And if you're so worried why don't we just go to the common room and call his communicator."
Starfire gasped, a smile lighting up her face. "That is a most glorious idea! Let us hurry at once!"
Starfire flew down the hall with great speed, Raven following slowly behind. The girls entered the common room and went their separate ways. Starfire went to the monitor and Raven to the kitchen. The empath was craving tea.
"Robin, come in... Robin," Starfire said helplessly as she looked at the monitor. Nothing. She turned to Raven, her eyes sad. "Why does he not respond?"
Raven didn't have an answer that would make the Tamarian feel any better, and she paused to think of something helpful to say, but luckily for her she was interrupted by a call from the monitor.
Starfire eagerly answered it, her hopes high. "Robin?"
Bumblebee's face filled the screen. "Sorry, Star, it's just me."
Starfire deflated but put a smile on her face anyway. "Excuse me for my rudeness, Bumblebee. It is glorious to see you. Tell me, did Cyborg make it to Steel City safely?"
Bumblebee's smile faded from her face and a look of anger replaced it. "That no good walking piece of scrap metal stood me up!"
Starfire turned to Raven. "Stood up?" she inquired with a raised brow.
"Means he didn't show," Raven answered before looking at Bumblebee. "That doesn't sound like Cyborg."
"I know, but...," Bumblebee sighed, her shoulders slumping. "He didn't even answer his communicator when I called him. The least he could have done was tell me he wasn't coming."
"You shouldn't be telling us this. I'll go get, Cyborg," Raven told her.
"But he is not here," Starfire announced.
Raven cocked an eyebrow at her. "How do you know that?"
"The T-car is not in the garage. I saw so myself when I was looking for Robin."
"Where's Robin?" Bumblebee inquired.
"He's missing...," Raven answered, frowning. Something wasn't right here. Both Cyborg and Robin were missing... She looked at Bumblebee. "Where's Aqualad? And Speedy and the twins?"
Bumblebee paused, bewildered. "Well... to be honest I don't know. Last night Aqualad went for a swim and never came back. And Speedy took the twins to see a movie yesterday but they... I thought they were just killing time outside so I could have the tower all to myself with Cyborg but...," Bumblebee looked afraid now. "Raven, do you think something happened to my boys?"
"I-"
Before Raven could reply the screen divided in half, showing Kole's face besides Bumblebee's.
"Greetings, Kole," began Starfire. "I am sorry but now is not the best of times for a chat."
"I'm sorry, Starfire, it's just... well, Gnaark has gone missing and-"
"Missing?" Starfire, Raven, and Bumblebee spluttered.
"Yeah, and-"
Another call came in, this time from Titans North. The faces of Jinx and Wondergirl filled the bottom screen.
"Raven, Starfire, we need your help," Wondergirl began. "Something has happened, we're not sure what, but Jericho, Kid Flash and Herald are all missing and-"
"They are not the only ones," Starfire told them. "Robin, Cyborg, the members of Titans East excluding Bumblebee, and Gnaark have all vanished."
"Do you think someone is targeting the Titan teams?" Jinx asked.
"No, Gnaark was targeted too. We must all be at risk," Bumblebee explained.
"We need to contact the other members of the Titans Network, see if anyone is missing," said Wondergirl.
"Way ahead of you," Raven said, her hands already working the keyboard as she got to work contacting her fellow Titans.
Lightning and Thunder. No response. Bushido, also no response. No signs of Hot Spot either. Argent's face appeared on screen.
"Argent, are you the okay?" Starfire asked, full of relief that someone finally answered.
"Of course I am," Argent said. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because a large chunk of our members have been reported misisng," Bumblebee told her.
Raven continued the search. Red Star was nowhere to be found. Zatara was gone. Killowat, also gone. Wildebeest was missing as well. Pantha's face joined the screen.
"Now is not the time," Pantha said irritably. "I am in the middle of competition."
"Whatever competition you're in has to take a backseat," Jinx snapped. "Every Titan that's a guy is missing."
"Not everyone," Raven claimed. "Beast Boy's still here."
"Well then, where is he?" Argent asked.
"He's probably still in his room sleeping," Raven responded. The girls looked doubtful and their doubt made Raven twitch. "I'll go get him."
Raven walked out of the room calmly to show the others she was not worried, but once the doors closed behind her she bolted. She got to Beast Boy's room within seconds and pounded on his door.
"Beast Boy? Beast Boy, open the door right now!"
There was no response.
Now wasn't the time to worry about privacy and Raven ghosted through his door, entering his room. Once she was inside she gasped, her eyes becoming wide as she took a step back. "No..."
