"So are you just planning on keeping us here until we die of anticipation?" Robin asked out loud as Control Freak continued to press buttons on his little podium. The heat from the fluorescent lights were being to make the Boy Wonder sweat, and the shackles hadn't grown any more comfortable.
"Just a few more moments…Hot dog!" The fat man laughed with glee as the control panel lit up. "CF-TV is up and running!"
"Really?" the Titan said. "That's funny. I don't see any cameras."
"Ho-ho-hoo! You're a real pistol, aren't ya today?" Freak laughed, stepping away from his control box. "I guess that, since everything's now in working order, it's for the big revealing of the plan. Drum roll, please!" Glancing over at Mad Mod, the rotund villain beckoned to him with one hand. "Care to give them the introduction, Mod old bean?" he asked.
The British villain stepped from his position over by the door, and smiled. "It would be my pleasure," he said. Stepping into the spotlight, the older gentleman cleared his throat.
"As one with the knowledge of both science and madness can rightfully guess, creating a weapon of mass destruction requires a great deal of personal time, sacrifice, finances, and planning," Mod began, cultivating a presence of a Shakespearean actor while pacing the back and forth across the stage in an allusion to General Patton. "Of course, one can imagine that that WMD's capable of delivering worldwide devastation require a great deal of energy to function properly. Over the years, many great evil minds has researched and experimented with a menagerie of different power sources. During those experiments, we sadly learned that many of these energy sources – solar, wind, water, ethereal – were either very unreliable, highly toxic to all within the vicinity of the source, or were simply too time-consuming and unproductive to even be bothered with."
Ending his methodical pacing, the old man stopped beside Control Freak. The Titans watched as his usually somber expression bore a slight grin. 'That's was, of course," he said, placing a hand on Freak's shoulder, "until this bright-eyed and bushy little man concocted a method of obtaining and storing a type of energy that was quick, reliable, easy to collect, renewable, and – to be quite honest, children – entertaining to observe."
Patting the young villain on the shoulder, Mod nodded approvingly. "You can take it from here, 'old bean'," he said.
Freak grinning rubbing his hands together. "Well, I don't know if I can top that performance, but I'll certainly try," he said, stepping to center stage. Looking down at the Titans, he felt like a god among mortals.
"As you can probably guess, my latest 'WMD' capable of raining fire and brimstone down on cities near and far is still very much in the embryonic stage," he stated, punctuating the word "WMD" with quotation fingers a'la Dr. Evil.
"What's that mean in your own lingo?" Robin asked, his eyes glaring.
"It means…uh…I've…got a picture of it drawn," the villain said. He began patting down his jacket, slowly at first and more frantically as he realized he wasn't sure where the schematic was. "It's…uh…here, someplace," he muttered, looking into his inside pockets. "Ah, here it is!"
A moment later, the Captive Titans were presented with Control Freak's schematic, which looked as if it had been drawn by a three-year-old. "See? That's me," he said, pointing to a crudely drawn stick figure, "and that's what makes the big BOOM-BOOM," he added, shifting his finger to a massive mound of circles and crooked triangles. "Okay, are we all clear on that now?"
"Clear enough," Robin said, holding back a chuckle. "Just one question, though: What exactly is that thing going to do?"
"Well, I…uh…haven't really worked on the finer points of the Boom-Boom yet," Freak said, feeling his face turn red. This was supposed to be his greatest moment, and the Titans were still knocking him down a peg without even touching him! "Look, the stupid weapon doesn't matter right now!" he hollered, crumpling up the paper and throwing over his shoulder. "What does matter is that I've finished the device that's going to net me all the power I need to create an army of robotic minions, preferably without furry hats."
Mad Mod's eyes hardened. That had been a cheap shot in regards to his Royal Guard robots. Still, he was willing to let it slide in anticipation of what was to come.
"And what type of energy are you planning on collecting?" Cyborg asked, quizzically.
The Cheshire grin returned to Control Freak's face. "None other than biothermal energy."
The term met with a sea of blank stares from the Titans. This electrified the villain. 'Oh, this just makes everything so much sweeter," he thought to himself. If there was one thing Control Freak loved to do, it was gushing over his new playthings.
"You see, boys and girls," he began, "biothermal energy is the heat that living beings expel from their bodies on a regular basis. After all, we humans – and our resident aliens - are warm-blooded, and suitable for harvesting."
Stepping back in front of the podium, Freak's Cheshire grin grew even wider. At this point, it threatened to swallow up his entire head. "Take a good look at the chairs all of you are strapped in," he said. "Each one of them a labor of mechanical love, and designed to collect the heat put out by your bodies and feed it into a pressurized containment unit." With a push of the button, the spotlight scanned over to reveal a giant steel drum erected on the right end of the stage, before returning to it's position on Control's Freak's horribly twisted face. "Of course, harvesting energy from you in your current states would be a long, arduous, and utterly boring process. But don't fret just yet, kiddies! I personally designed a little…sumin-sumin to help speed the process along."
