Through some miracle, be it an act of God or chance, the rain had cleared up by the next day. The sun made its appearance and life in the world was able to continue as normal.
"Alright, Gar! You're the last one for the course!" Nightwing shouted through the microphone. "Your speed determines how quickly we all get to go eat!"
"Yeah, so hurry up!" Cyborg shouted, taking the microphone from Nightwing. "And try not to get caught in the gears this time!"
Wiping sweat from his forehead, the changeling spoke in a nasally voice, repeating the older Titan.
"Try not to get caught it the- ah shut up. It was one time." He crouched down on all fours. He mapped out his path in the Wipe-Out style course.
As soon as the buzzer sounded, his eyes widened and he took off. The swinging part was natural to him. Humans already share many similarities with primates, so having the animal instinct made it almost second nature. The rope swing was also a breeze.
Raven was holding a book up to her face, but wasn't reading. It was hardly noticeable, but she was peering over the top of the book towards her green teammate. She cursed herself for noticing how well he filled out his new red and white uniform. She fought a blush from her face.
"My goodness, he is performing marvelously!" Starfire shouted. She was bouncing in her seat and clapping her hands. "He has improved greatly as of late, has he not?" She turned to Raven for a response. Raven idly turned her page, pretending she hadn't been ogling the green man.
"Indeed he has. Perhaps today he will finally finish the course on his first run." Starfire bumped her shoulder.
"Oh, Raven. Why must you be so cynical? Can you not just compliment someone without the rude remarks?" They both brought their attention to Changeling.
He was avoiding projectiles and dummies that were swinging batons effortlessly. He climbed the final obstacle was a rock wall, which he seemed to have no trouble with. He climbed the wall with the grace and ease of a spider. His eyes were darting around and searching for the quickest path. His animal instincts were overflowing.
He was in his element!
From the top of the wall, he eyed the final obstacle. A single gymnastics bar about eight feet away and half way down the forty foot wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trusting his arboreal instincts.
He jumped.
It may not have been terribly far, but it still gave him such a rush! At the last possible moment, he opened his eyes and reached out his hands.
His strong fingers easily gripped the bar and swung him up to the platform that held the button to end the run. As soon as his feet hit the ground he was on all fours. His adrenaline was flowing and his posture reflected his animal side.
His back was arched like a gorilla and he quickly stood up and hit the button, stopping the large timer. It read 1:35:24. A new personal best.
"Yes!" He shouted loudly, his hands slapping his chest in an ape-like manner. "New record!"
His teammates clapped and cheered from the sidelines.
"Fantastic work, Gar!" Nightwing's voice came over the PA speakers.
"Absolutely most impressive!" He heard Starfire's voice.
"Putting the Beast in Beast Boy!" Cyborg joked. Changeling smiled at him. His eyes shifted to Raven.
Any normal person wouldn't have noticed it, but after how long he'd been fighting for it, Changeling could tell even the smallest changes in her face. And her lips were curled in an almost microscopic smile. He liked to call them "Raven Smiles".
And here she was, giving him one now. Accompanied by a thumbs-up. He blushed and smiled back. He was feeling good. He took a deep breath and felt the burn of the air that follows intense workouts.
He felt like the king of the world.
TTTTTTTTT
The Titans were making their way to the common room for a hearty lunch. Their monthly three-hour maximum intensity workouts were always rewarded with an incredible meal.
"I have to admit, Gar, you thoroughly impressed me today." Changeling ran a hand through his hair.
"Thanks, Dick. I've been putting in the extra time lately. Glad it's paying off!"
I'll say it is! Raven heard a voice say in her mind. She was lingering behind the group, trying to quell her rather intense emotions.
Please refrain from talking to me right now. We can hash this out later if you spare me the thoughts now! She pleaded with herself.
As they drew nearer to the common room, the smells of food being cooked filled their nostrils. The team shared confused stares before rushing into the common room. The doors swished open and their eyes widened.