Someone had tore a large hole in Beast Boy's wall and his bed was flipped over, broken in half. There was claw marks on the walls and floor, along with a cracked ceiling... but the most predominant thing about the room was the fact that Beast Boy was gone.
TT
It took some time, but eventually all the Titan girls were able to meet at the original five's tower. There was a total of eight girls in the common room and they were all quiet as they glanced at each other.
"So... what now?" Kole asked, glancing at the others from where she sat on the sofa.
Starfire, who was sitting besides Kole, dropped her chin into the palm of her hands. "I do not know," she covered her face, shaking her head in woe. "Oh, I wish Robin were here. He would know what to do."
"Does anyone else find it strange that only the boys were taken?" Bumblebee asked. "I was alone at Titans East tower last night. Whoever did this could just as easily taken me too."
"Perhaps our unknown foe only wanted the boys," suggested Pantha.
"But why only them?" Jinx inquired, her hand on her chin.
"Maybe the Brotherhood of Evil is behind this," Argent said.
"I don't think so. If it was the Brotherhood of Evil I doubt they would be picky enough to only take the boys," Wondergirl pointed out. She looked at the empath dressed in blue facing the window. "What do you think, Raven?"
Raven turned to the others, facing them for the first time since they arrived. Before she could reply to Wondergirl's question the alarm went off. Since she was closest to the monitor Raven was the one who brought up the information for the others to see.
"Are you kidding me?" Bumblebee snapped upon looking at the screen. "This is the worse possible time for a robbery."
"Bad timing or not, we have a job to do," Raven told her.
"But, Robin and the others-" Starfire began.
"Will have to wait," Raven commanded. "Titans, go!"
TT
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Deuce and Angel left the jewelry store they had just robbed, each of them wearing an assortment of accessories.
Scissors admired her rings. "I do love it when we go out to shop."
"Don't you actually have to buy something to consider it shopping?" Argent countered, alerting the five female villains.
Scissors and her teammates turned to look at the Titan girls. Bumblebee, Argent, Starfire, Raven and Wondergirl hovered above Pantha, Jinx and Kole. Stingers, glowing eyes, clenched fist, and glares so strong made the girls look fierce, but not fierce enough to scare of Scissors and her friends.
"I will be the nice and warn you now, we are not having a good day," Starfire announced, her eyes and fist glowing. "Please return what you have stolen and do the turning of yourselves in."
Scissors tapped her chin. "Gee, but if I did that what fun would it be?" she grinned and flicked her eyes towards Starfire, her razor sharp claws glinting. "I think I'd rather tear you to shreds."
Starfire responded by firing her eyebeams at the five villains who all easily dodged the attack. Angel went it, targeting Argent who flew out of the way with Angel hot on her trail. Raven flew towards Paper who easily stretched out of the way, passing Rock who was engaged with Pantha and Wondergirl. Jinx joined Starfire against Scissors and Bumblebee teamed up with Kole against Deuce.
Wondergirl threw her lasso around Rock who laughed as she switched to her rock mode, her body covered in the hard earth material. Rock yanked the lasso, pulling Wondergirl forward and punched her in the stomach. Wondergirl fell to her side, Rock looming over her. The larger girl snickered and picked up her foot, ready to kick the amazon, but was stopped by Pantha who charged into her. The two locked hands, trying to bring the other to their knees, struggling to see who was stronger. With a roar Pantha pushed hard, forcing Rock down. The wrestler then picked her up, spinned, and tossed the villain into a car.
Angel had expanded her wings was was attempting to crush Argent between them, but the girl with a fondness for the color black was a quick thinker. Using her powers she created a large fly swatter and smacked Angel with it. The villain was thrown against a wall and slumped to the ground.
Deuce was using her multiples to confuse Bumblebee and Kole and had the two surrounded in a circle. Bumblebee was using her stingers, but every Deuce she hit turned out to be a fake.
"Ugh, this is ridiculous," Bumblebee snapped. "I wish I could just hit them all at once."
Kole brightened with a smile. "Maybe you can. Bumblebee, hit me."
Bumblebee raised a brow. "Girl, you feelin' alright?"
"If you hit me I can channel the energy of your stingers and direct them in multiple directions."
Bumblebee nodded with a smile and flew above Kole who had already hardened her body in her crystal form. Bumblebee struck her and for a moment Kole glowed yellow with energy. Then the energy released in multiple directions, hitting all the Deuces. The multiples disappeared and the actual Deuce was knocked to the ground when the blast hit her.