"What are you talking about, Control Freak?" Robin said. His tough exterior hid the fact that his heartbeat was beginning to accelerate.
"Well, you see Robin, the human body tends to release a great deal of biothermal energy when an individual finds himself, or herself on some occasions, in a highly stressful situation." Freak explained, matter-of-factly. "Now, fear is an ultimate trigger. So is pain. So, one could potentially achieve a good harvest of energy by threatening said individual with a multitude of dangerous and pointy weapons, and an even greater amount from inflicting a massive amount of physical pain…"
Control Freak paused, letting his words hang in the air and their meaning sink deep into the Titans' psyche. Mas and Menos looked visibly shaken, as did Speedy. Bumblebee had a defiant look in her eyes but she seemed a little green around the gills. On the other hand, Robin, Raven, and Cyborg barely batted an eyelash. Starfire seemed shaken, but definitely not stirred. 'Well, that nearly worked,' the villain thought to himself. But he wasn't too bothered with the outcome. He still had an ace up his sleeve, and it was time to call.
"Of course, I'm not really into blood and guts and screaming and…bad things," he said. Plus, killing is just a really messy affair, and I honestly don't want to have to be stuck mopping human, Tamaranean, and Azorethian blood off the floor…and the walls…quite possibly the ceiling…"
At this point, not a single Titan was feeling good about his or her night ending well, especially when the topic of their lives ending was part of the fray. Control Freak could see the rising panic, and it did his heart good.
"Come on relax," he said, chuckling. "Like I said, the only blood and gore I enjoy is on film." That remark did little to quench the Titans' anxiety.
"What? You guys don't believe me?" the villain said, astonished. "Why don't you ask Raven here?" he stated, pointing a finger in the direction of the young priestess. "She learned a lot about me the last time we had a little chat."
As the members of Titans East pondered the meaning of Control Freak's words, the hairs on the back of Raven's neck were starting to stand up. Her stomach turned over and over as she recalled what had occurred the last time she fell into a trap like this. This was déjà vu all over again. The cold metal table, the shackles, Freak's menacing presence. It was nearly too much for her to bear.
"No," she whispered to herself. "Please…not again…"
As Raven struggled to control her panic, Control Freak let out a contented sigh. "Anyways," he continued on, "I have a little method of biological stimulus that I have been just dying to try out on all of you. Unfortunately, I'm experiencing what economists would call a 'negative cash flow', and therefore I have 'accrued a severe deficit in staff resources', meaning in layman's term that I had no lackeys to send out in order to bring you to me. However, Mad Mod kindly donated a percentage of his resources to my cause, including the usage of his personal robotic army."
Robin grunted. 'So that was Mad Mod's Royal Guard back in the alleyway,' he thought. 'Guess they finally got upgraded.'
"Of course," Freak's voice continued, bringing the Boy Wonder's mind back to the present, "I'm sure that some of you may have noticed a couple empty chairs in the vicinity. If you haven't, feel free to look around."
Robin craned his neck as far out as he could, and looked over Cyborg's prone form. He managed to catch a glimpse of Bumblebee a little further down, but indeed there was an empty gar between the two Titans. 'Wait a minute,' Robin thought. 'Beast Boy! He was inside the theater at the time of the attack! So were Aqualad and Tremm! That means that they're still out there!'
Control Freak uttered a 'tsk-tsk' sound, and rapped loudly on the top in the control panel, much as a stern teacher would do to regain order in the classroom. "Yep, a few good men got away," he said, shaking his head. "Oh, well. You know what they said about the best laid plans. Still, I think we have plenty enough individuals to conduct this little experiment. So now, for the $64,000 dollar question and the answer to your fates, tell me: What action could I, Control Freak, possibly take against you, the Teen Titans Near and Far, that would:
A: raise your stress levels significantly,
B: slowly break your will to fight, and
C: will not leave one single mark on your entire body, hmm? Any ideas? Show of hands? Need a lifeline?"
Raven's mind was electric. She was now fully aware of what was about to happen, and she knew her friends would be unprepared for it. They were also unaware of how effective Control Freak's particular method of torment would be on them. Despite herself, the girl shuddered under the bright lights. "Oh, God," she said, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face.
"Hmm? I didn't quite catch that, Rae," Control Freak called out, grinning. "Do you happen to have an answer for us?"
Robin looked over at his friend, and was stunned to see that she seemed to be having some sort of panic attack. Her chest heaved up and down, and the veins on her legs seemed to pop out of her skin. Right then, the Titan knew that something seriously bad was about to happen…to all of them.
"You…you sick freak," Raven said, gritting her teeth. "I didn't think you'd have the gall to do this…to all of us…"
"Raven, what are you talking about?" The Boy Wonder asked, feeling his own throat begin to tighten in fear.
"He's…he's…going to…I don't believe this..." the girl stammered. Taking a deep breath, she sought to finish her line:
"He's going to tickle torture us."