The table was covered in burgers, hot dogs, sausage patties, sausage links, veggie burgers, and a large bowl of salad.
Their guest was eagerly flipping and attending to the meats on the grill completely oblivious to his host's presence. Dressed in black pants, a white shirt, and wearing moccasin style slippers, his hair was tied back and he had borrowed Cyborg's apron. Silkie was laying across his shoulders.
TTTTTTTTTTT
"Alright, alright! You can have one more!" Koba held up a sausage link for the overgrown worm who was perched across his shoulders. With a gurgle, it was eagerly snatched up and swallowed. "If you keep eating like this, you're going to explode!" He laughed, rubbing the chin of the larva.
Quickly dishing up the now finished meats, he turned the burners of the stove off and wiped his hands on the apron.
"What do you think, pal? Think they'll be appreciative of this?" The worm gurgled in response. "Yeah, I hope so too."
Turning to place the food onto the table, a wide smile appeared on his face seeing the Titans had entered the room.
"Ah, perfect timing! Hope you dont mind me finding my way around the kitchen!" His voice was loud and excited. "Just finished the last batch. Please, come sit. Eat while it's still hot!"
Cyborg was the first to the table, never one to look a gift horse in the mouth when it came to food. Koba removed the apron and hung it on the back of a chair. The other Titans followed in a much more reserved fashion.
"You didn't have to do this," Nightwing told him. "You're our guest."
"Yes, but you're my host." He removed Silkie from his shoulder and rubbed his head before placing him on the ground. The worm rubbed on his legs like a cat. "And heroes, nonetheless. The least I could do is cook for you. Besides, I was hungry anyways."
He turned his attention to the three Titans he had yet to meet. An almost starstruck look met his eyes when he saw Changeling. He rushed over to him and eagerly began shaking his hand.
"Michael Koba. Sorry for being so forward, but I am your biggest fan." Changeling was a little surprised at the attention, but met the energy of the newcomer.
"Thanks dude! I always thought I had the coolest powers on the team!" He turned to Raven. "See? Biggest fan! I told you, I have fans!" He stuck his tongue out at her.
"My God, the applications to the scientific community that your powers could grant. Tell me, can you talk with animals?" His voice was giddy.
"Totally! One time, I even talked to a dinosaur!"
"That must have been fascinating!"
"Well, they tried to eat us." The two laughed together loudly. Raven rolled her eyes and nudged Nightwing.
"Great. Now there's two of them…"
"My goodness, where are my manners?" He extended his hand to Starfire and waited for her to take it. "Michael Koba, pleased to meet you." She shook his hand politely.
"And a pleasure to meet you, as well." Her smile was bright and welcoming. "I see you have met my Silkie. Hopefully he was not too much trouble?" Koba laughed.
"Absolutely not! Scared the daylights out of me when I woke up, but he's been delightful!"
"Please, he does not disgust you?" She asked him. He waved a dismissive hand.
"Nah, I've dealt with worse. How much does he eat?"
"He's bottomless," Cyborg chimed in. "He also has a nasty bite. Ate one of my fingers once."
"To be fair, you were told to lighten up while playing with him," Nightwing said, dishing himself up a burger and hotdogs. He looked at Koba. "Sorry we weren't around when you woke up. We had no idea how long you would be asleep for, and today is our scheduled intense training day."
"No worries. I managed fine on my own. Even figured out the showers. Please, let's eat before everything gets cold!"
Seats were taken and food was passed. Once everyone settled into their seats, Raven spoke up.
"So, Nightwing told us you need our help?" The loud exuberance was gone and his face took a serious tone.
"Indeed I do. My line of work is in the investigative area. And I've been doing some serious jobs lately that have led me to require a little more help than my employers have been able to provide." He crossed his arms.
"They've been very liberal with supplying what I need, but many of my associates are opposed to the idea of enlisting international help. Let alone that of the Superhero variety."
"And why is that?" She asked skeptically.
