KKWUNG! Control Freak squinted his eyes as the fluorescent lights flickered back to life. "Ah, music to my ears," he said to himself. Turning his attention back to the Titans, he grinned. "Sorry for that little SNAFU," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "These things happen from time to time. Now, what say we get back to business?"
Raising the remote back up over his head for the third time, he delighted in seeing the anxiety in each of the Titans' eyes. However, as his thumb hovered over the button, he scanned to the end of the row – and found himself looking at Raven's now-empty chair.
"Wha-! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, where'd she go?!" he shouted, completely stunned by the girl's vanishing act. "She just pulled a freakin' Houdini on us!"
While the fat man was busy freaking out, Mad Mod simply frowned. "It seems that we're not alone," he surmised. Turning to his army of robots, he once again clapped his hand twice in succession. This time, however, all of his minions – twenty strong – came to life, their red eyes flaming.
"Search the upper floor," the British gentleman said, matter-of-factly. "When you locate out missing Titan and our unwelcome guests, subdue them and bring them back down here for a little…entertainment."
Without so much as a word, the mechanical soldiers began their march.
"Oh man," Aqualad said as the Royal Guard slowly ascended the staircase. "They're on to us!"
"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Beast Boy said, peering out from around the edge of a rusted metal crate. "Control Freak might be playing with a short deck, but even he wasn't going to overlook the sudden disappearance of one of his captives. Still, at least it's four of us now."
"Yeah, against twenty or so of them," Lad said, grimacing. "Four-to-one odds doesn't exactly give me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside."
"It is what it is," BB said. Looking over at Raven, he gave a half-smile. "You think you can handle a few of these guys coming at ya?" he asked.
Raven responded with an icy glare that sent chills up the Titan's spine. "Right now, I've got a boatload of pain just waiting to be unloaded on the next sorry individual, and since I can't take it out on you as of the moment, these guys will have to do," she said, coldly.
"That's…uh…good to know there, Raven," Aqualad said, managing a weak smile.
"Don't you talk to me either, right now," the girl said, anger flaring in her eyes. "I'm not exactly ecstatic about you two sitting on your duffs for all that time as well."
Aqualad and Tremm gave each other nervous looks. "Hey, BB," the aquatic hero whispered. "I think I've got an idea of my own."
"Really?" the shape shifter asked. "What is it?"
Lad leaned in until he was face-to-face with the fellow Titan. "I think that as soon as we get the other guys freed and out of the building, Raven's probably gonna tell everyone what happened, and I'm not quite sure that they'll respond in kind. So my suggestion: When that all goes down, the three of us oughta run like hell."
BB slowly turned his head, glancing at the menacing frown on Raven's face. A moment later, he turned back to face Aqualad. "I think we should seriously consider that as an option," he responded, swallowing hard.
The two Titans were snapped back to attention as the first footstep of the mechanized soldiers vibrated the grating beneath them.
"Okay, guys," Beast Boy said, taking a deep breath. "Let's show these brainless metalheads just what happens when they mess with the best. Titans, GO!"
The sound of metal banging, loud footsteps, and small explosion caught the attention of everyone on the lower floor. The two villains quickly realized that this was definitely not part of the plan.
"Aww, I don't believe this!" Control Freak said, jumping up and down in frustration. "No, no, no, no, NO! It's just not fair!" With each consecutive bounce, the wooden stage creaked beneath his feet, threatening to collapse under the fat man's weight.
"Come on, relax, my boy," Mad Mod cooed, calmly. "Regardless of what that little green snot bubble has brought to the table, the sheer fact remains that it's still four against twenty up there."
Suddenly, the broken body of a Royal Guard soldier crash-landed at the feet of the two villains, its' exposed wiring shorting out under the spotlight.
"Well," the British man said, feeling his cheeks reddening. "Four against nineteen, anyway."
Meanwhile, Robin was busy shaking off the exhaustion that had begun sinking into his being. Since Raven's mysterious disappearance, Control Freak hadn't bothered to re-activate the torture devices. Twisting his head to the right, he watched as Starfire breathed heavily, her chest heaving up and down in rapid succession. Seeing her in such a position brought a wave of fury to the Boy Wonder's mind. Freak and Mod would pay for their transgressions; there was no doubt about that. But it was the his friend's well-being that mattered more to him now
"Star, are you alright?" he asked, longing to hold her in his arms and say that softly into her ears.
Despite her predicament, the Tamaranean offered a tight smile. "Robin…" she stammered between breaths, "I…do not think…that I…want to be….tickled again…for quite some time…"
The boy smiled. "I think all of us can share that feeling," he said. "Now, can you use your energy blasts?"
"No," The Tamaranean said, straining against her bonds. "The shackles holding my hands in place are solid. I tried blasting out of them, but the heat from my energy nearly burnt my hands. As for the shield over my eyes, I dare not try. I fear that such a blast reflected back could very well leave me blinded."
"Great," Robin said, irritation noticeable in his voice. "I guess we're all just sitting ducks as of right now."
With no alternatives, the captive Titans could only listen as the battle raged on above their heads.
"Azareth, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven chanted as she hurled a metal crate at a group of charging robots. The crate hit with a solid THUD, scattering the enemies like bowling pins.
"Nice strike, Rae!" Aqualad said, ducking under a robotic fist and delivering one of his own.