Raven was having a hard time dealing with Paper. Any time she would try and land a hit the girl would stretch away. Fed up with it Raven said her chant once more, forcing her powers to stretch far enough to match Paper. Paper saw what Raven was doing and stretched her way towards the blue hooded girl, heading in close. Raven's power followed her and when Paper ducked her own powers hit her and knocked her to the ground.
Paper laughed, and Raven glared at her. Standing up Raven decided she would try this one more time.
Paper stretched away, Raven's black band of energy following after her, only this time she made two. One followed Paper exactly, and the other crept along the wall. Having only been paying attention to the one that raced against her Paper never saw the second band of power as she glided close to the wall. The band sprung forward and wrapped an unsuspecting Paper up.
Scissors sliced at Starfire but failed to make a hit. She sliced at a street light, cutting the pole in two and it fell towards some civilians. Starfire moved quickly and caught the pole, protecting the three civilians who quickly took their chance to run away. With Starfire distracted she didn't notice Scissors who's claws were glinting mischievously. The villain prepared to strike, but a quick hex from Jinx knocked her away.
Scissors picked herself off the ground and looked up to see Starfire and Jinx looming above her, both of their eyes glowing. Scissors' raised her claws.
"Shouldn't you give up?" Jinx told the villain.
"Shouldn't you two be out looking for your boyfriends?" Scissors spat.
Their eyes widened and Starfire gasped...
Then she picked Scissors up with one hand and pointed her fist, which held a starbolt, to her chin. "What do you know about Robin's disappearance?"
"And Kid Flash," Jinx added just as the other Titan girls joined their side, the other four villains successfully down for the count.
"What's going on?" Kole asked.
"This clorbag knows what has happened to our boys," the starbolt in Starfire's hand glowed brighter. "You will tell us what has happened to them!"
"Better listen to her," Raven warned. "A starbolt to the face would really hurt."
"Alright, alright," Scissors spluttered, withdrawing her claws and holding up her hands in defeat. "I give!"
"Tell us what we want to know," Raven commanded, stepping to Starfire's side and narrowing her eyes. "Now."
"Look, I don't know much, honest. Me and a bunch of the girls were recruited to start kidnapping any Titan who was a boy."
"Under who's orders?" Jinx demanded.
"She called herself Blackfire. I never even saw her face."
Starfire dropped Scissors to the ground, the glow in her eyes gone and the starbolt in her hand fading away. "My sister is the cause of this?" Starfire paused a moment to get over her shock and looked at Scissors, glaring at the frightened villain. "Where is she keeping our friends?"
TT
Not far from Jump City was a ship yard. The ships were old and abandoned, taking up space in a harbor that had once been a popular tourist attraction, but the years had not been kind to the area and no one came around anymore unless it was to dump waste.
There was one ship in particular that was the largest and least beat-up looking. It was in this ship that Blackfire, Madame Rouge, Mother Mae-eye, Kitten and Shimmer lodged in. The inside of the ship had been converted into a prison. There was containment field cages of different styles and sizes lined up, and in each cage was a Titan.
Aqualad was trapped in a cage moaning on the floor. His containment field was designed to send rays of powerful light from all angles. For someone who needed water, this was definitely to hot to handle. Hot Spot was next to him. His containment field was designed to replicate temperatures colder than the antarctic. Hot Spot's fire was of no use to him. He was to cold and couldn't even create the smallest of flames on his pinky.
Mas and Menos were easy. All that was needed to make sure they didn't escape was to make sure they were in different cages and far away from each other. Robin, Speedy, Bushido and Herald had been stripped of anything that could be used to get them free. This meant no utility belt, bow and arrows, sword or horn. Zatara's mouth had been gagged so he couldn't say any spells. Jericho's eyes had been covered to prevent him from taking control of someone's body. Further down the row was Cyborg, Beast Boy, Gnaark, Lightning, Kid Flash, Killowat, Red Star, Thunder and Wildebeest. All in cages that turned their strengths into a weakness.
Kitten found herself infront of Robin's cage. "Are you sure we can't keep just a few of them? They could become our servants," she smiled at Robin. "How 'bout it, Robbie-poo?"
Robin responded by kicking the front of his cage. Kitten stepped back in fear, even though she was perfectly safe since by striking his cage, Robin was thrown backwards, his leg smoking.
"Fine then. Stay in there and rot!" Kitten spat, turning away from him to rejoin Blackfire and the others.
"We're not keeping any of them," Blackfire told the blonde. "We're selling them all to the Gordanians. Once we do that we'll be rich."