"Involving international affairs would tip off our current targets. There isn't much need for superhero work in Australia, so to have it be known you're around would raise suspicions." He pulled a bandana from his pocket and tied it around his forehead. "If they catch wind of us, they could disappear without a trace."
"And who exactly is 'they'?" Cyborg asked. Koba deflated slightly.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. What I have are leads. Ties into illegal workings that would surely bury our suspected target. Unfortunately, even to superheroes, I'm not at liberty to disclose who that is. But I can tell you this." He leaned forward. "I'm looking into a serious poaching and trafficking issue."
Changeling immediately slammed a fist onto the table.
"Damn poachers. Think they're above everything."
"Exactly. The bushmeat trade is big money for people who can get a foot in the door. With ivory currently being priced into thousands of dollars per pound, people are still looking to get their hands onto it at all costs."
"Your cause is most noble," Starfire added.
"But what does this have to do with us?" Cyborg asked. "Not that I don't care, but isn't this a problem for local authorities to deal with?"
"Cyborg's right. It's a terrible situation, but what could we do?" Nightwing asked.
"The local authorities are taking a cut of the profits to look the other way." He took a drink from his glass on the table. "We have tried going before the heads of their regions, but if they're insisting nothing is going on, then there isn't much our organization is allowed to do."
"What exactly is your organization?" Raven asked.
"We are called The Guardian Angels. You won't find any information on us, though. We are privately funded and nearly nonexistent in any eye."
"Privately funded?" She asked. He nodded.
"Very privately. I honestly don't even know where the funding comes from. Anonymous donors and that sort of thing." He rubbed a hand down his face. "If you guys can't help me, I understand. I know it's asking a lot. You have lives here, and a city to look after. But I don't think this can be done without you." His eyes were pleading. The Titans shared looks amongst themselves.
"We are going to need some time to discuss this," Nightwing said. "Like you said, it's a lot to ask. We aren't saying no, but-"
Suddenly, the alarm started blaring in the room. Immediately, the Titans jumped up and ran to the large screen to check the situation. Koba stood and followed.
"What's this?" He asked Changeling, who looked away from the screen to respond.
"Crime alert. Lets us know when there's crime being committed that the police can't take care of."
"Looks like it's the H.I.V.E. Most of them anyway." Nightwing was rubbing his chin as he spoke. "Where is Mammoth…"
"Maybe he won one of those telephone contests and is 'currently enjoying a timeshare in Guadalajara' or something." Changeling used a robotic voice as he quoted the spam call, eliciting a chuckle from Koba.
"Regardless, Titans, we need to head out. Star and Raven fly ahead. Evacuate citizens and try to minimize property damage." Nightwing was directing his team. "Changeling, go with them. Cyborg and I will take the car. Titans, Go!"
"Excuse me," Koba spoke up. "I'd like to help." Nightwing looked at him quizzically.
"This isn't your fight."
"Maybe not, but I can't stand by and do nothing. Give me four minutes, and I'll meet you in the garage." He quickly turned and left for his room.
"He is certainly…eager." Starfire was surprised by his sudden drive to fight considering how tired he had been just the day before.
"Yeah. Well, let's not wait around. We have criminals to stop!"
TTTTTTTTTTT
Nightwing and Cyborg were only waiting a minute or two by the time Koba had made his way down to the garage and sat in the back seat of the car.
"Sorry about the wait." He was carrying his wide brimmed hat and wearing his long leather coat. He was putting fingerless gloves on in a hurry and tying black combat boots onto his feet.
"Don't worry about it," Cyborg assured him as they pulled out of the garage in a hurry. "Didn't make bad time for your first alert. Changeling was five minutes late to every alert for three months when we first started out."
"Look, Koba. I appreciate that you want to help, but I want to make sure that you feel like you've recovered enough to come help us." Nightwing's voice was concerned. "You went without food and sleep for a long time."
"Ah, don't worry about me, mate. I've always done very well off of very little sleep. And I probably ate about four or five burgers while I was cooking." He tightened his ponytail. "Sorry about that, by the way. Just still really hungry."
