The tinted windows of the theater were designed to prevent light from entering the lobby, thereby cutting down on the management's electric bill during the scorching summers. So, as can be expected, they did not allow the blinding light that had enveloped the Titans into the building where Beast Boy and Aqualad continued to trade insults, woefully unaware of their friends' fates.

BB frowned at the state of his situation. So far, he had gone through an entire book of insults, and rattled off every "yo mama" joke he had memorized by heart, and still Aqualad was striking back. Knowing he was out of steam, the boy opted to end the fight with a zinger.

"You know, dude, I'm sure you'd probably have a girlfriend by now if you stopped trying to steal everyone else's!" he said. Hearing only silence, the Titan triumphantly strode towards the exit, confident he had gotten the last word. Unfortunately, the silence had only been a dramatic pause, as Aqualad stepped up to the plate with his own fastball.

"True, true," he said, as he and Tremm tailed Beast Boy to the door, "but you know something? I'm willing to bet that my girlfriend wouldn't busy herself with trying to kill everyone around her!"

The boy stopped dead in his tracks, standing in the doorway of the building. That final remark had struck a nerve, and practically ripped a hole open in his heart. In his attempt to one-up the shape shifter, Aqualad had treaded on forbidden waters by referencing the other's ill-fated relationship with the emotionally damaged Terra.

Seeing the boy visibly shaken, the hero wondered if he had gone too far with that last remark. He got his answer as Beast Boy grabbed him by his costume and hurled him unceremoniously onto the unforgiving sidewalk. Yep, he had gone too far.

"Don't you ever talk about Terra like that again!" BB exploded, spit flying from his lips. Aqualad looked up at the enraged Titan, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Listen up, Aqua-Turd," the green boy said, pointing a finger mere inches from his face. "if you ever disgrace her like that again in my presence, I swear I'm gonna break your fu…"

Beast Boy's mad tirade fizzled out as he realized where he was standing. He also realized who had been standing in this spot a few minutes before, and who wasn't there now. Looking around, a sense of panic overtook his anger.

"What the-?" he stammered, glancing around in all directions. "Hey! Where'd everybody go?!"

Aqualad got back to his feet. Quietly, he and Tremm stood and watched as Beast Boy starting peering into trash cans and looking under cars for their missing friends. As he started opening newspaper stands, the Titans East member decided it was time to step in.

"BB, calm down, would ya?" he said, strolling over to the frantic boy. "Look, I'm willing to bet that the guys just made up and took a ride down to the pizza place for a slice. There's no reason to get all worked up."

BB looked at him, his brow furrowed. "No," he said. "The Cy-Car's still here."

"Maybe they walked over there," Aqualad offered.

"No way," Beast Boy said, matter-of-factly. "Cyborg doesn't leave his car just anywhere – especially in this neck of the neighborhood. The last time he did that, somebody stripped the car down to the chassis. They even took the steering wheel!"

"Wow, that's thorough," Aqualad said, surprised.

Beast Boy, however, had resumed his mad hunt for the Titans. "Dudes, this isn't funny!" he shouted, befuddled as to where they could have disappeared to in such a hurry. If it had been an emergency, he would have heard about it on his communicator. So would have Aqualad and Tremm. "Come on out, you guys! Ollie-Ollie-Oxen Freeee!"

It was at that moment that he noticed something shimmering in the moonlight near the corner of his eye. An object was lying haphazardly on top of a cardboard box at the opening of the alleyway. As Beast Boy reached for it, a cold fear gripped his chest.

"Robin's utility belt," he said, slowly. "Oh man, this is bad."

"Uh, I'm a little fuzzy on this whole 'bad' thing," Aqualad said, a concerned look on his face. "How 'bad' are we talking here?"

BB turned and looked at the fellow Titan, a somber expression on his face. "Robin doesn't go anywhere without this thing on," he said, speaking from experience. "Heck, I'm willing to bet he showers with it on. He does with his mask. The simple fact that it's here and Robin isn't can only mean one thing…"

"Somebody's kidnapped the Titans!" Aqualad finished, putting two and two together as the realization hit him hard.