"I do not care about the money," Madame Rouge stated, smirking at the helpless boys. "Getting rid of these heroes is reward enough."
"Speak for yourself," Shimmer said. "I want to get paid."
Mother Mae-eye laughed. "So do I. Mother works so hard yet never gets anything in return."
"You'll get something today," Blackfire told the witch. There was the sound of engines and Blackfire went over to the small circular window to look outside. About a dozen small Gordanian ships, plus one large one, landed on the beach near the harbor. "They're here."
It didn't take long for the Gordanian leader to enter the ship.
Blackfire greeted him kindly. "Vaaldegar, how nice it is to see you."
Vaaldegar grunted at her. "I do not have time for your formalities, Blackfire. Where are the slaves?"
"Slaves?" Speedy croaked. "We're being given away as slaves?"
"Gnaark!" Gnaark covered his head with his hands.
"You won't get away with this!" Robin shouted.
"Let us go!" Thunder wailed.
"Silence, you brats!" Mother Mae-eye snapped, creating a white gloved hand in all of their cages. With a flick of her wrist all of the gloves hit the boys on their cheeks, creating a loud smacking sound.
Vaaldegar looked displeased. "I do not know if I want slaves like these. They seem to have too much spirit."
"Spirit can be broken," Blackfire told him.
Vaaldegar began to walk alongside the cages, his eyes narrowed. "They look weak."
"I assure you, that is not the case," promised Blackfire.
"Yeah, they kick our butts all the time," Kitten stated, only to be elbowed by Shimmer. "Ow!"
Vaaldegar stopped infront of Beast Boy's cage. The green teen looked at him defiantly. "What does this one do?"
"He changes into animals," Blackfire answered.
"Show me."
Beast Boy crossed his arms. "Fat chance."
"He's just being difficult. He'll change," Blackfire smiled at Mother Mae-eye. "Isn't that right, Mother?"
The witch laughed and caught the hint. Using her powers Mother Mae-eye pointed her spoon at Beast Boy and zapped him with pink energy. Beast Boy then changed into a dog and flipped. After that he became a lion and roared, then a horse, then a peacock. Finally he changed back to normal, panting.
Vaaldegar laughed. "Remarkable. This one will become my person pet," he turned to Blackfire. "I'll alert my crew so they may start loading up."
Vaaldegar left to go tell his crew, the girls following him out. As Mother Mae-eye was passing his cage, Beast Boy growled at her. "Dude, that was totally unfair."
"Oh, shut it," she snapped, creating a pie that smacked him in the face, coating him with red filling and broken pie crust. She laughed as she walked away.
TT
The sun was beginning to descend as Vaaldegar's men heaved the cages with superheroes in them onto their shoulders. Some were already on a few of the ships, but there was a few more that needed to be loaded. At the same time a few of Vaaldegar's men were carrying crates full of Blackfire's reward onto her ship.
Vaaldegar and Blackfire shook hands. "It was nice doing business with you," he said before turning to yell at one of his men who were carrying Beast Boy's cage. "Load the one onto my ship."
He walked away from Blackfire's side to direct his men more thoroughly. Blackfire turned to her companions. "Well ladies, we did it," she announced with a grin. "The Titan boys are no longer our problem."
"They might not be, but we are!"
Blackfire didn't have time to react as green energy crashed into her chest, sending her flying into one of the ships floating in the water. Once Blackfire crashed into the ship it sunk. Mother Mae-eye, Kitten, Shimmer and Madam Rouge turned their heads and saw all of the Titans girls.
And boy oh boy did they look angry.
Starfire looked away from the group of villains and caught sight of Robin being carried away by a Gordanian. She gasped and flew towards him, passing the four villains who stood in her way easily. "Robin!"
"Stop them! They cannot free the boys!" Madam Rouge yelled.
Jinx was quick to take her. She sent a hex at Madame Rouge that sent her skipping along the water like a rock. "No one is stopping me from saving Kid Flash," she stated before following the direction Starfire went in.
Shimmer's hands glowed pink and she turned the sand into fire. It circled Pantha and Kole, trapping them. "I have the power of transmutation," she declared with a smirk. "You can't beat me."
"Wanna bet," Raven muttered. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
Using her powers Raven pulled the ocean water forward to put out Shimmer's fire. Raven then pulled the water towards Shimmer, swallowing her up and pushed it back into sea, crashing into Madame Rouge in the process. She let the current handle the rest and the two were pulled out to sea.
Bumblebee tried to fly through but was blocked by a massive Mother Mae-eye. "Where do you think you're going?" the witch taunted.