"Don't worry about it. We always keep a huge stock incase any of the other Titans happen to drop by." Cyborg rounded a corner. "You should see Pantha when she's hungry. She can hold her own against me."
"Or Gnark." Nightwing said with a smile. Cyborg laughed.
"I can't tell you how many eating competitions the threw of us have gotten in with eachother."
"Well, not to brag, but one time I put away sixty-five chicken wings at a buffet. Although, that's probably amateur numbers compared to you," Koba said with a smile. Cyborg smiled into the rear view mirror.
"Two hundred and thirty-five."
"You're an animal!" Koba replied with an impressed tone.
"Don't let him fool you. He can increase his metabolism mechanics. His digestive fluids are synthesized and he can make his robotic parts work faster to eat more." Nightwing's voice was bitter. "You have no idea how much money I've lost betting against him in food competitions."
They rounded one more corner and saw the battle taking place. Many storefronts already had their windows broken out.
Raven was creating a force field around Billy Numerous in an attempt to contain the multiplying villain. His multiplying selves were causing the force field to expand.
Changeling was trading blows with the spider-like arms protruding from Gizmo's back in the form of an orangutan, using his long arms to block and pull the mechanical limbs.
Starfire flew through the air, dodging attacks from Kyd Wykkid and See-More, who was stationed on a roof firing projectiles at her. She was holding her own well enough from what could be told from the ground.
"Well, this is going to be fun." Cyborg's voice was unenthusiastic as the Three got out of the car.
"I still don't get it. Where is Mammoth?" Nightwing asked.
Just as he finished speaking, a wall exploded into a cloud of smoke. Out of the smoke came Mammoth, looking bigger than ever. His skin was so muscle-bound and tight, it looked like it could tear right from his body if he moved too much.
"Miss me?" He asked with an evil grin.
"What the hell is that?" Koba asked.
"Mammoth." Cyborg and Nightwing replied in unison.
Mammoth lunged forward, swiping a giant hand at the three men. Diving out of the way, they narrowly avoided the strike. Cyborg jumped in to take him on and the two began swinging at each other. Some blows struck, while others were dodged.
"I'll hold him off, you help the others!" He shouted. Nightwing grabbed Koba by the arm and pulled him away.
"Mammoth hits hard, but he's slow. As long as Cyborg can stay one step ahead of him, he'll be fine."
"Right. You should get to the roof and help Starfire. Once she's freed up, she can give Cyborg a hand. I'll help Raven."
Nightwing nodded in approval and used a grappling gun to take himself to the rooftop. Koba hurried up the street to Raven, who was having trouble containing her opponents.
"What can I do to help?" He asked her.
"I'm not sure. I can't hold them in much longer." Her voice was strained.
Quickly looking around, Koba spotted a truck with gas cans resting in the back of the truck bed. He took them out and quickly emptied their contents in a circle around the dark dome. Running back to Raven's side, he threw a fireball and ignited the gasoline which ended up making a decent wall of fire around it.
Raven lowered her black energy and held her head for a moment.
"You alright?" Koba asked. She nodded.
"I'll be okay." With a deep breath, she muttered her mantra and seemed to be collected enough to continue the fight. Koba gave her a smile before turning back to the circle of fire. His face dropped.
The numerous Billy's were regrouping themselves into a pyramid to allow the original to escape the ring of fire. He left from the top and landed clumsily on the ground, his clones reforming into him.
"Sheoot! That was one fancy trick. What do you think, Billy?" He separated a clone from himself.
"Fancy trick for sure, Billy." They both looked over to where Koba and Raven were standing and began laughing. "How do you like that, Billy? It's the Lone Ranger!"
"Nah, Billy. That's the Undertaker!" The two held on to each other in a fit of laughter. Koba ran forward and sent a flying kick to the two, sending them sprawling to the floor.
"Why, you…" both said at the same time. Climbing to their feet, they charged.
Raven quickly encompassed one in dark energy and threw him into a light post. Koba took the edge of his coat and quickly spun around, catching Billy in the face with the thick material.