"Exact-a-mundo," the shape shifter said.

For a moment, the three heroes stood in silence, unsure of their next move. Then, a bulb went off inside BB's head. "Wait!" he said, smiling. "We can use Cyborg's computer back at the tower to track their communicators and zero in on their position! It's just like how we found Raven a few months back!"

Aqualad looked at the boy with an eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Why'd you have to find Raven?" he asked.

"Uh…" the Titan stammered, realizing he had bitten off a bit more than he could chew, "That's…that's really not our concern right now. Right now, we have to find the Titans!"

The other two nodded in agreement, and with that they made a beeline for the tower looming in the distance.

As Robin regained consciousness, he was greeted with a world of pain. His head throbbed rhythmically to the beating of his heart. At the same time, the hair of his arms rose up in response to the cold steel shackles that anchored him firmly in place.

'Well, this is an unwelcome surprise,' he thought to himself.

Testing the shackles, he soon learned that the breaking point of the steel was far beyond what he could muster. Resolved not to waste his energy on a fruitless endeavor, he relaxed his muscles and simply waited for what was to come. Taking in the feedback from his five senses, the Boy Wonder realized he was currently stretched out on a reclined table, his arms pulled tightly over his head He grunted as he felt the strain on his body. 'I'm all for yoga, but this is ridiculous,' he thought.

As his eyes adjusted to the moonlight shining through the nearby windows, Robin sensed that he was not alone. The groans of other individuals coming to were becoming more prevalent. 'Guess the other Titans are with me on this one,' he thought.

Suddenly, the Titan's mind snapped to attention. He recognized the layout of the building – at least, what he could make out of it in the shadows. This was the very same abandoned warehouse that he and the other Titans had ransacked rescuing Raven from the clutches of Control Freak just a few months before!

'Hmm, looks like they fixed that wall back up,' he thought, remembering how much damage they had caused on the first go-around. 'Makes me wonder if that fat little freak's behind our current predicament as well.'

Almost as if on cue, the screeching sound of a loudspeaker being activated brutalized the boy's ears. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages," a nasally voice shouted, echoing throughout the building and waking up any Titans that hadn't already regained consciousness. "Titan City is proud to present a special show for all in attendance! Now, let's hear a round of applause for everybody's favorite host…

Heeeerrrreeee's Control Freak!"

BZZING! Robin and the other Titans were blinded as fluorescent lights all around the building sprang to life. As the Boy Wonder squinted, he could barely make out the image of a man in front of him. Strange, he could have sworn the figure looked like a cross between a Klingon and Walker, Texas Ranger…

"Control Freak," he said, recognizing the rotund villain. "Never a pleasure."

Freak smiled. "Thank you! Thank you!" he said, playing to the crowd in his mind. "Oh please, you're too kind! Oh, I love you, too?"

As the fat man was busy giving himself a hand, Robin scanned his surroundings. It seemed that the other Titans had been restrained similar to himself, with the exception of Cyborg. His arms were pinned right to his side by a massive steel bracket. Raven was on his right, shaking the cobwebs loose from her head, while Starfire laid to his left, still unconscious. She was so close to him, the boy could almost smell her perfume. Cyborg was positioned next to her, but his size made it impossible for the Titan to look down the rest of the way. He rationalized, no doubt, that the others were shackled further on down the line.

He frowned. All of them had been positioned in front of a makeshift stage, with a giant control box centered directly in front of them like a podium. 'So this is what he's been doing with all his time," the Titan thought. 'I have to admit though, I'm quite impressed with his craftsmanship."

"R-Robin?" a soft voice moaned out from beside the boy, catching his attention.

"Starfire!" he exclaimed, recognizing her voice. "Are you okay?"

The Tamaranean managed a small smile. "I…have been better," she stammered, still trying to shake off the grogginess.

"Ah, so we're finally awake, aren't we?" a taunting voice came from the stage in front of the Titans.

With little choice else, the teens looked ahead as their captor took his moment in the spotlight.