Bumblebee backed away, but Argent flew in to help her. She created a large hammer and whacked Mother-Mae-eye on the head with it. When she pulled her hammer away Argent saw that Mother Mae-eye was unconscious, as well as neck deep buried in sand.
Kitten cracked her whip, striking Kole who had turned to her rock form. Kitten was laughing madly, under the impression she was winning.
"She's not very bright, is she?" Wondergirl commented, turning to Raven.
"Not at all," Raven replied flatly. She landed herself behind Kitten and touched her shoulder. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."
With that being said Kitten's eyes slowly closed. Her body fell to the ground and the girl curled up into a ball, snoring loudly.
Starfire was knocking down Gordanians left and right. Starbolt to the chest, kick to the side, punch in the stomach, eyebeams to the face. When she was done the Gordanians fell to her feet. With them out of the way she was able to enter the Gordanian ship. It was small and she found Robin easily. She easily tore the front of the cage off and tossed it to the side. With that out of her way she ran inside and straight into Robin's arms.
"Oh, Robin," she sighed into his chest, smiling in content. "I was so worried."
"I wasn't. I knew you and the others would come find us," he squeezed her for a moment longer before letting go. He was happy that the Gordanian that had taken him also had an interest in his belt and had taken it along. He strapped it on his waist. "We have to free the others. Let's go."
Jinx hexed the Gordanians that charged at her, sending them crashing into the wall. Kid Flash clapped his hands. "Bravo my dear."
Jinx quickly hexed the lock on his containment field so the door could open and he could step out. She was surprised when he zipped out and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay," Jinx whispered to him, relaxing against his body.
He smiled before zipping them to the left, getting out of the way before a Gordanian could strike them. Kid Flash then used his speed to knock the Gordanian in the cage and lock it. He turned to his girlfriend. "We should probably save the cuddling for later."
"Good call."
Argent had caught the attention of some Gordanians and lead them away so Kole could sneak aboard their ship. Once she was inside she saw Jericho in a cage. It wasn't as complicated as the other ones she had caught a glimpse of so she was able to crack the code on the lock easily. She then opened the door so she could step inside.
"Jericho, it's Kole," she said as she kneeled down besides him so she could remove the wrap covering his eyes. "Are you okay?"
He smiled at her for a moment before his eyes turned to the Gordanian looming behind the pink haired girl. The Gordanian pointed his spear at Kole, the tip sparking with electricity. Jericho quickly pushed her to the side, their bodies rolling to avoid the attack. Jericho turned his head, his eyes locking with the Gordanian's before he possessed his body.
There was a pause as the body slumped to it's knees.
"Jericho?" Kole asked softly, taking a step closer.
The Gordanian rose to his feet and she took a step back, but then she relaxed when it smiled at her. "Yeah, it's me. How do I look?"
"Hideous," she said with a smile. "Any clue where Gnaark is?"
"Two ships to our left," he turned his back to her and twisted his head so he could see her. "Hop on."
She jumped on his back and they took off. Once they exited the ship no one was surprised to see Kole riding a Gordanian who used his spear against his 'comrades'.
Wondergirl smiled. "Looks like Jericho is safe... but where's Herald?"
"If you're looking for Herald," Kid Flash began as he zipped to her side. "I think he's still on the boat Blackfire stored us in."
Wondergirl nodded and headed for the vessel that floated in the water. Unfortunately for her a Gordanian spotted her. He attempted to shoot her down but his aim was poor and he instead hit the ship, creating a hole in the side that was now taking in water.
Wondergirl's eyes widened. "NO!"
Inside the now sinking ship Herald began to panic when water began to come in. It was already up to his ankles and filling up fast. He saw his horn placed on a shelf against the other wall and gritted his teeth. There was no way he could reach it! And the water already reached his knees now...
"Herald? Herald!"
His eyes widened. He knew that voice. "Wondergirl! Where are you?"
"I'm trying to tear down this door so I can get inside and rescue you."
"Well I don't mean to sound impatient but could you hurry it up," he said as he glanced down at the rising water that reached his waist. "It's really wet in here."
"You don't say," she replied as she ripped the door from the wall. With the door now open the water began to fill the room even quicker. She quickly swam to his cage, glad to see it was just a regular one, and bended the bars so he could swim out. "Let's get out of here."
"Wait, my horn," he said as he looked around. The rush of water that had come in when Wondergirl opened the door had caused the shelf to be swept under. "I can't leave without it."
He took a deep breath and dove under the water. He spotted his horn and quickly snatched it up, returning to the surface and gasping for air.
"Did you find it?"