So far, the ragtag group of Titans had held their own against the formidable Royal Guard. However, Beast Boy wasn't enjoying the success of his teammates, as he quickly found himself outnumbered five to one. Dodging one attack, the shape shifter would get caught with another attack. Quickly, he transformed into a spider monkey, and slid his way out of the robots' clutches.
"RAE!" he shouted as he returned to his normal form on the run with the robots in tow. "I could use a little help here!"
Turn towards her fellow Titan, Raven paused for a moment, and watched as Beast Boy ran around in circles, trying to shake the Royal Guard off his tail. It was practically a scene right out of the Keystone Kops. Shaking her head, she allowed herself a small smile. Although BB's verbal humor wouldn't make her bat an eyelash, his physical humor had some potential. Perhaps he should have signed up to participate in that national comedy show after all…
"RAE! Sometime today would be nice!" the green hero said, finding himself backed into a corner as the 'bots advanced on him.
"I hope you know how lucky you are that I'm willing to help you despite everything that's happened," the girl said, levitating into the air. "Azareth, Metrion -!"
Raven let out a small gasp as he felt two cold arms wrap around her chest, pinning her arms to her side. In the confusion, a Royal Guard had snuck up behind her, and she was now locked in its' iron grip.
As Rae struggled and kicked in a vain attempt to break the robot's hold, Beast Boy caught sight of her. "Yo, Aqualad!" he yelled, barely sidestepping a punch to the face. "Raven's in trouble!"
"I'd love to help, but Tremm and I are a little busy right now!" Lad shouted as he and the Fishboy worked tandem on a small group of minions.
BB frowned. He realized that he would have to save the girl on his own. "Don't worry, Raven!" he shouted. "I'm coming!" The next thing the Titans knew, he was face-down on the floor, his jaw throbbing. A lucky cross had clipped him on the chin. Slowly, he stumbled back up to his feet. "We're on our way!" he said, still a little woozy. BAM! Another shot, another trip to the floor. This time, the trip back up was a little slower than the first. "Might take a little longer than I expected!" he slurred. On this round, however, he successfully dodged the third punch, and finally delivered one of his own.
With the other Titans locked in combat with the remaining robots, Raven found herself alone as she watched Mad Mod slowly ascended the stairs, a toothy grin on his face.
"My, my, my, what do we have here?" he said, a mocking tone in his voice. "You know, Raven, in high society, it is considered disgraceful to leave someone else's party with bothering to say good-bye."
Raven narrowed her eyes, defiance abound. "Really?" she said, her voice emotionless. "Then I apologize. Here – let me give you your good-bye…Azareth, Metrion, Zinth-AHHH!" the Titan let out a cry of pain as the robot tightened its' grip around her body. Her ribs felt close to the breaking point, and her lungs felt like a vise grip had been placed around them.
Mod shook his head, sighing. "I'm quite certain you've probably heard this before," he said, chuckling, "but you should definitely consider looking into some sorter spell words." Walking closer, the British gentleman stood eye to eye with the young Titan. "Now my dear, I'll tell you want we are going to do now. We are going to go back downstairs, put you back in that comfy little chair that Control Freak put all his blood, sweat, and scientific instability into, slip those boots back off your oh-so-ticklish feet, and send you into another round of hysterical laughter…just for shits and giggles." He paused, patting the girl on the cheek. "But don't worry, Raven – as soon as my robots get finished dealing with your little friends, they'll get to join us in all the festivities, and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it, child."
The girl's mind went wild with fear and fury. She couldn't go back. Not after she'd gotten this far. She couldn't stand the thought of even one more feather dragging slowly down her arches. "NO!" she screamed, thrashing left and right like a fish on a line. "I WON"T LET YOU DO THIS! LET ME GO!"
Mad Mod turned, and started for the staircase, the restrained Raven in tow. So much for the Titans' little uprising. No one was coming to save them…
"HEY!" a voice emanated from the darkness behind Mod's back. The villain quickly spun around, ready to deal with whatever child had broken free of his minions – and gasped in shock as he witnessed a figure perched in the same window BB and the others had used to gain entrance into the building. But, this was no Titan the old man had ever seen.
Squatted down on the windowsill, the small, stout being glared back at Mod, its' piercing white eyes shining in the night. The gentleman could have sworn that he was staring at a demon that had been sent from Hell for a purpose, but whatever purpose that was escaped his mind. The startling image was soon accompanied by a voice unlike any he had heard before.
"I thought that a smart guy like you would figured out by now that she doesn't like to be touched like that," the voice said, deep and gruff in tone, with a slight hint of feral nature buried deep within.
Mod and his minion stood still as the figure dropped from the sill, practically vanishing into the darkness. However, the voice still remained. "You know, for all of your hoity-toity British 'holier than thou' attitude, you have absolutely no idea on how to treat a lady."
As the voice dwindled down, the figure stepped into the moonlit gap between the darkness and the villain. Mod's eyes nearly fell from his head, as he made out the face of a true demon: its' canines glistening in the eerie light, a brow furrowed over flame-filled eyes, and a massive head halfway encircled by tendrils. But this was no demon; this was the face of a guardian.
The being cracked the knuckles on its' massive hands, and gave the villain a smile that chilled him to the very bone. "If you can't learn to be a real gentleman, then I guess I'll just have to beat it into you," it said.
The next thing Mad Mod saw was a white spiked fist coming straight for his face.