He stumbled and passed Koba, who grabbed the back of his uniform and pulled him backwards. A hard elbow was thrown between Billy's shoulders. With a shout of pain, he quickly recovered and spun around to grab Koba's arm.
Quickly swatting away the hand, a front kick was given. The wind was knocked out of the villain and he was sent onto his back again.
"I can do this all day," Koba said, getting into a stance. Billy smirked.
"We'll see about that!" Two more copies of himself appeared on both sides of him. All three jumped up from the ground and left towards their opponent.
TTTTTTTTTTT
Changeling was holding a robotic arm in each of his ape hands. Thinking quickly, he morphed into a kangaroo, repeating Gizmo's weight. As the small man lost balance and fell forward, Changeling balanced on his tail and placed a strong kick to his torso.
With a scream, Gizmo was flying through the air. His back slammed into a box truck, his backpack sizzling and smoking. The robotic legs went limp, weighing him down. He was furiously slamming his hand into the controller.
"Stupid piece of junk!" He shouted. Suddenly he was engulfed in shadow. He looked up and squeaked in terror.
A large green sasquatch was looming over him with a piece of rebar in his hands. He leaned over and twisted the bar around the incapacitated man, trapping him in place. The weight of his mechanics were preventing him from moving.
Transforming back into his human form, Changeling brushed his hands together, clearing away the dirt and dust.
"That should hold you."
"Ah crud. You slime ball! You wrecked my gear!" He glared at the green man. "This stuff was expensive, too! I'll be sending you the bill."
Changeling smirked and leaned over Gizmo, pulling on the goggles wrapped around his head.
"Good luck with that." He pulled until the band was at maximum tension, then released them. They snapped painfully over Gizmo's eyes.
"Yeouch!"
Changeling laughed before checking on his teammates. Nightwing and Starfire were taking care of things on the roof. Raven and Koba were handling the numerous Billy Numerous', and working very well together. The sight of it sent a cold shiver up his spine. Cyborg's match against Mammoth was going well, although the robotic man seemed to be losing his steam.
"I'm coming, buddy!" He shouted before turning into a baboon and climbing the nearby lamppost. He swung back and forth a few times to gain momentum before leaping to the next post.
Making his way down the road, on his final swing he changed into a gorilla, slamming both fists over Mammoth's head. The genetically altered behemoth's eyes crossed for a moment before he stumbled through the wall of the arcade.
"Oh, way to go, B!" Cyborg shouted. "He just destroyed Earth Invaders Six! I had the highest score on that game for three years!"
Changeling gave him a look of disbelief.
"Dude, I just pulled a King Kong! And you're worried about that stupid game?" He scoffed. "If there was a camera here, that would have ended up in the JLA Takedown Hall of Fame!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? That's not a thing!" Cyborg shouted, pointing a finger at the changeling. Changeling opened his mouth to respond, but saw a large fist come out from the cloud of dirt and debris. Instead, he grabbed his friend's finger.
"What are you-" He was quickly yanked off of his feet and tossed to the side by a green gorilla as the fist crashed into the concrete where he was just standing.
He looked at the gorilla, who just smiled and held two fingers up. Cyborg rolled his eye and looked at the sensors on his forearm.
"Cover me. I need to make some adjustments." The gorilla nodded before changing into a wooly rhino and charging into the cloud. "Alright. Let's see what we can do with the sonic."
TTTTTTTTTTT
Kyd Wykkid disappeared into his cape once again and Starfire growled in frustration.
"How am I supposed to do battle if you keep avoiding me!" She shouted.
See-More was shooting beams from his eye, stopping every attempt Nightwing made to hit him with a bird-a-rang.
"Try this on for size!" He shouted, grabbing a regular and exploding projectile. Throwing the explosive one first, See-More easily shot it, causing it to explode a few feet in front of him in a cloud of smoke.