"Yup," he said with a grin and he took hold of Wondergirl's waist and pulled her close. "Let's blow this joint."
The battle field was in a frenzy as the Gordanians struggled to still get the boys on their ships and keep the girls as bay. Bumblebee had just knocked a Gordanian down with her stingers and jerked her head up to see if there was anyone she could help out. She spotted Aqualad and Speedy. Speedy seemed okay, but Aqualad wasn't looking to good.
A Gordanian picked up Speedy's cage and lifted it onto his shoulder, running towards his ship. Bumblebee flew towards him.
Speedy saw her coming. "Free Aqualad first!"
"But-"
"Do it!"
She bit her lip but followed his order anyway, going in Aqualad's direction. With no one to stop him the Gordanian boarded his ship and placed Speedy's cage in a corner. He then went to the control panel and took a seat, activating the engines.
"What are you doing?"
The Gordanian didn't even glance at Speedy. "What does it look like I'm doing, you fool. I'm getting off of this planet."
Speedy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
As Bumblebee freed Aqualad from his containment field she put his arm over her shoulder and her arm around his waist. "C'mon, Aqualad, we need to get you to the water."
He moaned in response. As Bumblebee took most of his weight she noticed the ship Speedy had been taken on had started up. Her eyes widened. She had to help him, but she couldn't leave Aqualad alone in this condition, and everyone else had their hands full...
Just as all seemed lost Bumblebee saw a flash of green running towards the ship Speedy was on. She squinted her eyes... It couldn't be... "Cheshire?"
Cheshire leapt into the air, jumping past two Gordanians in her way. Another one blocked her path but she did a roundhouse kick, knocking it down. She jumped onto the shoulders of another, and jumped again, its height being used in her favor so she was able to jump higher than before. She landed on the ship's wing and extracted her claws, slicing through the metal. Pushing the scrap metal away she gazed at the wires that it had been protecting. She ripped them out.
The Gordanian inside the ship hit the control panel in rage. "Stupid ship, why won't you go?"
The Gordanian stood up and headed for the door, hoping to slip outside quickly to see if there had been any damage. The door hissed open, and before he could step outside a black heeled boot kicked him in the face.
Speedy looked at the Gordanian on the floor in puzzlement. What just happened? Looking up he got his answer.
"Why is it that trouble seems to follow you?" Cheshire asked as she crossed over to his cage. Like Herald's it was a regular one.
"You came to rescue me," Speedy said softly, smiling.
"Not much of a hero are you if you're the one who's being saved."
"Not much of a villain are you if you're the one doing the saving."
There was a pause.
"Step back," she said and he did as he was told so she could slice the bars away.
Once she was finished he stepped out and stood besides her. "How did you even know I was in trouble?"
"Blackfire tried to recruit me. I told her no."
"How come?"
She sighed. "Do you really want to stand here and question me or are you going to go help your friends?"
He didn't answer her and ran towards the door. Before he walked out he turned around, curious to see if she would join him in the good fight, but instead was shocked to see she was gone. "How the heck did she do that?"
As Speedy left the ship he ran into Argent and a now free Zatara.
"Hey, Zatara, think you can conjure me up some arrows and a bow?"
Zatara nodded. "Wob dna sworra!"
Zatara's hands sparkled for a moment and suddenly a bow appeared in Speedy's hand along with a quiver full of arrows on his back. The archer grinned and took out an arrow. "Thanks," Speedy said gratefully before shooting at a Gordanian.
By now Killowat, Gnaark and Bushido were all free and on the battlefield. With them backing her up and Aqualad now feeling much better (thanks to a quick dip in the water) Bumblebee was free to focus her attention on freeing Cyborg. The boys had told her which ship they saw him being carried on and she flew straight for it. Unfortunately she was thrown off course by a Gordanian who pinned her to the ground. Bumblebee struggled against him, but it was no use. He was to strong and he had knocked the stingers from her hands when he pinned her down.
A giant red hand pried the Gordanian off of her and tossed it away. Bumblebee sat up and was happy to see Argent. "Go save your boyfriend," Argent said with a smile.
Bumblebee nodded and flew towards the ship Cyborg was on, Argent clearing the path for her. With Argent's help Bumblebee made it on board with no difficultly.
"Bumblebee," Cyborg smiled when he saw her. "Man am I happy to see you. Think you can get me out of this containment field?"
Bumblebee withdrew her stingers. "Not a problem."
She shot the powersource of the containment field and upon doing so the door popped open. Cyborg stepped out and crossed over to her. "That's my girl," he said before kissing her on the lips.