"OHH! DING-DING-DING-DING! We have ourselves a winner!" Control Freak shouted gleefully, dancing around the stage. "Mod, give that lady a cigar!"
"I don't smoke," the British villain said, quietly, before adding softly, "Well…not cigars, anyway…"
Meanwhile, the Titans were in a state of shock and disbelief. Was Raven right? Did Control Freak actually plan to tickle torture them into submission?
"Tickle torture?" Bumblebee asked, utterly confused. "Tell me he did not just say 'tickle torture'!"
"Sí, el asno gordo dijo que él planea cosquillear tormento nosotros!"* Mas said, shuddering as he said so.
Robin, meanwhile, sat with a stupefied look on his face. 'Tickling?' he though to himself. 'So, he's going to try and use the same trick he used on Raven against all of us. Well, let's see him try.'
"Man, is this guy serious?" Cyborg said, rolling his eyes. "Come on! I mean, who's afraid of a little tickling?"
"It is not as simple as you might perceive, Cyborg" Starfire said, her breath quickening. "Your statement is correct; not one person is afraid of a little tickling. However, when that little becomes much larger, and there is no end in sight from the sensations your mind is receiving…well, there exists a good reason to fear a large tickling."
"But it's so juvenile!" the mechanical man groaned. "I think that the class of villains we face nowadays should take their evil just a little bit more seriously, okay? I mean, Slade's never threatened us with tickling, now has he?" He sighed, shaking his head. "What do you think, Star?"
The Tamaranean smiled weakly. "I am thinking that I am very ticklish," she said, sadly.
Mad Mod stepped up beside Control Freak, and smiled down at the Titans. "An appropriate torture for a bunch of spoiled brats, I think," he said. "CF, I think it's about time these little wankers got what they have coming to them!"
"You think so," Freak asked, smirked.
"Well, I think not!" Starfire growled.
Mod recoiled in horror as he saw the girl's eyes glow green. "You idiot!" he shouted at his cohort. "You forgot to account for her eye beams!"
A look of shock covered Control Freak's face. "I did?" he asked in disbelief. "I did!"
Robin's eyes narrowed. Freak and the Titans had scuffled on enough occasions, so there was no excuse for the villain not to know about Starfire's powers. The chance that he suffered a complete brain fart didn't seem likely, either. Something was wrong here…
"I can't believe I screwed up this bad!" Freak shouted, pulling on his hair. "Oh no! Whatever shall we do?" Despite the tension of the situation, the tone of his voice sounded off. "Okay, okay! You guys win! I guess I'll just have to let you go…"
As the fat man pressed a button on the control panel, there was a moment of silence. Suddenly, two small tendrils snaked out from the top of Starfire's chair. The girl gasped as the tendrils wrapped around her head and pulled it back down. Once the Tameranean's head was in place, a reinforced shackle snapped in place right over her eyes, pinning her head in place.
'Damn,' Robin thought. 'I knew it!'
Mad Mod, meanwhile, was listening to his heart pound like a jack hammer in his chest. He was also listening to the manic laughter of Control Freak as the rotund villain was pounding on the edge of the podium.
"AHHH-HAHAHAHAHAHAH! That was priceless!" Freak said, pointing at the old man. "You should have seen the look on your face! I thought you were going to piss yourself!"
Clapping his hands together, he grinned. "Ohh, that is going to be classic," he said.
"You despicable little monkey!" Mod growled, his breathing slowly returning to normal. "I can't believe you let her come so close to attacking us!"
"Oh, come off it, Miss Marples," Freak said, shaking his head. "The only way to live life to the fullest is to do it dangerously."
"So says the little man who spends all day behind a computer," the British villain retorted.
"Ooo!" the fat man said, dangling his fingers. "Isn't it time for tea and crumpets?"
The two spent a moment staring at one another.
"You, uh, getting hungry?" Control Freak said, raising an eyebrow.
"Now that you mention it, I could eat," Mad Mod, said.
"Here," the villain said, reaching into his pocket. The next thing he knew, Mod felt a small wad of bills being pushed into his hands. "Head out, get whatever you want, and get back here as soon as possible. I…wouldn't want you to miss the show."
The older gentleman smirked. "Try not to wear them out before I get back," he said.
"I'll try," Freak said. "But I'm not making any promises."
As Mod headed out, the tubby bad boy turned his attention back towards the captive Titans. 'Well, I think we've had enough conversation for now," he said, procuring a small remote from the inside pocket of his jacket and holding it over his head. "Now, I remember Little Miss Sass Mouth over here…" the villain paused, pointing a finger over at Bumblebee, "saying that if I kept tormenting you the way I was going, you'd probably die laughing. Well, I'm gonna hold you to that. So let's get to it!"
As Control Freak pressed down on the activation button, the Titans' night was about to go from bad to worst.
For our Non-Spanish speaking friends, here's what Mas said, basically:
*Rough Translation: Yes, the fat donkey says he plans to tickle torture us!