"You're gonna have to do better than-" he gasped as he saw another headed towards him. He had no time to block it and it stuck into his lens, cracking it in a spider web pattern.
"Damn you!" He shouted. Pulling the bird-a-rang from the lens, he readied himself to shoot at Nightwing.
"Wait, don't!" Nightwing shouted. He wasn't sure how the fractured lens would change the firing power, but See-More didn't listen. Instead of one focused beam, a dozen smaller ones shot out in a cone shape.
Unfortunately the fractured lens seemed to concentrate the firepower more. Thankfully, the cone was wide enough to miss Nightwing by a great distance. Ever the analyst, Nightwing looked around to survey the damage.
The beams were cutting straight through the floor in front of See-More, who was standing on the corner of the roof. Another beam went off in the direction of Starfire and Kyd Wykkid, who she had finally gotten a hold of and was restraining by the wrists. The beam narrowly missed her and hit Kyd Wykkid. He was unconscious.
Looking into the streets, he saw Koba pull Raven's cape, getting her out of the way of another beam, which ended up taking out the multiple forms of Billy Numerous.
That's two, he thought. Unfortunately nothing was headed to where Changeling was battling Mammoth, the form of a green wooly rhino being pushed slowly across the street.
TTTTTTTTTTT
Pivoting his front legs, Changeling used Mammoth's force against him. Swinging his large horned head, he threw Mammoth into the building Nightwing was currently on hop of.
His back slammed into the wall. Changeling charged into him, embedding him into the bricks.
"B, get out of the way!" He heard Cyborg shout. Transforming into a hummingbird, he quickly cleared away from Mammoth. Cyborg raised his arm and fired his sonic cannon.
Instead of his usual beam, it was cone-shaped as well. But it was resonating at a much higher frequency and pulsating in waves.
Mammoth clutched his ears and screamed in pain. The walls of the building were vibrating and shaking. A trail of blood was dripping from Mammoth's nose.
Up on the roof, both Nightwing and See-More were struggling to stand. The helmet See-More used to channel his powers and stopped working and fizzled out. He still couldn't see through the cracked lens.
Nightwing tried shouting down to Cyborg, but his voice wasn't heard over the high pitched sonic waves. He looked back at See-More. The area of the roof where his beams had cut through was starting to tear away from the building.
"See-More! You need to follow my voice!"
"Why should I listen to you?" He shouted in response.
"Those last shots you fired cut right through the roof! The action down on the street is causing it to give out!"
Just as he warned him, he felt the corner of the roof begin to slide away. A panicked look came over See-More's face. He was having trouble seeing through the lens, but could faintly make out Nightwing as a streak of blue on the roof.
In a mad dash, he began in his direction, but the building was crumbling away too quickly. He couldn't make out the edge. He needed to jump, but he couldn't see!
In a leap of faith, he closed his eyes and jumped with as much force as he could muster. Nightwing stretched out to grab him, but their hands missed.
Eyes wide, Nightwing immediately jumped after See-More. He quickly grabbed onto him and turned to the sky. Grabbing his grappling gun, he fired it at Starfire's leg where it quickly wrapped around and took anchor.
She faltered slightly from the additional weight and was startled at the sensation, but immediately took action when she noticed what was happening. She flew to the nearest rooftop and lowered her surprise tagalongs down.
TTTTTTTTTTT
Mammoth's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell unconscious. Cyborg powered down his cannon and looked at his friend. Changeling smiled, although the ringing in his ears was terribly painful. Catching a glimpse out of the side of his eye, he looked up to see the corner of the roof falling towards where they were standing.
It wasn't a terribly large piece, but it was coming right at them. The world seemed to slow down for a moment as his cat-like reflexes set in.
He roughly grabbed Cyborg's arm and spun around, throwing him out of the way. God, he was moving fast, but it wasn't fast enough. He changed into a sasquatch and pulled Mammoth from the wall, tossing him roughly to the ground, but a safe distance away.
He looked up again to see how much time he had. It wasn't enough! Relying on his senses, he transformed again.