Mas, Menos, Thunder and Lightning had all been freed by the time Bumblebee and Cyborg left the ship. The Gordanians were getting beat. As the number of Titans increased the number of Gordanians decreased. Even so the Gordanians were not going down without a fight. That didn't matter to Pantha though. She welcomed the fight the Gordanians brought to her as she entered another one of their ships. Three Gordanians jumped the masked female but she easily threw them off. Red Star looked on in awe from his containment field.
"That was amazing," Red Star said as Pantha punched the control panel to the containment field, freeing him.
Pantha shrugged. "Eh, it is nothing."
A Gordanian hissed at them as he flew in their direction. Red Star quickly scooped Pantha up in his arms and flew in the air. The Gordanian hadn't been expecting that and flew face first into the wall. Still carrying Pantha, Red Star exited the ship.
"You do not have to carry me," she told him.
He smiled at her. "I know."
Seeing that the battle was not turning out in his favor Vaaldegar decided it was time to flee. He entered his ship and activated it. He looked at Beast Boy. "I may have lost the others, but one is better than nothing."
Beast Boy's eyes widened and he struggled against his containment field.
Vaaldegar laughed. "It if of no use. That cage cannot break."
Beast Boy ignored him and turned into a gorilla, continuing to beast against his cage.
Hot Spot and Wildebeest were finally free and the Titans gathered closer together, admiring their handy work. The beach was covered with unconscious Gordanians.
"We have won!" Lightning exclaimed gleefully, highfiving his brother.
"Man am I glad that's over," Zatara said, sitting down on the sand and fanning himself with his hat.
"Did we free everyone?" Robin asked, looking into the crowd.
Raven turned her head to see. Titans North and East were all present, as were the few girls who didn't belong to a designated team. The brothers, Lightning and Thunder were here. She could see the massive bulks of Wildebeest and Gnaark. Hot Spot, Killowat and Bushido were all standing together. There was Red Star standing next to the sitting Zatara. Raven looked back to her own team, and that's when she realized who was missing.
"Beast Boy!" she exclaimed. How could they-how could she-forget about Beast Boy?
"Oh man, where is he?" Cyborg questioned, looking very worried.
Robin punched his fist in the palm of his hand. "Vaaldegar. He wanted Beast Boy to be his personal servant."
"Beast Boy must be on his ship then," Aqualad noted.
"You mean that one?" Thunder asked, pointing at the largest of the Gordanian ships hovering off the ground.
"Vaaldegar's trying to escape," Cyborg announced angrily.
"We won't let him," Robin said through gritted teeth. "Titans, go!"
The entire group ran/flew towards the ship. The oncoming heroes didn't go unnoticed by Vaaldegar's sensors.
"Pesky humans think they can stop me," Vaaldegar said with a frown. He flipped a switch on his control panel that activated his ships defences. A shower of blasts rained down on the Titans, but Argent and Raven quickly threw up their shields, protecting them all.
Raven gritted her teeth and flew after the ship which was already flying far above the water. She had to catch it. Those who were able to fly followed. Some of the Gordanians began to awake, and once they saw that their were heroes chasing their leader they immediately sprung into action. They grabbed whatever weapons that were nearby and took to the skys.
Vaaldegar's ship continued to fire at those Titans who followed, but Raven pushed forward, diving away from the blast (which hit a few of the Titans who followed, sending them crashing down into the water where a surfing Aqualad caught them) and shielding herself. Eventually only her and Starfire remained in the chase, Raven in the league.
That's when the Gordanians came.
Raven saw them approaching from the corner of her eye and frowned. She didn't have time for this. Vaaldegar's ship was gaining speed. "Starfire, can you handle them?"
Starfire nodded and turned around, heading straight for the Gordanians. She slammed her fist into one, sending it crashing down into the water, and kicked the one who tried sneaking up behind her. One grabbed her shoulder, so she shot it down with her eyebeams.
In the meantime Raven had finally caught up to the ship. Saying her chant, large blackraven claws appeared, holding the ship in place. As she began to reel the ship in, one of the Gordanians taking on Starfire saw what she was doing. He pushed Starfire away and readied his spear.
"This is for Vaaldegar!" he said before firing multiple shots at Raven.
Starfire slammed into the Gordanian but it was already to late. "Raven!"
Raven turned her head in time to see the oncoming blasts and shielded herself. She didn't realize that she was not in any anger, for the Gordanian who had shot at her had poor aim. Instead if hitting her he hit the ships engines, damaging them.
The engines flickered a few times before dying out and the massive ship was sent crashing down into the water. It sank quickly, the water dragging it down and away. Raven watched with wide eyes before gritting her teeth and clenching her fist. There was still a chance to save him! Raven was ready to dive into the water when it glowed orange.
An explosion took place, the water creating a massive bubble that popped due to the force of the ship becoming no more.
Raven looked on with wide eyes as she cried out. "NO!"
TT
Starfire and Raven came back to the beach and landed amongst their friends. The other Titans immediately surrounded them.
"We saw the blast," Kole began. "Are you two okay?"
"Where's Beast Boy?" asked Cyborg.
Raven's head was hung low and she walked past Cyborg, passing other members of the Titans as well before she was standing far away. The Titans eyed her curiously, then turned their attention towards Starfire.
Robin's eyes widened. It couldn't be... "...Beast Boy?"
Starfire shook her head, a frown on her face.
A couple of the Titans gasped, their eyes going wide. Cyborg fell to his knees in despair, his head hung low and Bumblebee moved to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tears came to Kole's eyes and she threw herself into Jericho's arms and Gnaark joined in on their hug, embracing them both. Robin and Starfire held onto each other, as did Kid Flash with Jinx and Herald with Wondergirl. Mas and Menos began to cry outloud, and Speedy pulled the two twins into a hug. Pantha sunk down to the sand, burying her head in her knees, and Red Star sat down besides her, putting an arm around her shoulders. Argent covered her face with her hands, sobbing. Thunder wiped away his tears and Lightning furiously rubbed his eyes with his arm. Bushido, Hot Spot, Wildebeest and Killowat stood off to the side, their expressions sad. Zatara took his hat off and lowered his head and Aqualad looked out onto the water.
From where Raven stood no one could see the tear that rolled down her cheek.
"Uh... did I miss something?"
The entire group froze, their eyes widening as they turned their attention to the sound of the voice. Raven turned around, her eyes widening and she nearly gasped.
Beast Boy, who was wet and covered with seaweed, looked at his friends oddly as he picked the seaweed off his shoulder. "What's the matter with you guys? You look like you've seen a ghost."
The group smiled. "BEAST BOY!"
Beast Boy let out a small shriek as he was hugged by his teammates. They gave him high fives, ruffled his hair, patted his shoulder and back. He even scored a kiss on the cheek by Wondergirl and Starfire. They asked him if he was okay, told him they were so worried and happy to see him... and all Raven could do was watch.
She was stunned. She couldn't believe that he was here. That he was safe. He was okay. "...Garfield..."
The group fell into silence and looked at Raven who had her eyes locked on Beast Boy. She took a small step forward, then another, and another, until she broke out into a run. She tackled Beast Boy, hugging him, and the two fell down onto the sand, their arms still wrapped around each other.
Kid Flash chuckled. "Garfield?"
Robin elbowed him. "Shut it, Wally."
Aqualad, Speedy and Wondergirl, who were standing besides the two, laughed.
It took awhile but Raven finally pulled herself away from Beast Boy. She smiled softly at him. "I'm glad you're okay," she admitted, her cheeks flushing red.
He smiled back at her, his own cheeks red as well. Then, abruptly, Raven smacked him upside the head.
"Ow!" Beast Boy rubbed his head as Raven poked him in the chest, her eyes narrowed.
"Don't ever scare us like that again. Ever."
Satisfied with the warning she gave him, Raven moved away and Cyborg joined his side. Beast Boy looked up at his friend and grinned.
"Dude, she so digs me."
TT
SPECIAL THANKS TO TwinkleSterre, Magic Kiwi, TitanFan222, Agent of the Divine One, BGuate224, Pineapple girl 1997, DoubleCresentMoon, chipmunkswillrule, THE MAN, BerryDrops, Angel-of-Energy AND Booyaka Booyaka 619 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I HOPED EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. I HAD A LOT OF FUN WRITING IT SO I HOPED YOU ALL ENJOYED READING IT :)
To TitanFan222, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I'm glad I was able to do your request. Thank you for inspiring me with it.
To THE MAN, Thank you for reviewing and reading. As you can see I had a little bit of BB/Raven in here, as well as some Herald/Wondergirl. If I end up making a sequel to this story perhaps we will see a more muscular Herald who is dating Wondergirl. As you saw in a previous chapter I had him working out so him getting all muscular will definitely happen if he keeps it up.
To Booyaka Booyaka 619, Thanks for reading and reviewing. And thank you for the good luck when it comes to me and school. I really appreciate that.
NEXT CHAPTER: THE START OF TITANS SOUTH.
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